APCOA and MILES Roll Out Ticketless Parking to Battle Berlin’s Parking Crunch
APCOA, Europe’s top parking lot operator, and car-sharing provider MILES launched a new pilot program on April 1 aimed at eliminating parking tickets and streamlining parking in Berlin’s congested city center.
The initiative activates at three key APCOA-operated multi-storey car parks in Berlin’s Charlottenburg area and near Ostkreuz station: Kant Center, Augsburger Straße, and Victoria Center. Customers renting via the MILES platform can now start and end parking sessions automatically using license plate recognition, bypassing traditional ticket machines and payment hurdles.
This marks a significant shift toward digital parking solutions, offering a seamless experience that reduces the time spent searching for parking, eliminating paper tickets, and fully automating payments in the background. Currently, MILES drivers can park in any regular free spot within these garages without hunting for designated car-sharing spaces.
Immediate Impact: Reducing Inner-City Traffic and Pollution
Berlin—like many US cities facing severe parking shortages—is struggling with heavy urban traffic partly caused by drivers circling for parking spaces. This cooperation promises to alleviate road congestion by steering vehicles into dedicated multi-storey car parks rather than street parking spots, which in turn cuts down “search traffic.”
“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,”
said Stefanie Kochs, Head of Urban Hubs at APCOA Germany.
For many American cities including hubs in Ohio, such innovations serve as vital case studies for combating parking crises and pollution with digitized, user-friendly mobility solutions integrated into urban infrastructure.
How the System Works and What’s Next
The scheme leverages APCOA’s proven license plate recognition technology and MILES’ app platform. Drivers start their rental and parking session directly via their MILES vehicle, which triggers automatic entry and exit through APCOA’s digital systems.
Peter Kormany, Project Manager Business Development at MILES, emphasized,
“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.”
The pilot may expand to additional locations, including outside Berlin, pending results from the initial rollout. This could signal a broader shift across Europe and potentially the United States toward widespread adoption of ticketless, app-driven parking in urban centers.
Global Leader APCOA Sets Sights on Smart City Integration
With more than 1.8 million parking spaces over 13,000 locations in 13 countries, APCOA is driving the future of urban mobility through its digital platform “APCOA FLOW.” The system connects on- and off-street parking with smart technology for vehicles, owners, and operators.
The digital transformation also targets environmental benefits, as it reduces emissions by cutting vehicle idling and “search traffic.” APCOA’s urban hubs are becoming multimodal mobility centers that connect parking, charging stations for electric vehicles, delivery logistics, and other proximity services.
Ohio cities grappling with parking inefficiencies and pollution trends may soon look to these European innovations for scalable solutions.
Why This Matters Now
As urban centers worldwide face mounting challenges with parking space scarcity and traffic congestion, integrating seamless digital technologies like APCOA and MILES’ ticketless parking could revolutionize city mobility.
This pilot represents a critical step toward smarter, less stressful, and eco-friendlier parking. For U.S. readers in busy metro areas, it’s a glimpse into what the future of urban parking—and urban life—could look like if adopted broadly.
Stay tuned for updates as this pilot progresses and potentially expands beyond Berlin, impacting how cities everywhere manage their most limited and valuable real estate: parking space.
