Developer joins forces with Uber to ditch parking spaces

Private rented sector specialist Moda is linking up with taxi app Uber to cut the number of car parking places in its city centre developments.

Residents will receive up to £100 in Uber credits each month if they agree not to have a car parking space.

Moda will swap the space previously used for car parking for greater amenities within the developments like fitness centres and media rooms.

Moda, backed by Apache Capital Partners, is delivering more than 6,000 apartments across the UK with major city centre developments in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, and Birmingham.

Its first scheme, Angel Gardens in Manchester’s NOMA neighbourhood, is currently under construction and will house close to 900 residents when it completes in 2019.

Moda’s buildings are created only for rent, and include shared areas that mimic a high-end hotel.

Jo Bertram, regional general manager of Uber in the UK, said: “Cars are one of the most expensive assets most people own, but they’re used just five per cent of the time.

“Our mission is for everybody to have a reliable ride at the touch of a button so they don’t need their own car.

“These plans for what will be a unique partnership with Moda Living is a big step forward in making that a reality.

“By getting more people to ditch their own vehicles we can put some of the space wasted on parking to much better use.”

Johnny Caddick, managing director of Moda Living, said: “Our apartments are for rent rather than for sale so we need to consider how our customers will live in cities in the future.

“Embracing future technology is vital from day one and these plans for a partnership with Uber would not only give our customers an affordable ride at the touch of a button – it would also enable us to design better buildings with more space for social interaction.”

from The UK Construction Blog http://ukconstructionblog.co.uk/2017/05/31/developer-joins-forces-with-uber-to-ditch-parking-spaces/