Meeting point for assistance.

If you’ve requested assistance, we’ll be waiting for you 10 minutes before departure by the Mobilift (yellow lifting platform), by the folding ramp (normally in the middle of the platform) or at a different meeting point that was previously arranged with the Contact Center Handicap.

For journeys on IC2000 and IC2020 double-decker trains: we’ll be waiting for you by the first passenger coach (1st class) directly behind the locomotive ten minutes before departure. The wheelchair toilet and ten wheelchair spaces are located in this carriage.

The meeting point for assistance at stations or stops served by the shuttle service is usually in front of the station or stop. 

Meeting point for SBB Assist.

Please arrange the meeting point for SBB Assist (transfer assistance, getting up a ramp at the station, orientation at the station, etc.) with the Contact Center Handicap.

You can obtain detailed information on the meeting point at each station from the Contact Center Handicap.

Contact the Contact Center Handicap
Synoptic map for people with restricted mobilityLink opens in new window.

Meeting point for boarding and alighting.

If you require assistance with boarding and alighting, please arrange your meeting point with the Contact Center Handicap and arrive 10 minutes before departure.

Meeting point for SBB Assist.

Please arrange the meeting point for SBB Assist (transfer assistance, getting up a ramp at the station, orientation at the station, etc.) with the Contact Center Handicap.

Orientation.

Generally, tactile elements and digital customer information systems at stations, stops and in the vehicles allow blind and visually impaired customers to travel autonomously. 

If you need help with finding your way around, you can request assistance via the SBB Assist pilot project.

Assistance is provided by customer assistants, the on-board staff (passenger assistants or vehicle drivers) or SOS station assistants. You will receive a text message 30 minutes before your requested assistance informing who will be assisting you.

Please note: if the service is offered by the on-board crew, the assistant will arrive at the connection for which you requested assistance.

Your assistants.

• Customer assistants.
• Passenger assistance (will arrive with the vehicle. Wait by the Mobilift, the folding ramp in the middle of the platform or the meeting point that was agreed upon).
• SOS Bahnhofhilfe (only in stations where they have a presence). 

Shuttle service.

For stations or stops that still cannot be used autonomously or where staff are unable to assist, shuttle services (transport with accessible vehicles on the road) are offered as an interim measure. The shuttle service will bring you to the next stop from where you can continue your journey.

Meeting points and reporting times for assistance with boarding and alighting are different in each country. When alighting on the outward journey (Switzerland–abroad), the assistant comes to the platform area where the passenger coach stops. When you alight, confirm the precise meeting point for your return journey with the service staff on site.

The following table shows the meeting points in neighbouring countries.

SBB Inclusive: An app for blind and visually impaired passengers – and for everyone else.

SBB Inclusive is a customer information app that makes travelling on public transport easier, particularly for blind and visually impaired people. The app brings the visual and digital customer information for stations and long-distance trains directly to your smartphone and always shows you the information relevant to your location. This way, you can always be sure that you are on the right train. 

Here’s how SBB Inclusive works.

• You get location-specific travel information which is relevant to you sent to your smartphone. 
• If you are at a station, information on upcoming departures, platform allocation and train formation is automatically displayed for you.
• When you get on an SBB long-distance train, the app lets you know which train you’ve just boarded and where you are in the train via a push notification. What’s more the app shows you the progress of the train and information on the upcoming stops. You can also have this information read out aloud.

The app currently works at all Swiss railway stations and on all SBB long-distance trains. Please continue to use the SBB Mobile app to plan your journeys.

SBB train equipment.

In the 1st and 2nd class SBB passenger coaches, the first compartment to the right with opposite seating displays the label ‘Please vacate this space for passengers with restricted mobility’. Depending on the equipment, this compartment can be used by wheelchair users or only by people who are blind or have mobility problems.

You can check the train information for every connection directly in the online timetable or on the SBB Mobile app.

Equipment on regional trains.

The table shows the equipment on regional trains for passengers with restricted mobility. 

Equipment on long-distance trains.

The table shows the equipment on long-distance trains and international trains for wheelchair users.

Night train equipment.

The table shows the equipment on night trains for wheelchair users.

Wheelchair-accessible toilets on InterCity tilting trains and double-deck trains (IC 2000).

On InterCity tilting trains (ICN) and on double-deck trains (IC 2000), the wheelchair compartment and a toilet accessible for wheelchair users are located in 1st class. In these compartments, one passenger in a wheelchair and one accompanying person are entitled to travel with a single 2nd class ticket, provided they possess a Companion Travelcard.

This applies to the following passengers:

• The wheelchair user and the companion regardless of which holds a valid ticket for travel.
• The person registered on the Junior Travelcard, if the person using the wheelchair or the companion is registered as the parent on the Junior Travelcard and at least one ticket for travel has been purchased.

Every 2nd class passenger coach in an IC2000 train formation has a wheelchair compartment with folding seats (please note the pictogram when boarding) but not a wheelchair-accessible toilet.

Members of the public may also provide assistance with boarding and alighting at all stations and stops. However, members of the public are not allowed to handle the Mobilift or the folding ramp. The transport companies do not accept any liability in the event of damage or accidents.

Information on low-floor coaches.

Low-floor technology with low coach floors makes it easier for all passengers to board and alight. Obstacles can nevertheless still arise: The SBB Contact Center Handicap provides information if something is unclear.

• Depending on the stopping point, customers may still need to navigate a smaller or larger height difference and/or gap between the platform edge and the train door, even on low-floor vehicles.
• If you board and alight independently with your wheelchair, the transport companies will not assume any liability in the event of damage, loss or accidents.
• In the event of cancellations and changes to rolling stock, there is no guarantee that vehicles will have low-floor entry and sliding steps. In some cases, the replacement vehicle may not be wheelchair accessible. The SBB Contact Center Handicap can inform you about later accessible connections.

Basically, you always need a valid ticket for travel on public transport. If you travel without a valid ticket, just showing your Disabled Passenger’s ID Card is generally insufficient to make you exempt from paying a surcharge. This is only possible if your disability makes it infeasible for you to purchase a ticket from a ticket machine or from SBB.ch or the SBB Mobile app. In this case, you pay only the relevant fare but no surcharge.

Find out about the tickets you can buy and the discounts you receive on the following pages:

Travel planning
Travel discounts

Accessibility information in the ‘ginto’ app.

Is the hotel, restaurant or cable car of my choice accessible? How wide are the door frames and corridors? How steep are the paths and ramps? Are there thresholds? Do the stairs have a handrail or is there a lift?

The Ginto platform and app provide information on accessibility at different localities to make it easier for everyone to participate in social life. Ginto focuses on the diverse needs of users and not on physical limitations. Step-free access can be just as helpful for parents with pushchairs as for a person in a wheelchair. With Ginto, each person decides for themselves whether a location is accessible for them or not.

Ginto for passengers.

Within the Ginto app, users can specify the minimum accessibility requirements of a destination in their profile. In addition to over 20,000 locations that have been checked by trained auditors or declared by companies themselves, information is constantly being integrated from other platforms – for example, the locations of Eurokey toilets or parking spaces for people with disabilities. 

The Ginto app is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and is free to use.

Ginto app in the Apple App StoreLink opens in new window.
Ginto app in the Google Play StoreLink opens in new window.
More about the Ginto appLink opens in new window.

Ginto for tourism companies.

As part of the OK:GO initiative, tourism businesses such as restaurants, hotels, museums, mountain lifts or railways, shipping companies and many more are recording accessibility information in the Ginto app and making it available to the general public. This makes travel planning easier for senior citizens, people with disabilities and families. In addition, many tourism businesses have linked the accessibility data with the OK:GO logo on their own website. 

The OK:GO initiative is supported by Innotour, the promotional programme of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO. Participation is free of charge for the duration of the project, which is financed by Innotour.

The OK:GO initiative was launched in 2019 by the Accessible Switzerland Association (FVBS). Since its establishment in 2016, the FVBS has been supported by prominent service providers in the Swiss tourism industry and by organisations for people with disabilities.