SpotScout.com - Find That Tough Parking Space

A new trend is emerging for the dwindling parking spaces in big cities all over the world -- turning those private parking spaces into commodities. SpotScout allows those who are looking for a parking space to rent one in advance. You can rent a garage, a private residential space or on-street parking. Concentrating on their test markets of Boston, San Francisco or New York, it is free to sign up for this service and search their site. They make a profit by taking a percentage of the transaction if you do decide to rent a space. You can access SpotScout from any web-enabled cell phone, blackberry, PDA, or computer. They hope to expand nationally if the service is successful. The site was well-designed and user-friendly, providing google-type overhead maps of neighborhoods to find parking spaces, which makes finding the right spot super easy.

At SpotScout we believe that, if given the right tools, individuals and communities can solve their own parking problems by creating virtual markets for parking information. Whether a parking garage, a private space, or a space on a street, our software enables space seekers to acquire timely information on space availability before arriving at their destinations...

The "parking problem" in all large cities is not going away, and this is a perfect way to use the free market to solve a community issue. This idea has received press from all major periodicals and was also featured on The Today Show.

Is this service working in their test cities? Are they making a profit? Have there been any problems managing the clients?