Mumbai's Smart Parking Project Gets a New Push with Fresh Tender Issuance

Mumbai: In a bid to enhance parking management across the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a fresh tender for the implementation of a smart parking system. This decision comes after the civic body faced challenges in receiving adequate responses to its earlier Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the supply of infrastructure and hardware components.

The new tender will appoint a single contractor to handle both the hardware and software development of the system. This unified approach is aimed at streamlining the entire process and ensuring a more efficient and accountable implementation. The smart parking system will allow motorists to book parking slots in advance, helping to reduce congestion and improve parking management.

Last year, BMC had initially issued an RFP to select a concessionaire for the supply, installation, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of the smart parking system for both on-street and off-street locations under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Additionally, a separate RFP was released to select a system integrator to design, develop, and implement a camera-based parking guidance system with video analytics, sensors, and a digital payment mechanism.

However, due to the lack of responses to both tenders, BMC decided to consolidate the responsibilities of both hardware and software development into a single contract. A senior civic official explained, “This approach will prevent any disruptions in the planning and execution phases. By consolidating both functions under one contractor, we expect overall efficiency and accountability in the implementation to be significantly improved.”

The proposed smart parking system will use cameras with video analytics or magnetic sensors to detect parking availability and occupancy at both on-street and off-street locations. Motorists will be able to make online payments or pay via Fastag, while real-time parking availability will be provided through sensors and vehicle entry/exit monitoring. The system will also allow users to book parking spaces in advance through a web portal or mobile app, minimizing queues and reducing traffic congestion.

Furthermore, motorists will have multiple payment options, including POS machines, Fastag, and online payment methods. The estimated cost for implementing this system is around Rs 20 crores.

With the fresh tender in place, BMC aims to streamline the implementation process and make parking management more efficient, ensuring smoother experiences for city commuters.