Parkify: Advanced Online Parking Booking System

Abstract

The increasing number of vehicles in metropolitan areas has made efficient parking management a serious concern for both drivers and authorities. Manual parking systems are often time-consuming, error-prone, and lack real-time information, leading to unnecessary traffic congestion and user frustration. This research presents the development of an Advanced Online Parking Management System designed using the MERN technology stack—comprising MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js. The system offers an integrated digital platform where users can locate available parking slots, book them in advance, and make secure online payments. Administrators are provided with an intuitive dashboard to manage parking slots, monitor user activity, and maintain updated records efficiently. The application incorporates QR code-based check-in and check-out mechanisms to streamline entry and exit processes, ensuring accuracy and reduced waiting times. Through the implementation of modern web technologies, the proposed system enhances user convenience, optimizes space utilization, and minimizes the time spent searching for parking. The overall objective of the system is to promote smart urban mobility by providing a transparent, automated, and efficient parking solution suitable for large-scale urban deployment.

Introduction

The study addresses the growing challenges of urban parking management caused by rapid urbanization and increasing vehicle ownership. Traditional manual parking systems are inefficient, causing traffic congestion, wasted time, and difficulties in revenue management due to lack of real-time information. Smart cities and digital technologies offer an opportunity to improve these systems through online automation.

The proposed Advanced Online Parking System (AOPS) uses a fully software-based, cloud-integrated platform built on the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js). It provides real-time slot availability, booking, and payment functionalities for both users and administrators, overcoming the limitations of hardware-dependent smart parking solutions.

Literature review highlights the evolution from sensor-based smart parking systems to software-driven, cloud-enabled solutions. Research emphasizes scalability, real-time updates, optimization, and intelligent guidance to improve parking utilization and reduce urban congestion. However, gaps remain in multi-location deployment and dynamic slot management, which AOPS aims to address.

Methodology describes a modular system with five main components:

• System Login and Role Delegation using secure authentication and role-based dashboards for Admin, Staff, and Users.

• Admin Module: Manage zones, slots, users, and generate analytics.

• User Module: Search, book, pay, and track parking slots.

• Staff Module: Verify bookings, report maintenance issues, and support operations.

• Slot Verification Engine: Ensures real-time monitoring and fair slot allocation.

Technical Approach leverages graph-based algorithms (Dijkstra and Bellman-Ford) to optimize route selection and parking allocation, considering distance, traffic, and dynamic conditions. This improves travel efficiency, reduces congestion, and enhances user experience.

Results from preliminary simulations show significant improvements in travel time, distance, and slot utilization (70–80% occupancy), demonstrating the system’s potential to optimize urban parking effectively.

Conclusion

The Advanced Online Parking System (Parkify) presents a comprehensive solution for modern urban parking challenges, combining automation, real-time monitoring, and intelligent allocation. By integrating vehicular cloud computing, the system provides users with an efficient platform to search, book, and navigate to available parking slots while minimizing manual intervention.The use of shortest-path algorithms, such as Dijkstra’s and Bellman-Ford, enables the system to guide drivers to the nearest available slots, significantly reducing travel time, fuel consumption, and congestion within parking zones. Additionally, the inclusion of robust authentication mechanisms ensures that only authorized users can access and occupy reserved slots, enhancing security and reducing unauthorized usage.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Prof. Rekha Kotwal, Dr. Vinod Wadne , Mayuri Ghadage, Shruti Rambhapure, Sharmila Bhosale, Payal Chavan. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.