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SpotHero is integrating Waze, a navigation app owned by Google, into its app to enable its customers nationwide to more directly navigate to a pre-booked parking spot near their destination. The two companies already teamed up last summer to facilitate navigation in underground or tunnel areas of Chicago via location beacons.
Why it matters: Americans spend 17 hours per year on average searching for parking, costing them $345 per driver in wasted time, fuel and emissions, according to INRIX. Both companies say they aim to help reduce congestion by helping cars more efficiently get to their destinations.
How it works: After users find and book a parking spot in SpotHero’s app, they can hit a button for directions to that lot or garage. If they’re already Waze users, the app will open on their smartphone, pre-set to the destination, or they’ll be prompted to downloaded if they don’t already have it. A button will also let them toggle to their reservation ticket when they reach the garage.
- Currently there’s no button inside the Waze app that guides its users to SpotHero’s app, though it’s something both companies hinted could be in the works for the future.
- Adam Fried, head of Waze product partnerships, also told Axios the company is thinking about helping users get to their final destinations once they’ve parked their vehicles, though he declined to share more details about its plans.
Tracking success: The companies will be looking at metrics like user engagement—how often SpotHero’s customers use Waze to get to their parking spot—and how much time and distance the integration has likely save users, though they're still figuring out exact metrics and methodologies
The deal doesn’t have a financial component, SpotHero CEO Mark Lawrence told Axios.