An app to Fetch your car (and solve your parking problems)
FINALLY, an app to Fetch your car (and solve your parking problems)
Too many times I have attended media events at Bonifacio Global City— where more and more events are being held in lieu of the Makati BGC and other commercial areas—only to find myself stumped looking for a parking space. I’d either end up late to my event because I had to fall in line with other cars waiting for a slot to be vacated or I had to walk far to my intended venue because the only place I could find parking was too far away.
But this is probably a smaller problem than those who actually work in BGC or who have to go there on a more regular basis. Those who drive themselves to work, the mall, or to a dinner reservation, will know that long parking queues and full parking lots are struggles that have become all too common. These create a myriad of problems from tardiness and low productivity, to exorbitant parking fees and enormous amounts of wasted time.
“This is why we are launching the Fetch Valet Parking app, which will provide users with a valet on demand, so they never have to stress about parking again,” says Martin Luchangco, Founder and CEO of Fetch Valet, an on-demand valet parking service that is the first of its kind in Manila.
With a few taps on the Fetch Valet Parking app, you can request for a valet to meet you at your destination as you arrive. The valet will park your car in a secure lot nearby, and the app sends you a photo confirmation of your car at its exact parking location. When you are about to leave, the app lets you request for your car to be returned, and a valet will have it waiting for you when you get out.
The all-in parking fee of Fetch Valet, at just P45 for the pick-up plus P15 per hour, has attracted many users to avail of the service every day, or every time they drive into the area.
Kelly Mendoza, a BGC-based employee, recounted, “I used to come to work early every day in order to secure a parking slot, then I would set an alarm for myself to move my car before the fourth hour. I’d have to do that two to three times everyday.” Like Kelly, there are thousands of other employees who drive to work and have to park in pay parking slots for at least nine hours at a time. “Now that I use Fetch, I don’t have to come in early [to find a parking slot], I don’t have to worry about moving my car. It’s really a huge relief.”
Aside from office workers based in BGC, people who come in for meetings, lunches and dinner in the area also have a similar problem. Artie Lopez, a start- up business coach, recalled his worst parking experience, “I was 30 minutes early to attend a meeting in BGC. There was a line at the parking so I just waited. But after a while I started panicking because the line wasn’t moving. I ended up being very late to the meeting. It was very embarrassing!”
“Our time is so valuable,” says Luchangco, “We should spend it on things that are more productive than waiting for parking. With Fetch Valet, I like to think that we are not just providing our users with a convenience, we are giving them back their wasted time, so that they can spend it on things that really matter.”
Fetch Valet also understands the importance of security in their line of service. Luchangco says, “We are serious about the safety of the cars that are entrusted to us, and we have instituted several layers of security to ensure that users’ cars are always protected.”
Among others, Fetch’s protocols include stringent selection, vetting and training of valets, tracking of valets through GPS-enabled devices, and having insurance coverage to ensure the company will cover the costs in case any damage is caused by its valets.
The Fetch Valet Parking app can be downloaded from the App Store on iOS devices. The Android version of the app is set to launch in the coming months. Alternatively, customers can avail of the service by messaging Fetch Valet on Facebook Messenger or using the link: m.me/FetchValet . The service is currently available in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), with plans to expand to other Central Business Districts within the year.