In the case, the desire being to get some train information at the main train station (bahnhof) in Heidelberg, and the desirer being my Stepdad. My desire was to avoid driving, so we jumped on the strassenbahn (tram or streetcar) at 11:00 or so and I was inspired to take a few pictures to document the trip for the uninitiated. So here you go, chapter 1 of "Strassenbahn Travel for Dummies".
Step 1: Figure out the schedule
The schedule is posted at most stops. In my experience, these schedules are divided into weekday, Saturday and Sunday/holiday time tables. Pick a time accordingly. The strassenbahns that pass in front of our front windows whiz by in both directions every 10 minutes during normal hours on weekdays, a little less often on other days (about every 30 minutes). As I mentioned in another post, our strassenbahn sometimes goes to the train station rather than the Bizmarkplatz. These times have a little "B" next to them.
Step 2: Find a strassenbahn stop We have one about a 2 minute walk from the ranch. They look something like the picture below.
Step 3: Get on the trainIf the tram doors closest to you don't open, there's a button you push to open them. Find a seat if one's available or hang on to one of the poles for dear life as this sedate looking conveyance accelerates fast enough to knock you on your butt (please don't ask me how I know that).
Step 4: Pay for the trip (or don't) There are all kinds of daily/monthly passes etc., but you can pay for a single trip or roundtrip on the train with the driver (who generally speaks some English and always has change for small bills). Some of the bigger stops have automated ATM-looking machines for this purpose. I bought an all-day pass today (from the driver) good for 5 people for the paultry sum of 8.50 Euros. Does this pass allow me to take other strassenbahn lines? Can I also take the bus? I don't know. My approach is to go forth with gusto and plead ignorance as necessary. When I figure out the tram/bus connection, I'll update this post.
BTW, the strassenbahn basically works on the honor system. You don't have to scan or flash a pass to anyone. However, if you get caught freeloading by the strassenbahn ticket police, you'll be out 40 Euros (and suffer through an embarrassing encounter that only degenerates like me find funny enough to be worth the 40 Euros).Step 4.5: Stamp your roundtrip ticket
If you buy a roundtrip ticket, you should stamp it in the handy stamping machines on the train (after the first leg of the journey I believe). I've never done this as the ticket doesn't fit into the stupid stamping machine slot. Guess there will always be some of us noncomformists that refuse to give in to "the man".
Step 5: Get off the train A sign inside shows you the name of the upcoming stop. You have to push a button like the one below sometimes for the doors closest to you to open.
3 comments:
That particular roundtrip ticket actually doesn't have to be stamped, since they already are, like all tickets you buy from the driver - note the date and time on your ticket in that picture.
Passes bought at ticket machines are slimmer and fit in that stamping machine.
That day pass allows you to ride any bus, tram or train within a certain area (except for the Bergbahn, they're milking too much money off the tourists as-is to buy into that).
The Rhine-Neckar area is put into a whole lot of hexagons for that purpose. In this case, you have a "up to 3 hexagons" pass starting in hexagon number 125 (which is Heidelberg itself), which allows you to ride anywhere within an area spanning from the eastern outskirts of Mannheim in the west to Neckarsteinach in the east, and from Großsachsen in the north to Wiesloch in the south (to get a rough picture).
These day passes also come in "up to 5 hexagons" and "network-wide", and for all three versions in "single ticket" and "group ticket"
http://www.vrn.de/ - The VRN site (in German) has about everything you need to know, and also has some handy planning tools for trips using public transport. Also has the maps needed to look up how much the fare would be (under "Wabenplan"), though you can always just go to the driver and ask him or her to give you a ticket to wherever. Just as a warning, they don't sell tickets onboard on Straßenbahn-line 5 (or in any VRN Straßenbahn running outside Heidelberg, actually). Rely on the ticket machines in other places.
Many thanks for the clarification! My wife was on a Strassenbahn yesterday when the "freeloader" patrol wrote tickets to about half the people on the train! We had always wondered what percentage of people actually paid.
A relatively high percentage, considering there are only periodic spot checks (like on two random days per month). At least in my opinion.
The usually cited numbers is that they catch between 100 and 150 freeloaders on these "spot check days". HSB claims they lose 1.5 million euro per year through freeloading. Overall, not that bad, considering they also log about 40 million passengers per year just in Heidelberg.
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