APCOA and MILES Partner to Launch Ticketless Parking Pilot in Berlin
Berlin has just rolled out a new ticketless parking pilot designed to drastically cut parking headaches and traffic congestion in heavily frequented city centers. Starting April 1, customers using the MILES car sharing service can enjoy seamless parking at three downtown APCOA-managed garages without fumbling for tickets or standing at payment kiosks.
The pilot targets three key APCOA locations in Berlin: the Kant Center and Augsburger Straße garages in Charlottenburg, plus the Victoria Center at Ostkreuz station. The groundbreaking system relies on automatic license plate recognition to allow instant entry and exit, eliminating physical tickets and manual payments.
Revolutionizing City Parking – What This Means Right Now
From the driver’s seat, parking just got far simpler: MILES users can start and end their rental directly inside these APCOA car parks without searching for dedicated car-sharing spots — any free, regular parking space will do. The entire payment and parking validation process happens automatically behind the scenes on the MILES digital platform.
This solution will reduce time lost in parking maneuvers and minimize the “search traffic” often clogging urban streets. As Stefanie Kochs, Head of Urban Hubs at APCOA Germany, explains,
“The cooperation with MILES is another building block in improving the parking situation in urban city centre locations. Together, we ensure less stress, more comfort and more time gained during the parking process and at the same time contribute to relieving the burden on city centres.”
With parking pressure mounting in many U.S. and global city cores, this pilot offers an innovative model for smoother urban mobility. By encouraging use of multi-story garages over on-street parking, the program aims to free up public road space, reduce circulation of cars hunting for spots, and lessen vehicle emissions caused by unnecessary driving.
How APCOA and MILES See the Future of Urban Mobility
APCOA’s vast European footprint covers over 1.8 million parking spots at more than 13,000 locations, managed by 5,000 employees. Their “asset light” model is built around digital integration, with their APCOA FLOW platform connecting parking, charging, and mobility services seamlessly.
Peter Kormany, Project Manager Business Development at MILES, highlighted the broader vision:
“Our goal is to integrate car sharing into everyday life as easily and flexibly as possible. By connecting the APCOA multi-storey car parks, we take the pressure off the streets and offer our users a reliable parking alternative in highly frequented locations.”
Beyond convenience, the program supports greener city efforts by contributing to emission reductions and easing logistics traffic flows. APCOA’s intelligent traffic management capabilities complement this, aiming to optimize urban traffic and mobility demands.
What’s Next? Expansion and U.S. Relevance
While the pilot currently focuses on three Berlin sites, both companies are actively exploring expansion opportunities outside Berlin and potentially across Europe. For American cities grappling with similar parking challenges, this ticketless, app-driven approach offers a promising blueprint to cut downtown congestion and improve air quality.
South Carolina and cities nationwide could benefit from adopting digital parking solutions to address growing urban traffic and environmental concerns linked to traditional parking search and payment systems.
This pilot marks a crucial step towards integrating car sharing and smart parking tech as key components of future urban mobility ecosystems, blending convenience and sustainability simultaneously.
Final Word
With parking headaches worsening in many North American and European city centers, the APCOA-MILES ticketless parking pilot demonstrates how rapid, tech-driven cooperation can deliver immediate relief. For drivers tired of circling blocks and fumbling for change, this is a smart, stress-busting development arriving just in time.
