Monaco has officially launched MaPlacePMR, a mobile application that shows people with reduced mobility which parking spaces are free in real time.
First announced on December 3rd during Handipact Day, the app was presented in detail during a press conference Monday morning.
For this project, magnetic sensors were installed in 68 street level disabled parking spaces to monitor occupancy and relay information instantly to users. MaPlacePMR is accessible through the YourMonaco app but also via a dedicated website at maplacempr.gouv.mc and is free to use.
“This policy of Handipact has the objective not to constrain but to convince and to bring as many people as possible along in this adventure,” said Christophe Robino, Minister of Health and Social Affairs.
The initiative brought together the Department of Social Affairs and Health, the Digital Services Department, the Urban Planning Department, Monaco Telecom, technology provider Urbiotica, and the Monaco Association of the Motor Disabled.
Smart Sensors that last a decade
The circular sensors, fixed to the road with four screws, detect the magnetic field of parked vehicles. When a car arrives or leaves, the sensor transmits the status change.
Georges Gambarini from the Digital Services Department explained: “This network doesn’t have the objective of sending enormous amounts of data. It has the objective of being capable of sending little data, but sending it with enormous reliability, and enormous stability in its signal.”
Interestingly, the battery powered sensors need no electrical connection and should last between three and ten years. Meanwhile, five remaining spaces, currently blocked by construction sites, will be equipped in early 2026.
More than just availability
Each parking space comes with photographs and detailed characteristics such as kerb positions, nearby posts or walls, whether parking is angled or perpendicular. These details matter when wheelchair users need to access their vehicle boot and a wall directly behind a space prevents the boot from opening fully.
Additionally, the application’s interface works for colour-blind users too, with available spaces marked green with a tick, and occupied spaces showing red with a cross.
Lionel Galfré, technical adviser for disability issues, further explained their approach: “MaPlacePMR is an idea that was born from the ground up. We want it to come from those affected, for those on the ground to be brought along with us.”
Users can also report problems through the app such as malfunctioning sensors and blocked access, with anonymous feedback sent to the relevant authorities.
Data that will shape future policy
The collected data feeds directly into the government’s data lake, revealing occupancy patterns and high-demand areas. Gambarini highlighted this dual purpose: “We’re really in this logic of digital technology that will allow us to make information accessible, but also digital technology that will be capable, through data processing and cross-referencing, of potentially enriching new decision making tomorrow for new PMR spaces or modifications.”
The new project complements the StreetNap app launched earlier this year, which helps people with reduced mobility navigate Monaco on the ground. Together they form part of the nine-pillar Handipact strategy.
“The question of disability is not something that only concerns people with disabilities,” Robino said. “We are all concerned, we must all participate, we must all bring our small stone to the edifice so that the objective is very clearly stated: that Monaco becomes a model city in terms of inclusion.”
During 2026, the system will expand to include real time availability in public car parks, starting with those already equipped with monitoring systems like Parc des Moulins and Louis Chiron, creating a complete view of accessible parking across Monaco
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Photo from YourMonaco app.