Vorarlberg drivers increasingly pay for parking by app

One in three parking tickets in Vorarlberg is now paid through an app, ORF Vorarlberg reports. EasyPark managing director Markus Heingärtner said 200,000 people in the Austrian state had paid for parking through an app at least once in the past 12 months.

That means about one in three drivers now pays digitally, compared with one in five a few years ago. Many tourists also use the apps.

Apps more popular in cities

Use varies from one municipality to another. In Bregenz, parking apps are used much more often than in rural areas. According to Heingärtner, about one in three cars parked in a paid parking space does not have a conventional ticket displayed behind the windscreen.

He expects half of all parking sessions to be paid digitally within two years.

Licence plates checked electronically

Drivers do not need to display a sign showing that they have paid through an app. Parking inspectors scan the vehicle licence plate and can see whether a ticket has been issued. In some municipalities, the parking system is also connected to cameras and automatic licence plate recognition.

According to the Energy Institute of Vorarlberg, most cities and municipalities in the state use EasyPark or Parkster. Dornbirn also accepts payments through Presto-Parking. The HANDYPARKEN service, which was previously available, was taken over by EasyPark in 2024. ParkNow was also used in Vorarlberg in the past. Around 40 municipalities in the state now have short-stay or paid parking zones.

All providers calculate charges by the minute, and users can extend their parking time in the app. The service is not free, however. EasyPark charges a service fee of 15 per cent of the parking cost in Austria, with a minimum of 20 to 55 cents per parking session. For short stays, using the app can therefore cost noticeably more than paying at a parking meter.

Parking fees rise in 2026

Parking in Vorarlberg has also become more expensive this year. The main rates are now:

In Bregenz, the hourly rate in zone A, covering the city centre, rose from 1.40 euros to 1.70 euros. A 12-hour ticket costs 9.90 euros. In outer zone B, the rate is 1.10 euros per hour or 6.40 euros for 12 hours. The first 30 minutes remain free.

In Dornbirn, parking costs 1.70 euros per hour in zone 1 in the city centre and 1.10 euros in zone 2, covering outer areas and railway station areas. The minimum charge remains 30 cents. A resident parking permit costs 130 euros and an annual permit costs 460 euros.

In Feldkirch, fees increased for the first time since 2022, from 1.40 euros to 1.70 euros per hour in zone 1 and from 90 cents to 1.10 euros in zone 2.

Bludenz also raised its city-centre rate to 1.70 euros per hour.

The cities say the increases reflect higher costs and are intended to ensure that short-stay spaces become available regularly while discouraging long-term parking in city centres. Dornbirn said the revenue covers the operation, maintenance, cleaning and winter service for public parking spaces. Rates for resident and long-term parking permits are deliberately linked to public transport prices.