A huge problem which many cities around the world have is that there is not enough room for parking cars. Here in Boston that was an issue for many years and it is only recently that construction has taken place to create more parking areas. Many local governments have been trying to get citizens to ditch their cars and instead use public transport but unfortunately the development of good transport links can not alway be depended upon, Boston is a city which definitely has this problem. Wherever there is a problem however there is a business idea and opening a car parking garage could be the best way for you to to make some money and solve this problem. We chatted to the guys at Dock Square Parking Garage here in Boston, MA , to get some tips on how they have been running such a successful business.
Size
The bigger the better when you are opening a car garage in a busy city and the more space that you have, the more money which you will have rolling in. Of course much of this depends on rental prices in the area but if you are able to get somewhere large, it is recommended.
Pricing
If there is another car parking garage in your area then simply use them as a measure of price and make yours competitive with theirs, if however there is nobody else doing this in the area then you should be looking to charge around $10 per hour. Make sure that you add some package deals too such as $60 for the full day and a lower price for leaving it overnight. The real money is made from the people who come to stay for just an hour or 2, the long term stays are the ones that you need to look after because that is where that long term money is made.
Safety and Security
Your number one challenge as a car park owner is to ensure the safety of all of the cars which come in. This means that you need to have CCTV and regular surveillance throughout the car park, with no blind spots. If anything should happen inside your car parking garage and word gets out, it could shatter your reputation. Even if you need to invest money, you must ensure that your car parking garage is locked down and completely safe from thieves.
Car Washing
A great way to make some extra cash on each car that comes in is to offer a car washing service. If you have the people to do this then you can deal with it directly or alternatively, and more easily, you can look to use a third party company to come in and do the cleaning, whilst you simply take a small percentage of what they make. This will make your car parking garage more attractive and give the customers a reason to keep coming back.