From today, get a valet to park your car in Mumbai's Dadar

MUMBAI: A first-of-its-kind digitised valet parking facility will start in Dadar on Wednesday in collaboration between BMC, Mumbai Police and Dadar Vyapari Sangh, a traders’ body.
Motorists can leave their vehicles at a dedicated valet parking booth near Plaza Cinema, along with their phone number. All vehicles will be steered to the Kohinoor Public Parking Lot. When it’s time to head back, motorists can click on a link sent over SMS to request for their vehicle to be dropped back near Plaza Cinema. Rs 100 will be charged for the first four hours, and an additional Rs 25 for every hour thereafter. Park+, a start-up, will operate the booth for 11 hours daily.

Valet parking to be extended to 4 more locations in Dadar
Digitised valet parking service will soon be extended to four more locations in Dadar and Shivaji Park after the first booth opens near Plaza Cinema on Wednesday.
The BMC runs 29 Public Parking Lots (PPLs), but many of these witness low footfalls and motorists continue to park on streets.
“Dadar is a hub for shopping and theatre, but people find it cumbersome to first head to PPLs and then to shop. Parking on streets is always accompanied by the fear of vehicles being challaned,” said Deepak Deorukhkar of the Dadar Vyapari Sangh. Last year, during the festive season, the traders had organised free valet parking for three months. The response was overwhelming. “An average of 85 cars were being parked every day by valets. On Diwali day, the number rose to 94,” said Devrukhkar. Subsequently, the traders’ body joined hands with Park +, a start-up.
“Not only shoppers, anyone visiting Dadar and Shivaji Park whether to visit a relative, go to work or eat out with friends can avail valet parking,” said Sunil Shah of the Dadar Vyapari Sangh.
“We will shut down all on-street parking outside marriage halls and shopping centres. We have space for 1,721 cars in Kohinoor PPL,” said Kiran Dighavkar, BMC’s assistant municipal commissioner, G-North ward. “We have appealed to marriage halls and shopping centres to ask visitors to use the valet parking facility.”
Members of the Mumbai Parking Authority, a body set up to find a solution to the city’s parking woes, said valet parking should be encouraged where PPL occupancy is low. Depending on feedback from motorists, valet booths could be set up in other parts of the city too.