Parking app prepares for holiday rush

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A mobile app is allowing people to reserve parking spots ahead of Black Friday.

The day is notorious for being the busiest shopping day of the year. Parking app MyPark observed a spike in usage for the holiday.

"Most major malls have a lot of use, a lot of visitors in the holidays so that's where we expect a lot of use," said MyPark cofounder Ricardo Blanco. 

According to Blanco, spots at the Florida Mall in Orlando are already being reserved. The system works using a metal gate to block off parking spots. One can access their parking spot using the MyPark mobile app, which will lower the gate once the user arrives at their paid spot. 

The service costs $3.00 for the first two hours, then $3 for every hour after that.  Blanco said some planned their Black Friday shopping trips months in advance.

"In Dadeland Mall for example in Miami, we had a lady that reserved since June or July."

Spots are still available for reservation at the Orlando Mall, Blanco said. The company caps advanced reservations to ensure day-of customers also have spots.

"We have a cap of about 50% of the inventory for future reservations. When we hit that cap, they cannot book in advanced for that day," Blanco said.

Promotional code MyPark1 can be used for first time users for free parking.