Ban on taking e-scooters on buses and light rail vehicles from 1 March 2024

As in several other cities, the use of e-scooters on DSW21 buses and light rail vehicles has been prohibited since 1 March 2024. This is due to the latest findings of the expert committee of operations managers in the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) on the potential dangers of battery fires in electric pedal scooters. The resulting fumes pose a serious risk in local transport vehicles.

Expertise provides new findings

Following several incidents involving burning e-scooters in other European countries, the VDV Operations Committee has come to a fundamental reassessment of the scooters. This assessment is essentially based on an expert opinion from Studiengesellschaft für Tunnel und Verkehrsanlagen mbH (STUVAtec) and a fire safety report for vehicles in local transport: according to this report, burning lithium-ion batteries can release explosive energy and combustion gases, which have a hazardous effect on health even in small doses. As such fires are not signalled by any advance warning signals, but occur very suddenly, it can be assumed that they pose a potential risk to passengers.

Pedelecs still allowed on board

However, pedelecs are exempt from the new ban, as their batteries have significantly higher safety standards. Unlike e-scooters, they are subject to the mandatory DIN EN 50604-1 standard, which prescribes numerous tests with regard to battery safety. If the safety standards for e-scooters develop accordingly, it is conceivable that they could be taken on buses and light rail vehicles at a later date

Anyone carrying an e-scooter on DSW21 buses or light rail vehicles despite the ban will be removed from the vehicle.

You can find DSW21's comprehensive statement on the e-scooter ban here.

The AnrufSammelTaxi (AST) is a complementary transport service to the DSW21 timetable. It operates according to the timetable if the journey request has been registered at the AST centre at least 45 minutes before departure.

When registering, please state

• Your name,
• the departure time,
• the departure stop,
• the destination,
• the number of persons and
• large items of luggage

The telephone number of the AST centre is: 0231.955-4100

General fare regulations
A special ticket is required for each journey and for each passenger. This is sold by the driver at the start of the journey. AST tickets are non-transferable and do not entitle the holder to interrupt the journey. Each passenger with a valid AST ticket can take a maximum of three children up to the age of 6 free of charge.

For the Dortmund area, you need a ticket of price level 1. The full fare is €3.50 per journey.

Reduced fare
The reduced fare applies to

• Holders of VRR season tickets
• Holders of SemesterTickets
• Children from 6 to 15 years
• Holders of NRW holiday tickets

Each additional person travelling with you pays the full fare. Severely disabled persons entitled to free transport in the VRR and their accompanying person also pay the reduced fare.

The reduced ticket price for price level 1 in the Dortmund area is €2.70.

Special provisions for large items of luggage
The free carriage of luggage does not apply to luggage that occupies a seat. A reduced fare must be paid for this. Bicycles and animals are not transported on AST services. This does not apply to guide dogs for the blind accompanied by authorised persons.

General information on using the AST
You can board the bus at any stop marked with the AST logo. Please always get to the departure point in good time. Journeys are operated by local taxi companies. The vehicles are marked with the AST symbol on the windscreen. If you are the first passenger to board, please ensure that the taximeter is only switched on when you leave. If you are the last passenger to alight, please do not confirm the form presented by the driver until the final taximeter reading has been entered. Please do not provide a blank signature under any circumstances!

Items that have been forgotten in the vehicles are handed in by our drivers at the respective depots. Use our digital lost property office to submit your report.

After 8 p.m., DSW21 buses will also stop between stops to let you off if you inform the driver in advance and the traffic situation allows it.

This service does not apply to DSW21's NachtExpress lines.

If you have a valid ticket, you can take one or more dogs with you at any time free of charge. Dogs are only transported under the supervision of a suitable person and must be kept on a lead at all times. Dogs that could endanger passengers must wear a muzzle.

This rule applies throughout the VRR.

*Adults aged 15 and over and children aged 6 to under 15 are transported free of charge, i.e. an accompanying person can take children under 6 with them without an additional ticket. Children under the age of 7 who do not yet attend school are also transported free of charge until they start school (in North Rhine-Westphalia, the school year always begins on 1 August of each year). Likewise, no fare is payable for pushchairs. Bicycles for children in the 1st age group are also transported free of charge.

This regulation applies throughout the VRR.

You can find an overview of all fares here.

Current information: Please note that there are currently changes to the NightExpress timetables.

Our 17 NachtExpress lines take night owls home in comfort and at low cost every day.
You can find the routes in the timetable information or in the timetable available from the Customer Centre.

Apart from the short-distance ticket, the usual VRR tickets are valid for journeys on the NachtExpress.

You can download all NE lines here.

If you are travelling outside the borders of the VRR by local transport, you can travel cheaply with an NRW ticket.
NRW tickets are valid on buses, trains and local trains (2nd class).

You can purchase the following tickets at DSW21 ticket machines:

• SchöneFahrtTicket (adult or child)
• SchönerTagTicket for up to 5 people
• BikeDayTicket NRW
• SchönesWochenendeTicket for up to 5 people
• EinfachWeiterTicket (adult or child)

With the exception of the SchönesWochenendeTicket, the tickets listed can also be purchased in the DSW21 TicketShop and in the DSW21 app.

The EinfachWeiterTicket is valid for connecting journeys on all means of transport between the Aachener Verkehrsverbund (AVV), the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS) and the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR).

The SchokoTicket is valid for students under the age of 25 in price level D.

It allows the holder to travel as often as they like in the selected fare zone - around the clock and throughout the year.

When purchasing the SchokoTicket for the first time, all students must present a confirmation from their school at the customer centre of their transport company. From the age of 16, proof of authorisation for the SchokoTicket must be presented annually.

As the SchokoTicket is not transferable, you should always carry an official photo ID or school ID with you. All information about the ticket can be found here.

There is no legal entitlement to a seat, the principle of solidarity has proved its worth.

Please give your seat to the person who needs it more than you do. This applies in particular to people with limited mobility and pregnant women.

Some of the DSW21 buses and trams are equipped with video protection systems.

The cameras contribute to the safety of passengers and drivers thanks to their deterrent effect on potential offenders. In the event that passengers or drivers are nevertheless assaulted, the permanent recording can provide the investigating authorities with material that can be used in court. This makes it much easier to catch the perpetrator.

Of course, this also applies to damage to property and vandalism, the costs of which must ultimately be borne by all customers. Last but not least, video recording also helps with the reconstruction of passenger accidents in or in front of the vehicle. Vehicles in which video recording takes place are labelled with a corresponding symbol.

DSW21 has special offers that make travelling by bus and train easier for all customers, but in particular provide valuable assistance for people with limited mobility. Low-floor buses and trains without stairs, level access, lifts and much more. You can find more information on the topic of accessibility here.

In principle, it is only possible to take a bicycle or a so-called pedelec or e-bike with you if the operating situation or the space situation in the vehicle allows it.

In local rail passenger transport (DB, Regio Bahn, ...), bicycles may only be carried in the designated parking areas (e.g. multi-purpose compartments). They can be carried all day.

Carriagein Dortmund
Bicycles can be carried on Dortmund city trains and buses on weekdays from 9.00 a.m. until closing time and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

One FahrradTicket must be purchased for each bicycle. If you want to take your bike with you several times a day in NRW, you can buy the FahrradTagesTicket NRW, which entitles you to take your bike with you all day on all NRW public transport vehicles.

The Ticket2000, BärenTicket, YoungTicketPLUS and FirmenTicket already include bicycle transport within their area of validity.

Carriage of one person plus bicycle
If a person is travelling on your own ticket (e.g. Ticket2000 on a Saturday) and also owns a bicycle, a bicycle ticket must be purchased for this bicycle. If the person is travelling beyond the area of validity by purchasing a BicycleTicket and has a bicycle with them, one ticket must be purchased per person and per bicycle for one journey (i.e. two BicycleTickets).

Click here for the ticket overview.

Carriage with other transport companies
The regulations for taking bicycles with other transport companies in the VRR can be found on the respective websites. Here you will find anoverview of the transport companies.

The electronic timetable information system (EFA) of the Rhine-Ruhr transport association offers quick access to connections, departure times and the associated fare (local transport). In addition to the target timetable data, actual data (real-time data) can be determined for the majority of routes so that live information on the current traffic situation can be displayed or delays can be predicted.

Using the journey planner
Simply enter your starting point and destination for a desired connection in the bar and confirm your entry. You can also use the DSW21 app to easily call up connections on your mobile phone.

Where can I find the timetables?
Posting timetables are displayed individually for your connections. Once you have requested a connection, the timetables for the connection will appear on the right-hand side below the map. Click on the link to open a new window. Select the desired route and click on "Request". A window will appear in which you can now open the plan as a PDF and save it if required.

Where can I find the stop area maps?
You can obtain maps of the area around the stops individually for your search queries in the EFA. Once you have requested a connection, the individual journeys will appear. After opening a connection, the details of the stations or stops are displayed. You will see two to three icons to the right. The interactive map allows you to scroll and zoom on the map.

Clicking on the stop symbol opens the static map of the surrounding area of the respective stop. This means that you no longer have to look up the stop maps separately from your search, but are automatically provided with the map of the surrounding area for each journey you enter.

How can I print out my connection?
After you have requested your connection, a dialogue window with the heading "Print" appears to the right of the individual journeys, directly below the map. Tick the box next to the connections you wish to print. Then choose between the commands "Print journey selection as overview" and "Print journey selection with details". A PDF will then open.

Regardless of whether you want to take another person with you or travel 1st class, with the additional ticket you are also mobile.
The additional ticket can only be used in conjunction with an already valid ticket. As a general rule, one ZusatzTicket is required per person, journey and additional benefit.

Benefits
- Use of 1st class on local trains (except SchokoTicket, YoungTicketPLUS and SemesterTicket)
- Extension of the area of validity of a season ticket to price level D
- Carriage of passengers in extended areas of validity
- Ticket2000: extension to price level D Monday to Friday after 7 pm, all day on weekends and public holidays (as well as 24.12. and 31.12)

Buy
The additional ticket is available from ticket machines, in theDSW21 customer centresat the sales offices, in the online ticket shop, in the DSW21 app and from driver sales.

Many tickets include the option of taking people with you:

Ticket1000 and FirmenTicket
Ticket1000 holders can take up to three children under the age of 15 with them in their fare category from 7 p.m. and all day on weekends and public holidays.
FirmenTicket holders can take up to one adult and three children under the age of 15 in their price category from 7 p.m. and all day on weekends and public holidays.

Ticket2000
Ticket2000 holders can even take one additional person and up to three children under the age of 15 with them in price level D on weekdays after 7 p.m. and all day on weekends and public holidays.

meinTicket/ SozialTicket
meinTicket holders can take up to three children under the age of 15 with them all day on weekends and public holidays, as well as from 7 p.m. on weekdays in price level A.

YoungTicketPLUS
YoungTicketPLUS holders can take one additional person with them in price level D after 7 p.m. and all day on weekends and public holidays.

SchokoTicket
Schoko-Tickets do not allow you to take an additional person with you.

BärenTicket
Holders of the BärenTicket can take one additional person and up to three children under the age of 15 with them all day on weekdays from 7 p.m. and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in price level D, all in 1st class.

VRR-SemesterTicket
VRR SemesterTicket holders can take one additional person with them in the VRR area Monday to Friday from 7.00 pm, all day on weekends, public holidays and on 24 December and 31 December.

Single, 4-person, HappyHour, 7-day and 10-person tickets
It is not possible to take one person with you on these tickets.

24- and 48-hour ticket
With the 24- and 48-hour ticket, up to 5 people can travel together by bus and train; the price depends on the number of people.

For enquiries about promotional items for events, please contact Katharina Grage by e-mail at k.grage@dsw21.de