There’s no doubt that parking apps have come a long, long way.

For the parking industry, we’ve seen mobile apps progress from the ground up. From fumbling for loose change to feed the meter to being able to handle the entire parking experience from your smartphone – it really is just the beginning for the industry.

The marriage of different types of app concepts has drastically transformed the development of mobile parking technology. There’s transient parking and permit parking, which caters to those that need parking on a regular weekly, monthly or even yearly basis. Parking apps that have the functionality to layer a variety of different features is the future of mobility….

So what’s next for parking apps?

For the parking industry, there’s a huge push toward being multimodal. Handling everything from parking, to bike-sharing, to ride-sharing, to even having the ability to find the best Starbucks location on your transit route through your smartphone. Both Google Maps and Apple Maps are using existing data to tailor their user experience to help drivers find parking that not only fits their needs, but adds value to their day.

As for what’s next for Passport, we’re seeing a shift in implementing technology to help users find areas where they can park, by utilizing existing location data to really make the perfect connections that initiate a session on the user’s behalf or prompts users to act more proactively. After all, over 68% of Americans report owning a smartphone in 2015 alone. Let’s just say, smartphones are running the world of mobility – in the best way possible. We’re able to leverage the technology, data, and features to further expand upon our parking app, and continue automating the parking experience.

“What will create lasting value is our ability to leverage the myriad data streams that we mine from advancing mobile and infrastructure technology,” said David Kim, Product Manager at Passport. “Paired with progressive transportation policy; harnessing this data enables us to develop critical insights for consumers and municipalities.”

This industry is competitive. There’s no doubt about that. Providing data that utilizes real-time availability is what makes a product invaluable, especially as users plan their parking experience from start to finish. For Passport, the heavy lifting is on us and consumers can go about their lives more fluidly, without having to stress over if they’ll receive a little orange ticket on their windshield.

Ultimately, being able to develop a parking app where users do not have to think about parking, but can simply enjoy the experience, is the future. Being able to navigate and effectively make it to your final destination without having to make critical decisions; now that’s convenience. It might even encourage urban dwellers to consider alternative transit options (millennials, take note).

Parking as we know it is molding, innovating, and transforming the world we live in. It’s an exciting time and one that sure is changing how and the way we move. For now, the mobile landscape continues to improve…