BizBahrain Magazine Nov-Dec 2017

Interview | ParkPoint
a premium to get their cars parked for
them. We had to educate the market about
the valet concept and that it is a luxury
service. Once a customer experiences the
luxury, they don’t want to go back because
they have felt the comfort. Maybe you're
happy with the way you do things, but
once you try the comfort and ease of valet
parking, then you want to keep using it.
available, but how do you communicate
that. Our app will give a platform by which
you can register that you have 2 parking
spaces over there.
What about membership? How does one
get it?
It is totally free of charge. Members
will have to purchase the points of
course, but the membership is totally
free. You apply directly and you get your
ParkPass Barcode Sticker and Card.
We are so excited about the ParkPass
Barcode sticker, which we feel is the most
convenient method, as members will not
have to get their wallets out or present
any card, the valet attendant will simply
deduct the points by scanning the sticker.
We are already in discussions with
several banks and credit card companies
about having this membership provided to
their cardholders, so they can use it in any
of our locations. This can apply to any type
of company, for example - banks, credit
card companies, telecommunication
companies, real estate developers, airlines,
car dealers, basically any company that
has premium cardholders, and this can
easily fit as an additional benefit.
Let’s wind back to how it all started. How
would you explain ParkPoint and what
brought you into it?
ParkPoint is a parking solutions
company that was established in 2008. We
are the first valet parking company in the
Kingdom of Bahrain, and we also provide
parking management. We provide valet
parking for hotels, restaurants and malls
and manage parking lots. ParkPass was
developed for the paid services. Currently,
we operate in City Centre, Seef Mall, and
Adliya Block 338, and we promise we will
add more in the near future.
We are the largest valet parking
company in Bahrain today but one of
the challenges that we faced during the
journey was combining technology with
service. It is really a totally different
field, it was challenging but I believe I
personally enjoy the challenge.
To put it simply,
ParkPass is a fantastic
mobile app that helps
motorists find and pay
for public parking around
Bahrain.
What are some of the challenges?
I would say the challenges are still
to come. It has been an education at
every step because we are the pioneers
of this concept in Bahrain. In order for us
to educate the market, it is not an easy
task as it was something totally new. We
actually have been through the experience
of doing that. When we introduced valet
parking to the market, nobody thought
it was possible that people would pay
To come back to ParkPass mobile app,
how do you see it making a difference to
the ecosystem enabling a better lifestyle
for citizens?
Mobile applications allow us to serve
the citizens of our country better, to
understand their needs and sentiments,
and improve their quality of life. We are
ready to take our technology and expertise
forward and implement it in ways that
will create a friction-free environment
that allows a smoother driving experience
to everyone throughout the city. Parking
congestion in cities accounts for much
of a vehicle’s gas emissions besides
contributing considerably to urban
traffic. Our aim is to constantly focus on
developing technologies that provide
solutions. To this I would add that we
could even run the public parking spaces
in the country.
Whatever we are offering is the
beginning of the plan, which can become
something much wider and more
inclusive. The intention is to rapidly
increase the number of locations that
we operate in. Parking could be under
our management or run by a third party
management. We are ready to work with
anyone; we can create partnerships so our
membership scheme would work with
their parking. It is not necessary that it
should be only under our management.
Different operators can work with us and
we can make our membership and mobile
application available for anyone who
partners with us.
What’s next on the horizon after the
launch of the mobile app?
Well, we have another innovation in
the pipeline that I cannot reveal yet, but
believe me it will be a major one.
To register, visit www.park-pass.com
e-mail info@park-pass.com
Call: +973 66779955, 38888231
30 November-December 2017