In this article, Clyde argues that the parking industry’s push toward new technologies (such as AI, LPR, EVs, AVs, and cashless systems) has been driven more by efficiency and revenue than by customer experience. While these tools offer clear operational benefits, customers are often left confused and disengaged because they are not part of the decision-making process. Clyde emphasizes that technologies like AI must be applied with industry- and operation-specific understanding rather than treated as generic solutions. To succeed, the industry must move beyond buzzwords, develop true subject‑matter experts, and focus on practical, data-driven applications that improve both operations and the customer experience. 

 

Here’s Clyde:  

​

Technology Isn’t Progress If the Customer Can’t Use It 

​

We keep upgrading technology, patting ourselves on the back, and congratulating each other on how innovative we are. We talk about how we’re “leading the future of parking.” But if all that change is driven by revenue and expense spreadsheets, and not by how customers actually experience parking, we’ve missed the point entirely. There is exactly one irreplaceable element in any parking operation: the customer. Lose sight of that, and all the technology in the world won’t save you. 

​

The Industry Designs Systems for Itself, Not for the People Who Park

​

I’ve sat in plenty of meetings about ticketless systems, LPR, apps, QR codes, service fees, violation notices, and limited customer support. One thing I’ve never seen in those rooms? The tens of thousands of customers are expected to use these systems. 

 

We understand the new systems. We designed them. We know the rules and the penalties. The customer doesn’t. They weren’t invited to the conversation, and now we act surprised when they’re confused and frustrated. So, how do we build a business that incorporates innovative technologies and delivers more efficient operations that get customers into a parking space, paid, and out onto the street again effectively, without asking them to read a user’s manual for each transaction? 

 

We Love Buzzwords and Hate Details (Especially With AI) 

​

The parking industry loves buzzwords. And none gets more attention, or less understanding, than AI. 

 

AI, EVs, AVs, LPR, eCommerce…all of it affects transportation and business. But parking executives hear about these technologies in broad, global terms, usually from people who have never operated a parking facility. That’s a problem. We don’t need general AI sermons or platitudes. We need to know how these tools apply to parking, and not just parking in theory, but specific types of parking. 

 

Parking Is Not One Industry 

 

Airport parking is not medical parking. On‑street parking is not off‑street parking. The strengths of AI differ widely depending on the operation. When we ignore those distinctions, we make bad decisions. That’s why EV parking has been so poorly managed. It’s also why industry “experts” once told the Wall Street Journal that autonomous vehicles would eliminate the need for parking garages within ten years. Bankers read that. Financing dried up. Real‑world damage followed, all because nobody slowed down and spoke with actual operational knowledge. 

 

Lack of Real Expertise Is Costing Us Real Money 

 

Before we start building business models around new technology, we need to do something unfashionable: develop real experts. People with experience. People with scars. People who understand operations well enough to explain how technology changes workflows, staffing, customer behavior, and risk. Without that, we’ll keep reacting instead of leading. 

​

AI is a Tool, Not a Magic Wand 

​

AI does matter. It’s already affecting parking operations, customers, and the businesses that support us. But let’s be clear - AI isn’t magic. In parking, AI is at best a tool: one that helps us gather and analyze information about customers, transactions, pricing, marketing, and performance. It helps us do our jobs better. That’s it. And that’s enough. What it doesn’t do is replace judgment, experience, or accountability. 

 

Better Data Is Changing Audits, Risk, and Reality 

​

At TPN, we are constantly updating our audit and financial analysis processes because the data available today didn’t exist ten years ago, or even five. Audits no longer look the way they used to. The biggest risks have changed. Some old issues remain, but new ones are harder to see and often far more expensive. AI-driven tools have made audits more complex, and frankly, more interesting, but they’ve also exposed weaknesses that the industry can no longer ignore. 

​

The Industry Needs Less Hype and More Grown‑Ups 

​

The parking industry is changing fast: AI, AVs, EVs, LPR, service fees, and demand pricing. These are real forces reshaping how we operate. The problem isn’t that we’re talking about them. The problem is who’s doing the talking, and how little detail they provide. We don’t need more buzzwords or theoretical experts. We do need practical, experienced voices who understand parking at the operational level and can explain how change actually plays out in the real world. That’s how the industry moves forward. Everything else is just noise. 

​

Conclusion 

​

The parking industry isn’t short on new technology. It’s short on focus, experience, and honest conversations about what actually works. Change is coming whether we like it or not, but progress only happens when technology is applied with real operational knowledge and genuine attention to the customer experience. Buzzwords won’t run a garage, and hype won’t fix a broken operation. Experience will. That’s where TPN comes in. We spend our time in the details (audits, operations, risk, and reality), not theory. If you’re trying to sort out what these changes actually mean for your parking operation, we’re here to help. Consultation, analysis, or just a straight answer… whatever you have going on, we’ve seen it, scarred from it, and we’re available.