Although shopping malls have large parking areas with thousands of spaces, motorists usually find that part of the shopping experience to be the most frustrating. Very often, unless they go just after the mall has opened, the spaces will be filled quickly and it can take a while to locate an empty space.
To help motorists find parking spaces more easily, Sunway Malls (part of the Sunway Group) which is one of the largest shopping mall operators in Malaysia, recommends a solution using a smartphone app. The app, known as PARKIT, lists all the company’s properties in the Klang Valley. These are Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Carnival Mall, Sunway Velocity Mall, Sunway Putra Mall and Sunway Giza Mall.
PARKIT, which enables motorists to obtain seasonal passes in many locations, includes available parking places in the app as well. When installed on their device, they can easily search for any of the selected malls and choose their preferred season passes for each mall.
Season rates start from RM140 and once registered, the motorist can be assured of a parking bay in the chosen mall throughout the year (depending on the different terms and conditions of each season pass)
Sunway Malls believes that, with PARKIT, mall visitors won’t need to spend too much time searching for spaces. With the dashboard on their device, they can easily, manage and terminate the booking for the spot at all 5 of the Sunway malls. Payment is also cashless, with auto-debit available for both debit and credit cards.
As part of the collaboration, users who sign up to use the PARKIT app will also be rewarded for choosing the service – shopping and dining vouchers will be available to use from the respective malls.
“This partnership with PARKIT is ideal for those in the vicinity of our malls, are frequent shoppers or just want a good deal. This collaboration is another of our steps to innovate the way in which we approach the shopping and mall experience throughout Malaysia,” said H.C. Chan, CEO of Sunway Malls & Theme Parks.
License Plate Recognition system
At the Sunway Pyramid Mall, there’s also another innovation which not many may be aware of. This is the License Plate Recognition (LPR) system which makes it unnecessary to take a ticket or tap a card to raise the barrier at the entry point. The system will recognise the vehicle’s numberplate and automatically raise the barrier. However, the vehicle’s registration number must be registered at Sunway Malls’ portal.
Before departing, the charges can be settled using various cashless systems at payment machines. Credit/debit cards or e-wallets can also be linked to the vehicle so departure is as hassle-free as entry as the parking fee will be automatically deducted.
The LPL system was previewed in Sunway Pyramid in October 2019 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic which restricted movements and suspended business activities for a long period, its introduction in 2020 was not publicised widely. The company intends to offer the LPL system in its other properties in due course.
