Parking app HonkMobile now includes 20 universities and colleges across Canada

HonkMobile, the app that allows users to find and pay for parking via a mobile app, is ready for the fall semester. The mobile platform is now available at 20 universities and colleges across Canada, according to the company.

Honk says its expansion is driven by an increased demand for parking spaces across Canada, and says that it plans to add more post secondary institutions over the course of the next year. To put this in perspective, Honk’s dollar volume at post secondary schools is up 30 percent this year compared to 2016.

The app allows students and staff to search, pay for, and top up parking using their smartphone, tablet or laptop. Students and staff that use the app receive a 15 minute reminder before their parking expires and can also purchase additional time remotely.

Honk’s app also locates the closest parking lot to the school, either on or off-campus. Honk has partnered with school lots as well as public and private lots nearby the campuses, according to Michael Back Founder and CEO of the company.

In some cases Honk also offers parking on-campus and off-campus for students. For example, students at University of Western have the choice of where and how much to pay for parking, as the Honk app is available on campus as well as for off-street parking in London Ontario.

In terms of pricing, Honk says it will always match or offer rates lower then that of a parking machine, though typically the price will be the same as campus rates, according to Back.

As Honk in some areas has more parking spots than users, students may be forced to opt for off campus parking. This is the case at schools like UBC and UWO, though in cities like Vancouver, street parking is also available.

“We know student life can be hectic, and we’re doing our part to help alleviate the stress of parking,” said Back in a press statement. “Education is the key to a successful future and we’re confident our app will meet the needs of students and take some of the stress out of the school year. There is great demand for our services among post secondary institutions and we are thrilled to improve the management of their inventory and reduce schools’ costs.”

Though Honk is looking to expand its operations, the app is currently only available at 20 post secondary schools out of the more than 200 institutions across Canada.

Here is the complete list of schools:

Western
U of Windsor
Algonquin College
Conestoga College

Wilfrid Laurier
MacEwan
Lakehead
UBC
UBC Okanagan
Sheridan College
Conrad Grebel
Mohawk College
U of Lethbridge
Lethbridge College
John Abbott College
Keyano College
U of A
St. Lawrence College

Currently the list lacks schools in the Greater Toronto Area. According to Back, this is because many GTA schools don’t have a significant amount of on-campus parking. Additionally, space within the downtown core for institutions like the University of Toronto and Ryerson, is at a premium, and many students utilize mass transit, private and municipal parking.

“These schools also haven’t gotten on the mobile bandwagon with anyone — you can call them late adopters,” says Back in an interview with MobileSyrup.

There is, however, currently only one institution in Quebec that’s supported by Honk, John Abbott College. According to Honk, the platform has plans to expand into Quebec in the near future.

HonkMobile is available on both iOS and Android.