Mobile parking app company AppyParking has rebranded to AppyWay to help it better enable intelligent mobility solutions within smart and connected cities.
The rebranding follows the close of a successful Series A funding round in July, which saw the likes of Hyundai Motor Company, Sumitomo Corporation, Aviva Ventures and Breed Reply invest £7.6m in the company.
Dan Hubert, founder and CEO of AppyWay, said: “We may be a bit biased, but we genuinely believe kerbs have the power to unlock a better urban life for us all – socially, commercially and physically. And that right now is the right time to unlock that kerb power.”
AppyParking was founded in 2013 to help users find on-street parking spaces. According to the company the app helps to reduce the almost four days per year UK motorists spend looking for parking. It also claims to have built up the UK’s largest set of standardised kerbside data.
“Kerbs haven’t changed physically for centuries. Yet the way we use them has,” said Hubert. “The explosion of ride-hailing, micro-mobility, ever-rising home deliveries and the popularity of PAYG services are driving up congestion, pollution and safety issues.
“As drivers battle for precious space to drop off and pick up, it’s causing kerbside chaos and our urban infrastructure is collapsing under the pressure.
“We’re seeing the demise of the local high street and the government’s recent commitment of up to £1bn for the Future High Streets Fund demonstrates the need for urgent action.”
The Future High Streets Fund is an initiative led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, providing up to £25mn (US$30m) of investment per area, for local authorities to prepare long-term strategies for their high-streets and town centres.
A key focus for the funding is to improve transport and access into town centres and to invest in infrastructure. Hubert sees a key role for the kerb in these schemes.
“At a time when online shopping can deliver what you need the next day with just one click, we need to face a hard truth – the user experience of the high street must be transformed if we are to encourage shoppers back and drive footfall,” said Hubert.
“It’s a challenge our team are set-up to help solve, and with our kerbside management platform, AppyKerb, we can equip local authorities with the means to surface kerbside data, identify opportunities to improve their infrastructure, make traffic order changes and also provide solutions to make parking more convenient and less stressful.”
