Park and Ride Lots — A Business Opportunity?
I just read this article (Via The Overhead Wire) about how a grocery delivery company in Minnesota has started parking its delivery truck in Park and Ride lots so commuters can pick up their groceries on the way home from work. The transit agency is letting them do this for free because it’s such a great service to riders. The article also mentions that other businesses have begun to see the advantages of park and ride lots as locations, but didn’t explain what they were. I have a few ideas:
Coffee to go These coffee shacks in parking lots are popping up all over the place and are like weeds here in Oregon. I would be surprised if there weren’t already a ton of these places in park and ride lots across the country. What commuter could resist the convenience of getting their morning coffee without breaking stride on the way to their train? (Okay, they might have to stop and pay, but it would be ridiculously convenient.)
Ready-made meals This is in the same vein as the grocery delivery, but the idea would be to provide hot, pre-made meals that folks could take home and eat with their families. I’m thinking about something along the lines of those tasty-smelling rotisserie chickens they have at grocery stores for like $7. I know some days after work I’m not in the mood to cook, and on every commuter train there have to be dozens of people who feel the same way.
Book/music store While I can sit quietly and stare out of a car or train window for hours on end, many people prefer to be reading or listening to music while commuting. In the rush of the morning, people might forget that they finished their book on the way home the night before. With a book kiosk, a replacement (or at least a magazine) would be close at hand.
Inclement weather kiosk (or person) A park and ride lot would be a great place for an umbrella/hat/glove/scarf salesperson to set up shop. Sure, many people are just moving from one covered vehicle to another, but in the morning people might be commuting into a city where they have to walk a few blocks or more to get to their office. They’d prefer to get there warm and dry, so there’s probably a decent market for this type of establishment.
These are only ideas off the top of my head. Any other brilliant park and ride business ideas?
