About ParkSmart
ParkSmart helps Bay Area drivers find a space that will actually be free when they arrive, and helps hosts and operators fill theirs.
Where the data comes from
- Garages and lots are imported from OpenStreetMap (
amenity=parking) via the Overpass API. © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License. - Street meters come from the SFMTA Parking Meters dataset on DataSF, grouped by block face.
- Host listings are added by ParkSmart hosts.
Where a price or capacity isn't published in the source data, we estimate it and label it estimated in the app.
“Live” vs “Estimated”
Live means we actually know the count: the space is fully managed through ParkSmart bookings, or a camera image was analysed in the last 30 minutes. Estimated means there's no sensor, so we combine typical demand for that type of parking at that time of day with ParkSmart bookings and nearby events. Predictions improve as real history accumulates.
Bookings, payments & refunds
Payments are processed by Stripe. ParkSmart never sees or stores your card number.
Free cancellation up to 1 hour before start. Within 1 hour: 50% of the parking cost is refunded. No refund after the booking starts.
Reservations at public garages, lots and meters hold one of a limited pool of ParkSmart-bookable spaces. Always follow posted signs and local regulations.
Privacy
- Your location is used in your browser to find nearby parking. It isn't stored on our servers.
- Licence plate photos are read once by the AI and never stored. Only the plate text you save is kept.
- Lot images uploaded by hosts and operators are stored to show detection results.
- You can delete saved vehicles and favourites at any time from your profile.