Sharjah opens smart parking lot in Al Majaz; tariffs start at Dh5 per hour

Sharjah - There are about 300 pay-and-park lots in the emirate.

The Sharjah Municipality opened its first smart pay-and-park lot using clean energy in Al Majaz 3 on Thursday.

Thabet Salem Al Tarifi, Director-General of the municipality, said that the new parking lot offers multiple payment options to motorists. Customers can either subscribe to a daily, weekly or monthly package, or pay as they park.

Tariff is as follows: Dh5 per hour, Dh40 per day, Dh100 per week, Dh350 per month, and Dh3,500 per year.

At the parking lot, a camera reads the vehicle number plate and opens the gate automatically, and while going out, the gate opens again and provides the customer with the number of hours and the amount payable if the driver doesn't have a subscription. Those who wish to make traditional way of payment can do it through the operator or the device installed in the yard. Payment can also be made through the smartphone application.

Ali Ahmed Abu Ghazin, director of the Public Parking Department, said that the new smart parking lot can be operated without human intervention and there are surveillance cameras available round the clock and other cameras to read vehicle number plates. The smart parking lot also provides vehicle wash service in an environment-friendly manner and a digital screen showing parking rental rate and subscription fees according to the time period.

Al Tarifi said that the project is aimed at coping with increasing number of residents and visitors as Sharjah is considered as an ideal destination that attracts investors, residents and visitors. The municipality is keen to provide these services in a smart way that accompanies this development and reflects its plans and strategy in the digital transformation of all its services.

Khalid bin Falah Al Suwaidi, assistant director-general of the Customer Service Department at the Sharjah Municipality, explained that the municipality is keen on providing parking to the public at all times. The number of private parking and pay-and-park spaces has reached about 40,000 spaces. There are about 300 pay-and-park lots, providing 19,000 regular parking lots for leasing.

Abu Ghazin stressed that the smart parking lot will be developed in the future by providing solar-powered lights, a special space for charging electric cars, an ATM and a parking reservation system through the smart app and a smart inspection system.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com