Overview
- A Cityscanner vehicle began operating on September 18 in the Altstadt and Bahnstadt districts to identify cars without valid digital parking rights.
- Roof-mounted cameras and sensors read licence plates and match them against digital tickets or resident permits, with checks limited to areas where entitlements are recorded digitally.
- The transport ministry cites throughput of up to about 1,000 checks per hour versus roughly 50 by a foot patrol, referencing earlier high-speed trials at the University of Hohenheim.
- Collected records include vehicle image, plate, location and time; people are pixelated, compliant-vehicle data is deleted immediately, and authorities require clear signage and marked scan vehicles.
- Non-digital exemptions require manual verification, an initial assessment of the Heidelberg pilot is planned for Q1 2026, other cities prepare tests, and reported costs include about €130,000 for hardware plus multi-year licence fees.