In Helsingborg, a simple yet powerful digital solution is transforming street maintenance. The clever twist? Ordinary garbage trucks equipped with AI-powered image recognition that double as road inspectors. By combining a mobile app, cloud platform, and AI, the city can save time and money while improving road quality.
Keeping Helsingborg’s 60 km of streets and 30 km of cycle paths in good condition has long been a challenge for the city’s planning administration. Manual inventories were time-consuming and costly, taking up to 48 weeks to complete, and were therefore only conducted every 3 to 5 years. With few updates in between, road deterioration often went unnoticed, sometimes resulting in costly repairs later.
In 2020, Helsingborg partnered with the Swedish AI company Univrses to change that. The solution is simple yet powerful: mobile phones are mounted on the windshields of garbage trucks that already cover the city’s entire street network. Using AI-powered image recognition, the system detects potholes, cracks, missing road markings, and other defects directly on the device. Relevant data is then forwarded automatically to the municipality.
Big results in a short time
The impact of the system has been clear since its implementation. Road inspection time was reduced from 20 hours per week to just one hour, freeing staff to focus on other valuable tasks. In addition, between spring and summer of 2022, the number of potholes was reduced from around 3,000 to 900, meaning not only better roads but also higher safety and comfort value for citizens.
Financially, the city estimates that the technology has helped reduce the city’s occupancy debt by around SEK 300 million, from SEK 1.5 billion to SEK 1.2 billion. The system is expected to deliver a 200% return on investment over five years, with a payback period of less than two years. Operating costs are also just a quarter of what a manual solution would cost over five years.
Climate and environmental benefits
Beyond cost and time savings, the solution also contributes to reduced climate impact. For example, by enabling early detection and repair of small cracks before they expand into major damage, Helsingborg has avoided large-scale repairs that require heavy machinery. Well-kept and smoother roads also mean fewer emissions from vehicles and reduced wear and tear on tires, contributing to better air quality.
Scalable and accessible
One of the greatest strengths of this solution is its scalability. It has a low technological threshold and mostly requires an organizational willingness for its successful implementation. No special vehicles or costly equipment are required, only mobile phones and existing municipal fleets. This makes it accessible not only for large cities but also for smaller municipalities with just a few kilometres of roads.
Looking ahead, Helsingborg sees potential for expanding the technology beyond road monitoring. Possible applications include stormwater wells, pavement cleaning, and sign inspections, further increasing efficiency without major additional investments.
This is one of the several case studies analysed by the Urban Twin Transition Center. Read more about it on their website (in Swedish): https://uttc.se/2025/09/10/skalbar-ai-losning-for-gatuunderhall-ett-exempel-fran-helsingborg-stad/
Image source: Felix Gerlach/Imagebank.sweden.se
