Inclusive Studies Mobility in Heidelberg

The Reha-Team sehwerk will be happy to assist you with mobility training to help you find your way around the Heidelberg/Mannheim area as a first-year student with a visual impairment.

Local public transport in Heidelberg is mostly provided by the transport company rnv (Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr-GmbH).

Are buses and trams in urban transport accessible for wheelchairs?

All buses are technically wheelchair accessible since each bus is equipped with a ramp for wheelchair users. It can be operated by the driver at need, enabling wheelchair access even with low kerb heights.

Heidelberg still has various tram generations in operation. Low-floor technology permits accessible boarding and exiting for wheelchair users at stops with elevated platforms (30 cm) in latest trams. Vehicles are accessed via ramps at low kerbs. The older generations are undergoing partial conversion and are being fitted with low-floor centre sections. New low-floor vehicles were procured for line 5 (formerly OEG).

Where can I find information on this online?

The RNV website has a map with the stops for mobility-impaired passengers under the menu item “Barrierefreiheit” (Accessibility). It contains information on bus and tram stops in the RNV route network that are equipped with raised platforms to facilitate boarding and exiting from the low-floor vehicles.

Are stops announced? 

All RNV vehicles generally have announcement systems on board and the stops are announced automatically. The announcements in the old trams are still made by the drivers. Electronic display boards are also found at larger stops.

Are any cost reductions available to people with disabilities?

People who have a disabled person’s ID may obtain a token from their relevant pension office, entitling them to discounts on local and long-distance transport. You can find more information about this on the Deutsche Bahn website.

Students with severe disabilities may also have their share of the semester ticket for public transport and VRNnextbike reimbursed. They can submit their applications to the constituted student body. Find more information on this and an application form on the student council website.

Are there any special aids for people with visual impairments?

All new stops have guide strips for the blind; the drivers have been made aware of this and will stop in the correct location accordingly. This kind of marking for the blind has been developed in cooperation with the German Association for the Blind; it is coordinated nation-wide.

Heidelberg has the problem of having very limited space for traffic. Cycle paths often run between the train and the stop or right behind the stop. As a result of this, the sections of the guide strip that intersect with the paths of other road users are studded rather than striped as usual.

Following the suggestion of the Badischer Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverein (Baden Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired), and with its support, the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN; the Rhine-Neckar Transport Association) has produced the first new route directory for the blind and visually impaired. It contains a list of stops with transfer connections for the rapid transit and city rail systems in Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Heidelberg.
The directory can be ordered in large print or braille from the Badischer Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverein for a nominal fee of three euros.
The route directory for the blind and visually impaired is also available at Bürgeramt Mitte.

Is it possible to get off at a special stop between two stops at night?

Moonliners (special bus lines that run on Friday and Saturday nights) always offer this if you let the bus driver know in time. The personnel have been trained accordingly. If they do not comply, please write down the date, time, and preferably the registration number, the carriage number, or the line and call the complaints hotline.

Helpers from the Heidelberg railway station mission will assist wheelchair users with getting on, off and changing trains seven days a week.
Deutsche Bahn also offers a special mobility service and information on accessible travel.

Transport costs may be covered in some cases, e.g., if you are unable to use public transport to reach the university due to the nature or severity of your disability. The integration aid service at your main place of residence will be responsible for this.

Heidelberg has taxis (VW buses) that are able to carry powerchairs. They can be booked at the Heidelberg taxi centre but are more likely to be available for longer and planned excursions than for spontaneous short trips in the city since these cars need to be converted.