New Non-Profit Website Compares Parking Rates Across Tel Aviv Area
A new non-profit website developed by Gilad Cohen-Tal compares parking rates across Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Givatayim, helping drivers navigate rising fees and market opacity.
The severe parking shortage in Tel Aviv and surrounding cities continues to strain drivers' budgets, but a new non-profit tool has been launched to restore some control to the public. Developed by data specialist Gilad Cohen-Tal, the new website aggregates and compares parking rates across Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Givatayim, alongside location data and occupancy forecasting. The initiative comes against the backdrop of a private and municipal parking market that suffers from a structural lack of transparency. Currently, only a few chains publish their rates online, leaving drivers unable to check prices in advance or compare alternatives in the area.
Impact of the Parking Law
The existing situation was further exacerbated by the "Parking Law" that took effect last December, which mandated billing by actual minutes parked but left pricing unrestricted. Many parking lot owners exploited this regulatory shift by dramatically raising rates to offset lost revenue from billing full hours, turning every stay into a substantial and compounding expense for vehicle owners. "I live in Tel Aviv, work in the data field, am married with three children, and I do not like looking for parking," Cohen-Tal said regarding the motivations behind the project. "The parking issue has become difficult in the city. One day I needed to go to the Flea Market and looked for parking. I tried to see if there was a way to compare prices for parking lots in the area and there was nothing like that, so I said, 'Let's build something like this.'"
Features and Future Plans
The platform currently aggregates approximately 200 central parking lots in the Gush Dan region. The website allows drivers to input discounts they possess, such as Tel Aviv resident discounts, credit card benefits, or dedicated apps, to calculate estimated costs based on the desired day and hours. Additionally, the site integrates occupancy forecasting indicators and highlights electric vehicle charging stations. At this stage, data reliability stands at about 90%, as some information relies on crowd-sourced reports and existing online data. To improve accuracy, the site invites drivers to report updated prices and share documentation directly from the field. Cohen-Tal noted that the site even experienced temporary crashes due to overwhelming traffic following its launch, prompting infrastructure adjustments. He plans to expand the database, incorporate crowd-sourced updates, and develop a dedicated mobile application to meet high demand.
