78-Year-Old Israeli Engineer Develops App to Stop Unnecessary Parking Fees

Parking apps have certainly made our lives easier, but they come with a frustrating drawback: many drivers forget to stop the parking timer when returning to their vehicles. Hours later, they realize they have paid unnecessary fees—a design choice often criticized as a push toward paid monthly premium plans.

This exact scenario happened to a 78-year-old software engineer in Israel. True to the spirit of the local tech scene, he decided not just to complain, but to solve the problem himself.

Building a Solution

Doron Harpaz, a retired software engineer with a background in military intelligence and degrees from Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science, spent decades developing software. After repeatedly forgetting to stop his parking app and losing money, he decided to take matters into his own hands rather than pay a monthly subscription fee for automatic closing features.

Using advanced AI tools, Harpaz developed an application called Parking Control. Once activated, the app monitors smartphone movement locally.

"It annoyed me to pay for a service that I believe should be provided for free," Harpaz explained.

How the App Works

When the user moves far enough away from the parking spot and travels at vehicular speed, the app sends a push notification to stop the parking timer. Integration with the car's Bluetooth system also triggers an audio alert.

Additionally, the app offers:

• Time-based parking reminders

• One-click navigation back to the vehicle via Waze or Google Maps

• The option to save a photo of the parking location for complex multi-level garages

Privacy is a core feature: all data is stored locally on the smartphone, and location information is never transmitted to the developer.

Currently available for Android as a free trial for the first month or up to 15 tracking sessions, the app requires a one-time fee of just one dollar. Harpaz also plans to develop an iOS version in the future.