Ways of transport:
- bus (Bus)
Buses go everywhere in Bielefeld, they are clean and usually on time. You can get on buses at the front door, and show your ticket to the driver. There is normally at least one screen inside, that shows the next bus stops, and a voice telling the actual one. If not, the drivers are willing to help, they don’t necessarily speak english, but if you know at least the name of the bus stop, it will work.
- tram (Stadtbahn, Sraßenbahn)
There are 4 lines in Bielefeld. They are also usually on time, and faster than buses. It’s actually a mixture of tram and metro, there are some stops underground too. All the four lines meet in the center: at Hauptbahnhof, Jahnplatz, and Rathaus you can reach them all. If you have to change between tram lines, I suggest to do it at Jahnplatz, there is only one platform, you don’t need to go anywhere, not cold, and no chance to get lost…:) They also have screens inside with the next stop and the picture of the tram-network above the doors.
- train (Bahn)
There are a few smaller train stations inside of Bielefeld. If you are lucky to have one close to your home/work it might be the easiest and fastest way to get somewhere. You can get for example from Bielefeld Ost to Hbf in 5 min instead of the approximately half an hour by bus and tram. But you can do it maybe only once in an hour, you can find out more about it at the office at Hbf (they speak english).
Travelling with a pram, wheelchair, suitcase etc
With buses you can use the second (bigger) door, the driver normally pays attention to people with prams or wheelchairs. In theory you still have to go to the driver to show your ticket, but I’ve seen mums with prams only lifting up the ticket while standing at the bus stop when the bus arrives, so that the driver sees it.
With trams there are some special places for prams etc., you can see a sign on the door outside. (see ’Possible problems: Tram-stairs, Crowd&pram’) And there are elevators at the underground stops.
Possible problems:
- Tram-stairs
Most of the tram stops have a platform at the height of the doors, but there are some , where you have to get on/off from the street using pretty high stairs. It might also be a problem alone after shopping, or having some difficulties with moving, but with a pram or suitcase it’s a big problem for sure. You can ask for help, but… (see ’People’)
- Winter
When it snows, they clean the pavements, but not necessarily all. There are longer buses with 3 doors, and there are smaller bus stops, where they clean only up to the second door. Result: if you don’t want to jump over a half meter high snow-hill (with shopping bags, children etc), or run through half of the bus to the other door (with shopping bags, children etc) be prepared and use the second door. Trams can simply stop because of the snow, and nobody knows when can it be fixed. Try to find a bus. 🙂
- Crowd&pram
On buses there is only space for up to two prams or wheelchairs, including big suitcases and grannys with their ’cars’. So there might be a twin-pram and a granny already on the bus and you have to wait for the next bus(sometimes with 2 other prams…) If you have to be somewhere on time, count on it. On trams there is more chance to fit in, but they can also be full.
- People
I thought it’s only a problem for me (coming from Hungary), but after some international conversations it seems to be something real, and it’s also not nice to say, but better be prepared.
So the problem is: they just don’t care. Don’t care if they step on your foot, push you, or if you have some difficulties with opening a door, standing, or getting on a bus or whatever. If you ask for help, of course they will help, but don’t ever expect someone holding a door for you as a woman (sometimes even letting you go first… or even not pushing you), giving you the seat just because you are pregnant/older, or helping automatically at getting on a tram with a pram. (yes, I must be naive, but these things were natural for me)
And that might be a real problem for those who just don’t speak german, not necessarily able to ask for help…
Just to be clear: I am NOT saying everybody is like that, there ARE people helping, but it’s simply not usual
Tickets
There are prices are for different zones but the whole of Bielefeld belongs to the price-zone (Preissufe) 1, which makes things easy. You only have to think about the zones when you go outside of the city. The chart with the zones, prices and all are on every ticket automat nachine. You can buy almost every kind of ticket for every zone.
My pictures are taken on the 10 January 2013, they are now the actual prices, but they might change!
Einzelticket – Single ticket: you can travel wherever, however, changing as many times as you want with it, (inside of the zone) for 90 minutes after stamping it.
–Short ticket (Kurz) you can travel up to 4 stops, one way without changing.
4er Ticket – 4 x single ticket: Either up to 4 people or for 4 journeys. Cheaper than buying them individually. You can buy either 4 short tickets (see above) or 4 regular tickets.
9 Uhr Tagesticket – Daily tickets
- Single daily ticket: for 1 person for the whole day, from 9 in the morning valid from stamping.
(if you would need at least 3 tickets for the day, already worth it)
- Daily ticket for 5: for up to 5 people travelling together, for one whole day from 9 in the morning, valid from stamping
(if you use it with 2 people, and you would need at least 3 tickets/person, already worth it, if are using it with 5 people, and would need at least 1 ticket for the day, already worth it!)
7 Tage ticket, (9 Uhr)Monatsticket – Ticket for 7 days, Monthly ticket
They are for your name, valid with ID, for a week/month. Monthly tickets you can also get the 9Uhr version.
Sechser Abo, 9 Uhr Abo
It is a great thing! It’s actually a monthly ticket with a contract. (also in 9Uhr version)
You are not buying your ticket every month, but make a contract and they are sending it to you by post every 3 months, and taking the money from your bank account every month. (don’t be scared of the ’contract’ thing, you can easily quit, you might have to pay for those which are already sent to you so maximum 3 months, but I’ve seen advertisements to sell them in newspapers or e-bay. And if you don’t have the money on your account they are cancelling it anyway 🙂 )
It’s without a name, so more people can use it (problem: the ’I forgot my ticket at home’ excuse is not working with it)
And the best: It’s cheaper than the normal monthly ticket, and weekdays after 7pm and all day weekends you can take one more adult and 2 children and a bike for each with you!!!
Other tickets
I don’t know much about them, you can find out more about it at MoBiel Haus (see below) they speak english.
- Monatsticket im Ausbildungsverkehr
Reduced monthly ticket
- Fun ticket
Special ticket for children between 6 and 14, valid only for the afternoons and weekends
- Zusatzticket Fahrrad
Ticket for transporting bicycle.
Where and how to get tickets
- At most of the tram stops from automat machines (except for weekly/monthly tickets) they take 5 and 10€ banknotes and bank cards too
- At the bus drivers (except for weekly/monthly tickets), but it costs approximately 20 cents more,
- At Jahnplatz, underground at MoBiel office
- At MoBiel Haus the central office: from Jahnplatz, walk towards the direction of the Rathaus and it’s on the first corner on the left
What to do with them
Single, 4er, and daily tickets need to be stamped. (4er tickets once for each person, and once for each ways, 2 on the front and 2 on the back side). On buses there is an orange box for it near the driver. If you buy single ticket ticket from the driver, you don’t need to stamp it. At trams there are orange boxes at the tram stops and on the tram also, you can choose where to stamp. But if you want to travel longer with them, it’s only valid for 90 minutes, better to stamp on the tram, so you won’t lose 10-12 minutes at waiting.
Timetables
- You can find timetables at every bus/tram/train stop. They are normally actual and useful.
Important: pay attention to the little tricky signs which might be near the leaving time, and might mean either nothing to you (goes through an other street as usually, has an other number from halfway, or goes further than the end station) or something very very important (goes only till halfway or doesn’t stop in your bus stop or working only on fridays). If you don’t know what does it mean, better try to ask someone there or the driver (works only by telling the driver the name of the bus stop, and getting the answer: ’ja’ or ’nein’), I had already some unpleasant surprises.
- You can have your own copy also. For all the tram and some of the bus timetables you can simply take from the office at Jahnplatz. But you can ask for every bus or tram timetable, not only the general, but the one-for-your-bus-stop version at MoBiel Haus (see above). They are simply printing them for you.
You can find everything at mobiel.de but of course it’s in german. For timetables on the homepage click on ’Auskunft’ on the blue line, then click on ’Fahrplanbuch’ on the list on the left side. It will give you the list of all the tram and bus lines both directions. There is also a journey planner which can show you the best route to your destination.
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