Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is preparing to roll out a digital parking management system that will allow citizens to locate, pre-book, and pay for parking slots in real time across the city. The proposed mobile application, which aims to integrate all public and private parking facilities under a single digital platform, is expected to streamline parking management while enhancing transparency in civic revenue collection.
According to civic officials, the smart parking application will not only guide motorists to the nearest available parking space but also display real-time slot availability on their screens. The initiative seeks to address one of Mumbai’s most persistent urban challenges — the shortage of accessible and well-managed parking — which contributes significantly to traffic congestion and carbon emissions. The civic authority has extended the deadline for contractors to bid for the project until mid-November. The selected contractor will be responsible for developing and maintaining the mobile application, managing parking lots, and handling the financial accounting of parking receipts.
By combining both digital operations and on-ground management under a single agency, the BMC intends to ensure better accountability and reduce revenue leakages that have historically plagued the system. At present, Mumbai’s 58 public parking lots and several on-street parking zones are maintained by multiple private contractors who pay a fixed fee to the civic body. This fragmented model often results in inconsistent maintenance and limited visibility into actual revenues. The new model, however, will enable motorists to pay digitally through the BMC’s app, with a percentage of the collected amount directly credited to the civic account — ensuring financial transparency and efficient monitoring.
The app will also integrate features such as GPS-based location tracking, digital receipts, and navigation assistance to reduce idle driving time in search of parking. Officials said the system is designed to cut down on illegal on-street parking, which currently occupies valuable road space and disrupts traffic flow in key business districts and residential zones. The civic body has further planned to bring private parking spaces — including those in malls, commercial complexes, housing societies and transport depots — under the ambit of the platform, thereby significantly expanding the city’s total parking capacity. A similar plan was earlier proposed by the city’s parking authority but could not sustain due to administrative and logistical challenges.
Urban mobility experts have welcomed the initiative, noting that a centralised digital parking ecosystem can substantially reduce vehicular emissions, improve road discipline, and contribute to the city’s broader sustainability goals under Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment). They emphasised that smart mobility measures such as this are key to transforming Mumbai into a more efficient, eco-friendly metropolis. For a city that adds thousands of new vehicles every month, BMC’s integrated parking app represents more than a digital upgrade — it is a step towards making urban mobility cleaner, smarter, and citizen-friendly. If implemented effectively, the platform could become a model for other Indian metros seeking to align infrastructure with the principles of sustainable, low-carbon city living.
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