Soon, finding a parking spot in Dubai will be faster and easier

Dubai: Dubai drivers will be able to see live and real-time parking availability from 2026, as Parkin accelerates one of its most ambitious technology upgrades to date. The company, which manages over 250,000 parking spaces across the emirate, is rolling out a multi-stage programme that will place cameras, sensors, and digital tools across multi-storey, off-street, and high-demand on-street locations.

Eng. Mohamed Al Ali, CEO of Parkin, said the live availability system is already under development and will begin with multi-storey and off-street car parks next year. “We already started the digital tools which we announced during Gitex. This will continue to cover all multi-storey car parks, especially in every hot spot. We have a plan to have live and real-time availability for parking in Dubai. It might be more available by the first half next year,” he said.

He added that 500 new cameras are being installed as part of the first phase, focused on event zones around the Dubai World Trade Centre and other high-pressure areas. Once the trials are completed, Parkin will expand the network in several phases through 2026.

The move is part of a wider strategy to ease congestion during large events and seasonal peaks, where rapid increases in demand strain parking zones. Parkin’s leadership said collaboration with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Police and Dubai World Trade Centre has already improved traffic flow during major exhibitions.

“This is something very good for the emirate of Dubai, you see this increased demand in parking spaces,” said Khattab Abu Qaoud, Chief Financial Officer of Parkin. “We work with RTA if we identify events that require a surge in demand. We work into finding ways of increasing the supply of parking spaces to meet that demand.”

Al Ali said new AI-enabled inspection vehicles are helping Parkin anticipate and respond to congestion faster. “We increased the number of smart cars so it can have a lot of scans sending to the data in one operations room. We can depend on the data to monitor the traffic and give directions and awareness. It will tell us where there will be congestion and any action to be taken in correlation with RTA,” he said.

He added that dynamic pricing introduced during key events has helped improve movement around venues such as Gitex. Parkin reported stronger flow this year compared with last year, a result of coordinated planning between RTA, Dubai Police and Dubai World Trade Centre.

One of the most common complaints from residents is that community parking zones fill up quickly. Parkin said it is prioritising residents in mixed-use areas by issuing free, digitally verified permits in coordination with developers.

“For the residential, in coordination with the developers, we are issuing digital free limited permits to the residents,” Al Ali said. “Giving the priority for free permits for the residents while the visitors pay. This is how we control availability and ensure free parking surrounding their homes.”