Finance

Understanding and navigating the complex funding and finances of parking, transportation, and mobility operations is critical.

Funding and Finance for Parking & Mobility

What innovative funding mechanisms are emerging to support parking and mobility infrastructure in the face of declining traditional revenue streams?

A Holistic View Reveals the True Cost of Your Parking Operation

Parking lot safety is at the top of many parking professional’s priority list—and for good reason. However, addressing safety concerns can often be challenging, time-consuming, and expensive. As parking professionals, we're expected to find smart, effective solutions that improve safety, enhance customer satisfaction, and—ideally—increase revenue. And if we’re being honest, we’re often asked to do it on a tight budget... and with a deadline of “tomorrow.” With that reality in mind, here are some low-cost or no-cost ideas to help you improve the safety of your parking facility—without breaking the bank. No-Cost Conduct a Safety Walkthrough Schedule monthly or quarterly walkthroughs of the parking facility. Bring colleagues—more eyes mean more issues caught. Use a simple checklist to document issues such as: Burnt-out or misaligned lights Potholes or cracked pavement Leaking pipes, spalling concrete, or drainage problems Faded line striping or signage Obstructions or tripping hazards Take photos and record observations, then present findings—along with recommendations and estimated costs—to building ownership as a value-added service. Maximize Existing Conditions Conduct a nighttime lighting review to check for dark spots; re-aim fixtures if needed. Clean light fixture lenses to improve brightness—dust, cobwebs, and grime reduce output. Remove and put away any cones, barricades, or objects that may cause tripping or confusion. If entrance mats or carpet runners are used, ensure your team regularly checks for bunching or curling, which can be hazardous. Trim overgrown bushes or landscaping that obstruct visibility or create blind spots. Implement Staff Training Develop and maintain site and job-specific safety training for all staff. Train team members to: Identify and report potential hazards immediately Monitor for loitering and suspicious activity Understand site-specific emergency protocols Reinforce safety as part of daily operations—not just during incidents. Strengthen Communication with Building Security & Ownership Establish clear protocols with building security or management for incident reporting and hazard response. Coordinate with tenants to share seasonal or situational “Safety Tips” (e.g., winter driving, walking safely at night). Keep tenants and staff informed about any changes in traffic flow or parking closures to avoid confusion and reduce risk. Low-Cost Re-stripe and Re-mark the Facility Refreshing pavement markings is one of the most effective and affordable ways to improve safety, traffic flow and parking compliance. Offer or recommend low-cost restriping services for: Parking stalls Pedestrian crosswalks Stop bars and directional arrows Use high-visibility paint along pedestrian walkways, curbs, and any area where there’s a change in elevation to help reduce trip-and-fall incidents—especially in dimly lit or high-traffic zones. Update or Replace Signage Well-maintained signage is essential for safety and customer guidance: Audit all signage on-site and replace any faded, outdated, or damaged signs. Ensure signs reflect current information, such as: Contact numbers Hours of operation Instructions for getting assistance Add temporary “Caution: Slippery Surface” signs at entrances or near stairwells during rain, snow, or cleaning events. Post “This Area Is Under Surveillance” signs at key entry and exit points—even if cameras aren’t installed—as a visual deterrent to crime or misconduct. Improving safety in a parking facility doesn’t always require a large budget—just a proactive approach, attention to detail, and a commitment to continuous improvement. By implementing these low-cost and no-cost strategies, we can significantly enhance the safety, usability, and overall experience for every customer who uses the facility. As a parking professional, we’re not only tasked with managing day-to-day operations, but also to add value through smart, cost-effective solutions that prioritize both safety and service. Vincent Campagna, PTMP, is a Manager, Parking & Ground Transportation for Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. Vincent can be reached at vcampagna@mitchellairport.com.

Does the Benefit Justify the Cost?

Chicago, IL – Ocra, the leading provider of parking revenue management software, announces its successful raise of $5 million in strategic capital led by Trestle Partners, with significant follow-on participation from existing investor MCR, the third-largest hotel owner-operator in North America. This latest funding round marks a meaningful milestone in Ocra’s growth. Trestle Partners joins as a new investor, leading the round and reinforcing the Ocra leadership team’s long-term growth mindset. MCR, which first invested in Ocra in an oversubscribed round in April 2024, doubled-down on its investment, signaling an emphatic endorsement of the company’s current performance and future potential. “Parking is no longer an afterthought, but a substantial ancillary revenue stream for asset owners”, says Thomas Babcock, Partner at Trestle Partners. “It’s clear to us that Ocra is building the solutions needed to unlock that value. Our investment is a reflection of this clarity, and of the momentum that Ocra is building.” Joe Delli Santi, Chief Investment Officer at MCR, adds: “We’ve seen firsthand how Ocra has matured over the last two years. Increasing our investment was an easy decision. This is a team that knows how to execute and understands the complexity of the industry. We’re proud to support their next phase of growth.” The funding will be used to accelerate product development and expand go-to-market efforts. Ocra’s leadership succeeded in their goal of getting the company to cash-flow breakeven while growing nearly 200% YoY and is excited to add more fuel to the fire. “We didn’t set out to raise capital this year – and frankly, we didn’t need to,” says Ocra’s Chief Executive Officer, Ethan Glass. “Our team has scaled the business with top-tier unit economics and a strong foundation. But the opportunity arose to accelerate growth without compromising who we are. Trestle Partners, MCR, and our other esteemed investors bring far more than capital – they’re strategic partners who share our vision and are uniquely positioned to support this next chapter.” The company also plans to expand its presence within the hospitality and commercial real estate, where demand for streamlined, real-time parking revenue management is growing. Amplifying this infusion of new capital, Anthony Broad-Crawford, joins the Ocra leadership team as Chief Technology Officer. A seasoned technology executive with 20+ years of experience launching award-winning, patent-receiving products on a global scale, Broad-Crawford has previously served as C-Suite product leadership at multiple innovative companies in the parking space, including SpotHero, FLASH, and Parkonect. “AI has made for an unprecedented moment in history – it’s more significant than personal computing, the internet, and mobile computing combined,” says Anthony Broad-Crawford, Ocra’s Chief Technology Officer. “Parking and mobility remain one of the premier spaces where AI can have a transformative and societal impact. Therefore, I’m honored and excited to partner with Ocra to accelerate this AI transformation of our industry, leveraging their unique combination of human-led services and technology to deliver groundbreaking results.” To learn more about Ocra, contact info@getocra.com or visit getocra.com. About Ocra Founded in 2019, Ocra is a team of parking revenue management experts who partner with parking asset owners, property managers, and hotel management companies to achieve optimum yield of their parking assets and drive higher net operating income (NOI). Ocra CoPilot – the company’s sophisticated, data-driven approach to rate and inventory management for parking assets – provides an “eyes in the sky” approach for the “boots on the ground” operations team to maximize parking revenue. Today, Ocra works with 50+ parking operators and 20+ property management groups at 600+ locations across North America. In the hotel sector alone, Ocra has generated $12.3m in incremental revenue at 45+ locations in the past 6 months by selling unutilized parking inventory to non-guest customers. The company has raised $10m to date, in a July 2025 $5M round led by Trestle Partners as well as an oversubscribed April 2024 $3.5m round co-led by MCR and Parker Technology. For more information about Ocra, email info@getocra.com or visit www.getocra.com. Media Contact: Sarah Becherer VP, Marketing Ocra sarah@getocra.com

As digital payments surge in ungated parking environments, ensuring clarity, consistency, and compliance has become more vital than ever. This white paper outlines key best practices for parking operators and payment providers to prevent consumer confusion and mitigate legal risk.

Understanding Perceived Value

Fort Lee, NJ — Parking Base, the leading provider of customized cloud-based parking management solutions, announced a major upgrade to Permit Manager, its industry-leading digital parking permit platform. With this new release, operators can now issue, price, bill, and renew permits with an unprecedented level of flexibility and control, redefining the standards for permitting flexibility. “These new capabilities and innovations are the result of input from our customers, and there isn’t a workflow our new Permit Manager can’t support,” said John Payne, Parking Base’s Chief Technology Officer. “We’ve supercharged the technology to handle every scenario or challenge our customers have presented. What’s really exciting is, we have now empowered our clients to drive even more revenue from new and existing customers.” Permit Manager removes the typical limitations imposed by legacy parking management platforms. Rather than dictating how permits will be managed, Permit Manager allows owners and operators to establish their own management parameters. For instance: Custom Permit Durations: Permit Manager moves beyond one-size-fits-all. Custom subscription terms allow for monthly, quarterly, annual, or custom period lengths -- whatever an operation demands. Owners can also create “time of day permits” to allow weekend only or evening only parking. Flexible Billing Dates: Permit Manager allows owners and operators to set billing cycles per permit however they wish -- upfront, mid-month, end-of-month, and anything in between. Owners can be as creative as they wish. For instance, they can offer a “promotional permit” with a discounted rate that expires on a specific date to help attract new customers. Auto-Renew or Expire: Permit Manager allows owners and operators to automatically control whether permits continue seamlessly or end after a set term, saving staff time and headaches. Special Permit Types & Controls: Permit Manager allows owners and operators to create custom permit types and rates with restricted access based on a unique URL or the user's email domain. For example, new commercial tenants can be offered a discounted rate and employees with the proper email domain can access the special rate. Operators Can Now Update Rates Instantly: With permit-level rate management, operators can adjust rates themselves in seconds, right from the back office. This means faster updates, better responsiveness to local demand, and less back-and-forth, putting more control in the hands of the people running the operation day-to-day. Custom Contracts and Documentation, Tailored To Each Permit: Operators can now set specific contracts and documentation requirements for individual permit types, allowing each permit to have its own terms and paperwork built right into the system. This helps ensure compliance and keeps the process clean and efficient for operators and parkers. “This update is more than just added convenience—it’s operational power,” said Ebby Zachariah, CEO of Parking Base. “Permit Manager allows you to adapt to seasonal patterns, meet complex customer needs, and fulfill even the most nuanced operational requirements—right out of the box, no workarounds or custom development required. The flexibility built into this release opens the door to countless creative applications, giving you the freedom to design permit programs that truly fit your operation, not the other way around.” For more information about Parking Base and its solutions, please visit www.parkingbase.com. About Parking Base Parking Base is the leading company offering cloud-based parking management solutions to handle all aspects of parking operations. Its comprehensive suite of products includes Permit Manager, Valet Manager, Destination Manager, and Access Manager, and it delivers a seamless and customizable digital, cloud-based solution in a single platform. Parking Base’s tools are designed to optimize efficiencies for parking owners and operators, while enhancing the customer experience. For more information about Parking Base, please visit www.parkingbase.com.

Exeter, UK – Rezcomm, a global leader in ecommerce solutions for airports, parking operators and travel hubs, has officially entered the Australian market, marking a major milestone in the company’s international growth strategy. This expansion is powered by a new partnership with Airport Development Group (ADG), who will become the first Australian client to implement Rezcomm’s all-in-one digital marketplace across its airport network. ADG is a key infrastructure owner and operator in the Northern Territory of Australia, managing a diverse portfolio that includes airports, hotels, and commercial properties. They operate major regional transport hubs including Darwin International Airport and Alice Springs Airport, collectively serving more than 2 million passengers each year. With a strong focus on optimizing airport operations, enhancing the passenger experience, and increasing revenue through innovation, ADG has signed a new partnership agreement with Rezcomm. This partnership is the first first Australian client to implement Rezcomm’s solutions. This collaboration marks an important milestone in ADG’s digital transformation journey and reinforces its commitment to delivering modern, customer-focused airport services while positioning its operations for sustainable growth into the future. Airports around the world face increasing pressure to modernize legacy systems, maximize non-aeronautical revenue, and deliver a seamless, personalized passenger experience - all while managing complex operations across siloed teams and systems. Rezcomm’s Marketplace directly addresses these challenges by offering a unified, data-driven platform that brings parking, ecommerce, business intelligence, and customer engagement into one place. At Darwin International Airport and Alice Springs Airport, Rezcomm’s solution will: Replace fragmented legacy systems with an end-to-end parking reservation platform, streamlining both customer booking journeys and internal workflows. Maximize revenue with dynamic pricing tools that analyze demand patterns in real time, enabling data-informed pricing decisions and increased yield from parking inventory. Eliminate data silos by consolidating multiple data sources into one powerful BI dashboard - giving airport teams real-time insights to improve performance, forecasting, and decision-making. Drive customer loyalty through personalized engagement, using detailed customer profiles to deliver relevant offers and communications that enhance the passenger journey. Optimize operations and increase agility, thanks to seamless integrations with ADGNT’s existing digital infrastructure - allowing for efficient implementation without the need for costly system overhauls. CEO Statement from Marc Ive, Rezcomm, “We’re proud to be expanding into the Australian and New Zealand markets with our first clients in the region. This marks a significant milestone for Rezcomm as we continue to deliver data-led, customer-centric solutions to the airport and venue industry. Our dynamic pricing and business intelligence tools are already driving measurable results in other markets, and we’re excited to bring this same impact to airports and venues across ANZ. We’re a collaborative, forward-thinking team and always open to new conversations about how we can support operational efficiency, unlock new revenue, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.” – Marc Ive, CEO, Rezcomm About Rezcomm Rezcomm is the all-in-one digital marketplace for airports, parking operators and travel hubs. We combine ecommerce, CRM, reservations, business intelligence, and marketing in a single platform - helping clients around the world sell smarter, operate more efficiently, and personalize services at scale. With full data ownership, powerful analytics, and a modular approach, Rezcomm supports digital transformation with a focus on reliability, innovation, and long-term partnership. Rezcomm has achieved Cyber Essentials certification, a UK government-backed standard aligned with global frameworks like Australia’s Essential Eight, ensuring robust system and data protection. For further information or media inquiries, please contact: Sarah Tull, Director of Communications, sarah.tull@rezcomm.com

When you are in the midst of a great revenue-generating event parking situation, how are you handling surge pricing? Is your operator getting the most bang for your buck? Are you setting and forgetting or letting the SHARK come out mid ingress? I have found myself in many different settings according to how the client wants the lot run, but it is quite fun making a run for the money. One tactic is the set it and forget it rule where it is easy to estimate and budget how much you will make in an event. Other tactics include Sharking the competition. In a particular lot at a particular time our owner wanted to make the most bang for his buck and gave us the direction “make money but don’t get me in the paper,” and we ran with it. We had fluctuating rates to be changed on the fly according to the estimated percentages of available parking on the lot. Rates were changed at forty percent, fifty percent and so on. It is quite easy to set rates and forget them but are you making the most bang for your buck? How much are you willing to do, to make the most out of an event? How much do your owners appreciate your efforts? Tate Misiaszek, PTMP, is a Project Manager for LAZ Parking. You can reach Tate at TMisiaszek@lazparking.com.