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unhappycamper

(60,364 posts)
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 10:07 AM Jun 2014

City tells app to stop auctions of parking spaces

http://gazette.com/city-tells-app-to-stop-auctions-of-parking-spaces/article/feed/131438

City tells app to stop auctions of parking spaces
Associated Press Updated: June 24, 2014 at 2:31 am

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco's city attorney issued a cease-and-desist demand Monday to a mobile app called Monkey Parking, which allows people to auction public parking spaces that they're using to other nearby drivers.

In a letter to Paolo Dobrowolny, the CEO of the Rome, Italy-based tech startup, city attorney Dennis Herrera cited a provision in San Francisco's police code that prohibits people and companies from buying, selling or leasing public on-street parking and mandates fees of up to $300 for drivers who violate the law.

Herrera's warning to Monkey Parking is the latest attempt by city government officials and state lawmakers nationwide trying to figure out how to regulate Web-based businesses that offer shared parking, transportation and housing services using mobile applications. Among the more popular ridesharing services are Uber and Lyft, and popular housing apps include Airbnb.

The Monkey Parking app allows drivers to get an often elusive parking spot and sell it for $5, $10, even $20, and then wait until the buyer arrives to take their place.
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City tells app to stop auctions of parking spaces (Original Post) unhappycamper Jun 2014 OP
They'll just change what they are auctioning JimDandy Jun 2014 #1
That would still be a violation of the law as written. Public resources belong to all the public, TeamPooka Jun 2014 #2

JimDandy

(7,318 posts)
1. They'll just change what they are auctioning
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 10:51 AM
Jun 2014

from a parking space to the car's GPS location. How can selling knowledge (that a parking space is about to become empty) be illegal. Google, Facebook and many others do this all day long with our private info, as do thousands of other businesses. People should be able to sell their knowlege about public resources.

TeamPooka

(24,156 posts)
2. That would still be a violation of the law as written. Public resources belong to all the public,
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 03:11 PM
Jun 2014

first come, first served.
We call it equality.
It's also asking for trouble and violence if someone tries to cut off someone waiting for a spot because they "paid" for it.
That's why there are laws against it.

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