Simone Leuenberger (47) is a Gymi teacher at Thun BE and is in a wheelchair due to muscle disease. She plans to pick up her students from Thun train station for the trip, she. She applied for support from SBB. So far all is well, says Leuenberger. Someone from SBB helps him get on the train to Bern and someone from Thun helps him again.
But then Thun gets the shock: the platform is too short. The last car Leuenberger was in is still on the gravel. “I had to go back to Spiez, wait there for half an hour, and then go back to Thun,” Blick says. The student community remained standing on the platform. The itinerary was gone.
Leuenberger constantly experiences such events. And not just in Bern. “I need to devote a lot more time and planning to a train journey,” he says. This is also a problem in daily working life. “Who wants to hire someone who can’t do their job because of lack of accessibility,” says Leuenberger.
Everything takes more time
When Leuenberger travels by train, he almost always has to apply an hour in advance for assistance from SBB. As announced Wednesday, with the help of SBB, more than 300 train stations are currently not accessible to wheelchair users. “Spontaneous travel is not possible,” Leuenberger says of his daily life.
SBB has committed to making all stations barrier-free by the end of 2023. People with disabilities should be able to move as autonomously as possible. Accessibility also benefits other customer groups, such as travelers with heavy luggage.
SBB will not achieve this goal. From 2024, three-quarters of passengers will be able to enjoy SBB’s services unhindered.
“Can only use half of SBB offer”
This means that a quarter still can’t. This includes Raphaël de Riedmatten (52). A native of Lausanne, he is the CEO of Agile, an organization working for people with disabilities. He travels from Lausanne to Bern for his job.
De Riedmatten lives with a walking disability. He is addicted to elevators because it is very difficult for him to manage the ramps. Even a threshold can be a problem. It may fall. He has been using trains for 32 years. “I pay full price for a GA, but now I can only use half the offer,” he says.
If De Riedmatten wants to go somewhere spontaneously, it is unlikely. “If I want to go to Basel, I only have an unblocked connection every five to six hours,” he explains. Information from the SBB app is not enough. But when the train docks, it can see which wagons are accessible without steps.
While in regional traffic almost all trains are unobstructed, the problem lies in long-distance traffic. In long-distance traffic, there is usually at least one barrier-free train per hour in each direction. The trick: Most of the links are only available with help.
In March 2019, the SBB website was approved by the “Access for All” foundation. Therefore, most of the content is accessible without hindrance.
“We’re working nonstop where we need to close the gaps,” says Andrés Doménech Nothhelfer, 54, who is responsible for implementing the Disability Equality Act (BehiG) at SBB. Some areas are not yet barrier-free, such as the Snow’n’Rail range.
For whom accessibility is particularly important as a blind person, René Jaun (41) finds his way around the internet and the “SBB Inclusive” app. SBB implemented the application specifically for the disabled.
Thanks to the app, Jaun finds out which train he is about to take. “The app communicates with the train via Bluetooth. It works great on some trains, but sometimes it doesn’t work at all,” says Jaun.
In March 2019, the SBB website was approved by the “Access for All” foundation. Therefore, most of the content is accessible without hindrance.
“We’re working nonstop where we need to close the gaps,” says Andrés Doménech Nothhelfer, 54, who is responsible for implementing the Disability Equality Act (BehiG) at SBB. Some areas are not yet barrier-free, such as the Snow’n’Rail range.
For whom accessibility is particularly important as a blind person, René Jaun (41) finds his way around the internet and the “SBB Inclusive” app. SBB implemented the application specifically for the disabled.
Thanks to the app, Jaun finds out which train he is about to take. “The app communicates with the train via Bluetooth. It works great on some trains, but sometimes it doesn’t work at all,” says Jaun.
In the online SBB fare, next to a small wheelchair symbol, it is “Entry/exit possible with prior notice” or “Entry/exit possible by yourself”. This information is very important for Anita Wymann (42). She lives with multiple sclerosis and has been using a wheelchair for two years. The Bern citizen feels that the SBB has failed to implement the Disability Equality Act.
ramps are very steep
Luckily, Wymann could pass by Bern train station on his way to work. He would not be able to climb the ramps to the platform with his own muscle power. And SBB actually uses ramps more than elevators. These may fail.
The slope limit for ramps on pedestrian underpasses and overpasses at SBB is 12 percent. Whenever possible, ramps are built with a 10 percent slope. SBB manager Andrès Doménech Nothhelfer ((54) has already tried climbing a ramp in a wheelchair. “Even a long 6 or 10 percent incline is a challenge for professional athletes,” he says. This means that SBB has problems with space and cost, flatter ramps are rarely built.
After all: In recent years, SBB has intensified its efforts. “There are many more features for the blind, such as tactile instructions and acoustic announcements,” says René Jaun (41). The tech reporter commutes regularly from Bern to Zurich for his job and has been completely blind since the age of 16.
no more patience
Despite improvements, Jaun is also struggling with issues. First of all, spontaneous changes like train cancellations, track changes get him in trouble. “A lot of times, blind people stay on the platform because communication is not barrier-free,” says Jaun. Tactile instructions are also rarely found in smaller train stations. Jaun is running out of patience.
SBB has been working on the accessibility app for 19 years. “I want SBB to see people with disabilities as an important consumer group and address their concerns,” says Jaun.
The situation is similar for other victims. They all feel tired of excuses and disappointed. “I wish SBB to better fulfill its responsibilities. It is a matter of will and planning,” de Riedmatten says. Accessibility doesn’t just help people with disabilities. It also helps people with crutches, parents with strollers, and passengers with heavy luggage.