Overcoming barriers - connecting people!
We make Wiesbaden mobile, and barrier-free!
Our commitment: Assistance for passengers with limited mobility
Every opportunity to be mobile is particularly important for people with limited personal mobility. For this reason, the requirement that local public transport must be usable for everyone is of great importance. “For all” means: for the elderly, for passengers with walking or visual impairments and for wheelchair users - without restrictions, i.e. ‘barrier-free’ in the literal sense of the word.
We at ESWE Verkehr are committed to this claim and see it as an obligation. However, the assistance and support for passengers with limited mobility has so far lacked public attention, which is why we would now like to raise awareness of the issue of “accessibility” among our passengers. Under the motto “Overcoming barriers - connecting people”, we would also like to sensitize the public to the topic of “inclusion”: in other words, the equal coexistence of disabled and non-disabled people, or more specifically: of people with and without restrictions to their personal mobility.
Accessibility for buses and bus stops
Everything in the graphic
Each of our buses and many of our stops have a variety of assistance services for passengers with reduced mobility, for example: passenger information displays with announcement function (at many stops), lowerable entrances (on all buses) and reserved spaces for wheelchair users (on all buses). Here you will find important accessibility features - simply click through and read the explanations!
Easy boarding
The button with the wheelchair or baby carriage symbol can be found in the entrance area. They are positioned at a low height and are easy to reach. If this button is pressed, our driver will stop for longer and the bus will be lowered so that you can board easily.
Entrance side of the bus
Each of our buses can be lowered sideways on the entry side. This is called “kneeling”. This lowers the bus to bus stop height and the lower height allows step-free access to the bus.
Entry/exit
Quick-access folding ramps are located on the rear doors. These ramps can be used for baby carriages and wheelchair users, for example. This makes it easier to get on and off the bus. If necessary, the ramps can also be used by other passengers.
Open space in the rear entrance area
There is a large open space opposite the door in the rear boarding area or in the area of the second bus door. It is intended as a parking space for baby carriages, walking frames or wheelchair users.
Seats near the driver
The seats at the front of the bus next to the driver are designated for people in need of assistance. To avoid having to stand up, the stop buttons are also located at an easily accessible height.
Handrails
The handrails help all passengers to travel safely. For people with visual impairments, they have a signal color so that they can be noticed more quickly. They are ribbed in the boarding area to highlight this zone in particular. The stop buttons on the handrails are also clearly visible.
Handles
In addition to the handrails, many grab rails are also installed at a low height and are easily accessible for everyone. This is particularly evident in the area of the second bus door. This means that both children and wheelchair users have a safe journey.
Curb height
The dimension of the curb must be 22-25 cm for accessibility, but at least 20 cm. This must be guaranteed over a length of 9 m to ensure barrier-free boarding and alighting at the first two bus doors. Bus stops where this is not feasible due to unfavorable conditions may be fitted with an 18 cm curb.
Curb
Special shaped stones are used at our stops. These are particularly smooth and slightly curved. This so-called bus curb allows buses to drive up close to the curb without damaging the vehicle or the tires.
Step
This refers to the difference in height between the stop and the vehicle floor. Ideally, it should be the same height. The remaining step should not exceed 5 cm so that passengers who cannot take high steps can get on and off without assistance.
Distance bus and curb
It is important that the bus and curb are as close together as possible. Ideally, the gap wide should be less than 5 cm to ensure safe access. Our bus drivers always try to drive as close as possible to the curb.
Tactile guidance system
The tactile guidance system helps visually impaired and blind passengers to find the bus stop and board the bus. The floor indicators are grooved or studded. The boarding points are also marked. This system is also equipped with high-contrast features.
Paths in the bus stop area
Access to our stops is also planned to be as barrier-free as possible. In the immediate vicinity of the stop, for example, the slope of the ground is adjusted. The maximum curb slope of the paths to the stops must not exceed 6%.
Waiting area
The waiting area at the bus stop should be at least 2.50 m wide. This ensures sufficient maneuvering space. This is important, for example, for parents with baby carriages or wheelchair users, even when using the folding ramp.
Information system
Dynamic passenger information (DFI) is installed at major bus stops. The arrival times of the buses are displayed on these and read out at the touch of a button. The colored font on black is high-contrast so that it can also be read by people with visual impairments.
Accessible online too
The accessibility of our vehicles and bus stops is of particular importance. But there is much more to our service and our offer. All information about our products and services should be accessible to everyone.
But this is not so easy for everyone:
- Visually impaired or blind people, for example, cannot easily read our website. They use so-called screen readers, i.e. devices that read the page content to them. To ensure that this works properly, websites must be specially designed and programmed.
- It can be difficult for people with motor impairments to click on links or buttons. What still works with a mouse pointer quickly becomes a challenge when using a finger on a tablet or smartphone. This is why these areas need to be specially programmed or have a large enough background, for example.
- Deaf and hard of hearing people cannot use videos if they do not contain subtitles.
These are just a few examples of the limitations that many people have to deal with every day. We also want everyone to be able to use our online services without restrictions.
We are working hard to achieve this and have already made many adjustments in accordance with the “Barrier-free Information Technology Ordinance - BITV 2.0”.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you notice something or if it is difficult to access. Please tell us as precisely as possible how we can help you. You can contact us directly via this e-mail address: internet@eswe-verkehr.de.
You can also find our accessibility statement here.