Accessibility on Vienna's public transport network

Accessibility: so that all passengers can travel independently in Vienna

With Wiener Linien, you can travel around Vienna quickly, safely and in an environmentally friendly way. It is important to us that all passengers can travel through Vienna in a self-determined, flexible and barrier-free way. And we have been improving vehicles, stations and guidance systems for better orientation and accessibility for years. We pay particular attention to people who can't see or hear well or at all. And, of course, people who are restricted in their mobility due to a disability or illness. Wiener Linien works closely with disability associations and self-help organisations. This enables us to take special requirements into account when planning new projects and implement them accordingly.

Preparing for your journey

It is best to plan your journey in advance. We offer the following services to ensure that your journey is pleasant and hassle-free:

Accessible website

You will find all the important information you need to plan your journey on the website www.wl-barrierefrei.atOpens in a new tab. The website is in German. It has been specially designed for screen reader programmes that automatically read out the text, ensuring that blind and visually impaired passengers have unrestricted access.

You can also access the page from the main page www.wienerlinien.atOpens in a new tab. Select the menu item Textversion there. You can change the font size, and all information is prepared for screen reader programmes. This allows you to have the information read aloud to you, for example, or to use other assistive technologies.

Navigation system POPTIS

POPTIS is a guidance system for blind people. It is in German. It provides directions within the underground network. POPTIS is short for Pre-On-Post-Trip-Information-System. It was developed by Wiener Linien together with organisations for blind people. You can access POPTIS directly via this linkOpens in a new tab or on the website www.wl-barrierefrei.atOpens in a new tab. 

Accessible restrooms (WCs) in underground stations

You will find accessible restrooms (WCs) in these underground stations. A EuroKey is required to use the accessible WCs.

• Line U1: Leopoldau, Kagraner Platz, Kaisermühlen VIC, Praterstern (attended toilet facilities), Schwedenplatz (attended toilet facilities), Stephansplatz (attended toilet facilities), Karlsplatz (attended toilet facilities), Südtiroler Platz Hauptbahnhof, Altes Landgut
• Line U2: Seestadt, Donauspital, Stadlau, Stadion, Praterstern (attended toilet facilities), Schottenring, Schottentor (attended toilet facilities), Volkstheater (attended toilet facilities), Karlsplatz (attended toilet facilities)
• Line U3: Simmering, Erdberg, Stephansplatz (attended toilet facilities), Herrengasse, Volkstheater (attended toilet facilities), Neubaugasse, Westbahnhof (attended toilet facilities), Hütteldorfer Straße, Ottakring
• Line U4: Heiligenstadt, Spittelau, Schottenring, Schwedenplatz (attended toilet facilities), Karlsplatz (attended toilet facilities), Meidling Hauptstraße, Hietzing, Hütteldorf
• Line U6: Floridsdorf, Handelskai, Spittelau, Alser Straße, Westbahnhof (attended toilet facilities), Bahnhof Meidling, Alterlaa, Siebenhirten

Network map with toilets in underground stations (barrier-free PDF)

Buying tickets

There are various ways to buy a ticket.

Ticket machines

Every second ticket machine is mounted at a lower height so that wheelchair users and shorter people can use them.

WienMobil ticket shop

You can order or print tickets from home in our online ticket shop at shop.wienmobil.atOpens in a new tab.

Your accompanying person travels free of charge

If your eligibility document states that you require a person to accompany you, that person travels free of charge on Wiener Linien. An example of such an eligibility document is your disability card.

Your assistance dog travels free of charge

You can take your assistance dog with you free of charge. Assistance dogs include service dogs, signal dogs and guide dogs. The dog must wear appropriate identification. It must also be listed in your eligibility document, for example in your disability pass. Then your dog does not have to wear a leash or muzzle and will be transported free of charge.

WienMobil app

WienMobil helps you choose the best route and provides information about departure times for all lines at all stops. You can find out how often low-floor vehicles run and exactly when. The app also displays service disruption notifications. Have you activated the WienMobil app on your mobile phone? Then you can also have the information read aloud by your screen reader. With the WienMobil app, you can buy your ticket with your mobile phone whenever and wherever you want. You can find more information at www.wienerlinien.at/wienmobil.

Download the WienMobil app for Apple iPhoneOpens in a new tab

Download the WienMobil app for Android smartphonesOpens in a new tab

Accessibility at stations and stops

All underground stations and most tram and bus stops are accessible. Ramps, lifts and raised platforms compensate for differences in height up to the vehicle entrance. Where barriers still exist, we are removing them step by step. To this end, we work closely with the City of Vienna and Austria’s disability organisations.

Wayfinding in underground stations

A colour-coded guidance system ensures that everyone can find their way around more easily. We ensure that font sizes and colour contrasts are sufficient. This means that passengers with impaired vision can also access information more easily. We use pictograms and directional signs that are also common in other countries.

All underground stations are equipped with a tactile guidance system: guide lines are laid parallel to the platform edge in the platform surface. The guide lines are slightly raised, forming ridges and grooves that can be felt with a white cane. Cross lines and branches lead to lifts, stairs or escalators. Additional sections with different patterns are designed to draw attention to important information. For example, a change of direction. Or features such as emergency call points. These tactile guide lines help blind people find their way around more easily. Bus stops are also gradually being fitted with this system. We are working closely with the City of Vienna on this.

When is the next vehicle arriving? Is it accessible?

This information is displayed on the electronic display boards at the stops. They show how many minutes you still have to wait. Is the next tram accessible? You can tell by the wheelchair symbol on the display board. You can also access the display via the WienMobil app or at www.wl-barrierefrei.atOpens in a new tab (in German language). Blind people and people with visual impairments can listen to the information using a screen reader programme on their mobile phone.

Some tram and bus stops have a digital information pillar. This is an electronic display with real-time information and other extras. It replaces the paper timetable. Passengers can obtain a lot of useful information here. To ensure that blind and visually impaired people can also use the information, the e-paper on the digital information column works according to the 2-sense principle. The information can also be read aloud. The digital information column thus offers a major advantage in terms of accessibility.

All new Vienna underground trains are accessible. The accessible trains are called V-trains. On lines U1, U2, U3 and U4, the V-trains are marked with an underscore on the display. The special feature of the V trains is that there is an automatic folding ramp at the first and last doors. This makes it easier for people in wheelchairs or with prams to board. And you will find plenty of space in these underground trains.

Transfer between trains without barriers at stations with central platforms

In many underground stations, the platform is located centrally between the tracks in both directions. At these stations, you can transfer directly and barrier-free to the train going in the other direction.

See overview: stations with central platforms

Accessible information in the lift

Blind passengers can feel their way to and select the desired floor using tactile buttons. A voice announcement indicates where the lift is currently stopping. This announcement is available in all lifts serving more than two floors. Stickers on all lift doors indicate: Priority for people with reduced mobility! We ask other passengers to be considerate and use the escalators or stairs instead.

Liftboy app: control lifts with your smartphone

With the Liftboy app on your smartphone, you can control the lifts in underground stations contactlessly.

You can find more information about the Liftboy app here

Barrier-free emergency call

Wiener Linien introduced the barrier-free emergency call in 2023. This allows you to make an emergency call not only by speaking, but also by pressing the emergency call button on a touch-sensitive screen. This is an important enhancement for deaf passengers and for people with speech difficulties or learning disabilities. For blind people, the controls of the emergency call system are provided with Braille, tactile symbols and tactile pyramid lettering. 

The barrier-free emergency call system is already in use in many underground stations, for example in the Friedensbrücke U4 station and the Kaisermühlen U1 station. By 2026, Wiener Linien will replace 550 more emergency call systems in lifts and underground stations with the new, barrier-free models.

In the video, Hans-Jürgen Groß shows and describes how the barrier-free emergency call works. He is the Accessibility Officer at Wiener Stadtwerke. The video is in German. There are German and English subtitles and a transcript in German and English.

Getting on and off vehicles safely

Vienna Transport Services already uses state-of-the-art low-floor vehicles on many routes. Where obstacles still remain, we will remove them step by step according to a detailed plan. The aim is to have only low-floor vehicles on all routes!

ULF and Flexity low-floor trams

Two out of three trams in Vienna are ULF low-floor trams. The abbreviation stands for Ultra Low Floor, which roughly translates as: extremely low floor. At 19 centimetres, the boarding height of these trams is the lowest in the world. This makes it easier for passengers to get on and off.

For passengers in wheelchairs, the first entrance is designated on the ULF. The driver can deploy a ramp there. Please press the blue door-opening button with the wheelchair symbol if you wish to alight at the next stop.

The area by the second door of the ULF is best suited for pushchairs.

Since 2018, we have been replacing the last high-floor trams with the modern Flexity models. They feature a second wheelchair space and wider seats for parents with children. Open-plan multi-purpose areas provide more space in this low-floor tram.

Low-floor buses

Wiener Linien already operates exclusively low-floor buses. If necessary, they can be lowered even further using compressed air technology.

If you are travelling in a wheelchair, please use the second entrance to the bus. The driver can deploy a ramp there. Please press the blue door-opening button with the wheelchair symbol if you wish to alight at the next stop.

The area by the second entrance to the bus is also best suited for pushchairs.

There are currently 410 environmentally friendly diesel buses in service. The sliding doors on these buses swing outwards, creating more space in the door area. There are wide aisles and very low steps. On the 12 electric minibuses operating in the city centre, the space for wheelchair users and pushchairs is located by the second door.

Accessible Underground

The modern V-trains and X-trains on the Underground are also accessible. V-trains have a folding ramp at the first and last doors, which bridges the gap between the carriage and the platform. X-trains have a folding ramp at every door. The ramps fold out automatically when the doors open. Occasionally, we may need to switch off the automatic ramp for operational reasons. However, this happens only rarely.

On U6 line trains, there is a fixed ramp beneath all doors. This ramp narrows the gap between the carriage and the platform and compensates for the difference in height. The V-trains on the underground have large multi-purpose compartments. These provide space for wheelchairs, bicycles or pushchairs and are located at both the front and rear of the train. On older trains, these spaces are situated near the doors.

More time to board at all stations with automatic platform doors

The blue assistance button is a new feature at all stations on the U2 main line with automatic platform doors. Groups or individuals with reduced mobility can press it to be given more time to board. The underground train doors and platform doors will then remain open for longer, in consultation with the control centre.

Information and assistance on board

All Wiener Linien vehicles feature an interior design with high-contrast colours to ensure maximum visibility.

There are also handrail systems. These help blind passengers and those with visual impairments to find their way around the vehicle more easily.

All vehicles feature public address announcements. These provide information about the next stop and transfer options. They also indicate which side of the carriage the exit is on at the next underground station.

The audible and visual door-closing signal uses a loud sound and flashing lights to indicate that the doors are closing. This is the case on all new vehicle types.