There’s car sharing and ride sharing, and now there is driveway sharing as well.
U.K.-based YourParkingSpace.co.uk is urging people with empty driveways to rent out their space to supplement their income. More than 20,000 people across the region are renting out a total of 250,000 parking spaces, driveways or garages.
Parking spots are accessed via a smartphone and can be rented by the hour, day or month. The online parking portal provides directions and collects fees from motorists; 90% of available spaces can be booked only through the YourParkingSpace.co website.
Driveway owners who sign up with the service “need hardly lift a finger, apart from listing their empty driveway to top up their household finances,” the company says in a news release.
The parking-spot matchmaking service says householders on average earn about £1,000 ($1,300) a year from renting out their driveways. That’s the same as working 133 hours for the U.K.’s National Living Wage of £7.50 ($9.75 an hour) for people 25 or older.
The empty driveway “can be a sizable money earner” if it is in a desirable location such as near a train or subway station, shopping centers, local amenities or even a concert or sporting venue, YourParkingSpace says.
“I would encourage workers who are looking to supplement their income, and who own a suitable driveway, to get in contact with YourParkingSpace.co.uk,” Managing Director Harrison Woods says. “The sooner they list their driveway, the sooner the bookings and money will roll in.”