How are parking fees actually calculated?
“Money for nothing!”, “A license to print money!”, or “A total rip-off!”: When itcomestoparking fees, many people react very emotionally. Clearly, no one likes payingto park their car in a parking lot. After all, you can evenpark for free on the side of the roadelsewhere. However, managing a parking lot is aservice that benefits drivers. And, of course, the money doesn’t go directly into theoperator’s pockets…
Managed parking areas are located where they are needed. This could be near downtown areas, at train stations and airports, or adjacent to tourist facilities. In these areas, every square meter of space is valuable and, accordingly, costly.
And as is always the case in life, the price here is also determined by supply and demand. Anyone who operates a parking lot here must therefore pay a hefty price for its use—and has no choice but to pass those costs on to the parking customers. However, this also means that the parking lot operator is obligated to pay taxes on its own revenue. And these taxes are, of course, not limited solely to passing on the value-added tax collected from ticket sales.
In parking garages in particular, energy and infrastructure costs represent a significant expense. Whether it’s lighting, ventilation, elevator operation, or the provision of public restrooms: many of these costs aren’t immediately apparent—they often become evident only upon closer inspection—but their importance becomes instantly clear when a technical malfunction occurs. And even in a traditional parking lot, lighting and signage must always function flawlessly, which naturally entails certain costs for the parking lot operator.
Although most parking lots and nearly all parking garages no longer have a booth next to the barrier where friendly staff collect parking fees, today’s parking facilities are still managed with a staff. It’s just that you hardly ever see a cashier in parking lots anymore. However, numerous people continue to work in technical support, cleaning, security, and administration to ensure that parking operations run smoothly. This will not change significantly, even as technology continues to advance.
Depending on the location, setting, and specific characteristics of the parking area, parking fees are calculated in various ways based on the factors mentioned above and others. However, one thing always remains true: We care deeply about our customers’ satisfaction. We are constantly striving to ensure cleanliness, safety, and the best possible operation of all installed systems, and we aim to provide all of this at the fairest possible rate. That way, we can ensure that people will continue to choose our parking facilities.
