Ordinance of March 23, 2016, concerning Technical Requirements for Arrangements Ensuring Access of Disabled Persons to Public Transport (OETHand) (VABÖV)

This ordinance regulates the technical requirements for arrangements ensuring access of disabled persons to installations and vehicles: a. of public transport in general; b. of public transport by bus and trolleybus; c. of cable public transport systems whose transportation units have more than eight seats.

The technical requirements concerning arrangements ensuring access of disabled persons to interoperable vehicles are governed by the provisions of section 7a of the Federal Railways Act of December 20, 1957 (LCdF), chapter 1a and annex 7 of the Railway Ordinance of November 23, 1983 (OCF), and additionally, by this ordinance.

This ordinance is applicable provided it does not conflict with the provisions of the Disabled Persons Equality Act of December 13, 2002, concerning proportionality.

The standard SN 521 500/SIA 500 “Barrier-Free Constructions,” 2009 edition, is decisive for the general requirements that constructions and installations must meet.

Regulation (EU) No. 1300/2014 is decisive for the general requirements that vehicles must meet regarding the needs of disabled persons. A conformity assessment established by a conformity assessment body is only required for vehicles operating on interoperable sections referred to in Art. 15 a, para. 1, let. a, OCF. For other vehicles, the applicant can demonstrate compliance through a declaration of conformity.

Requirements concerning transport by rail, tramways, and boat that deviate from this standard or go beyond it are exhaustively specified in the following acts: a. implementing provisions of December 15, 1983, of the Railways Ordinance; b. Art. 6, para. 2, of the Ordinance of March 14, 1994, on the Construction of Boats.

If parking spaces are available at stop points for passenger cars, parking spaces for motor-disabled persons must be arranged in accordance with Art. 65, para. 5, of the Ordinance of September 5, 1979, on Road Signage Rules. The number of parking spaces for motor-disabled persons is: a. 1 space for car parks with 50 spaces or less for passenger cars; b. 2 spaces for car parks with 51 to 150 spaces for passenger cars; c. 3 spaces for car parks with 151 to 350 spaces for passenger cars; d. 4 spaces for car parks with 351 to 750 spaces for passenger cars; e. 5 spaces for car parks with 751 spaces and more for passenger cars.

Parking spaces intended for motor-disabled persons must be located near the main access to the stop point.

The material requirements regarding contrast are governed by standard SN EN 16584‑1:2017.

The requirements for anti-slip properties and optical characteristics are governed by standard SN EN 16584-3:2017.

Acoustic information must be easily understandable for individuals with hearing impairments; it is especially important to ensure appropriate sound systems in areas intended for travelers. If necessary, this information must be repeated or be easily retrievable on request.

Information and communication systems for customers and emergency call systems must be detectable, recognizable, and usable by individuals with hearing and visual impairments. The material requirements for customer information and communication and emergency call systems are governed by Standard SN EN 16584-2:2017.

Alternative solutions in terms of customer information and communication, as well as emergency call systems, should be usable via commercially available small devices such as mobile phones.

For other static optical information, excluding station names, the size of capital letters must be at least 25 mm per meter of distance, and the size of pictograms and indications of tracks and sectors at least 60 mm in vertical projection on the optical axis. In the case of non-vertical projection, the size increases accordingly. The reference distance for reading corresponds to the maximum approach determined by a reading angle of 45 degrees for an eye height of 160 cm.

Timetables and comparable static information must be displayed so that the top line is not more than 160 cm from the ground. The minimum size for capital letters must be 4 mm (16 points). Deviations from these values are permissible if screens are installed at a reasonable distance.

At important points for orientation, screen displays should generally be installed so that the top line is not more than 160 cm from the ground. If multiple screens display the same information at these locations, at least one screen must meet this requirement.

At ticket counter installations equipped with an intercom, at least one counter must be equipped with an inductive amplifier for individuals with hearing impairments and be clearly marked as such.

General indicators must allow for the acoustic consultation of information.

At major stops and important transfer points, embossed and, if possible, braille information regarding track numbers, platform sections, and, where necessary, other significant locations such as station exits, should be placed on handrails at appropriate orientation points.

At major stops and stops where transfers are complex, a tactile guidance system in accordance with the SN 640 852 standard "Tactile-Visual Markings for Blind and Visually Impaired Pedestrians" by the Swiss Association of Road Professionals (UPSR), May 2005 edition, should be installed and a meeting point should be marked.

Information displays and other prominent elements in areas intended for customers must be equipped with suitable elements for the blind (e.g., base or metal bar). If necessary, large glass surfaces should be marked in accordance with the needs of visually impaired persons.

Platform edges must be sufficiently illuminated.

If operationally feasible, wheelchair-accessible entrances, the locations of mobile lifts allowing access to vehicles, and the boarding positions on platforms must be clearly signposted.

Ticket vending machines and ticket validators must, in principle, be usable by individuals with disabilities. If this compliance is not guaranteed for certain disabilities, appropriate alternative solutions must be offered to the affected groups of people.

The control elements of ticket vending machines must be placed at a maximum height of 130 cm from the ground. If a device for cashless payment is placed below this maximum height, the coin insertion devices may be placed higher.

The height of the ticket validation slots on ticket vending machines and ticket validators placed at stops must not exceed 110 cm. In vehicles equipped with ticket vending machines or ticket validators, at least one of them must be within reach of wheelchairs.

The requirements that vehicle door-opening push buttons must meet are governed by the SN EN 16584‑2:2017 standard. A conformity assessment established by a conformity assessment body is only required for vehicles operating on interoperable sections. For other vehicles requiring authorization, the applicant may demonstrate compliance through a declaration of conformity.

If necessary, stop request buttons must indicate the stop request to the operating staff and confirm it with both an optical and an acoustic signal in the passenger area. In spaces for wheelchair users in vehicles other than those used in rail traffic, the assistance request devices referred to in Regulation (EU) No 1300/2014 may be replaced by a stop request button.

If the staff of a vehicle operating on a non-interoperable section cannot see all the vehicle doors at each stop, discreet acoustic signals must enable blind persons to locate an appropriate number of push buttons located on the exterior sides when the doors are unlocked.

To ensure level access, door-opening push buttons must be provided for wheelchair users. They must be placed both inside and outside the vehicle, at appropriate locations, at a height of at least 70 cm and at most 90 cm above the ground. They must bear a wheelchair pictogram and be distinguished in blue from other push buttons. The duration of the door-opening must be extended as necessary. If staff intervention is required, they must trigger appropriate optical and acoustic signals to the operating staff and, if necessary, near the door.

Persons in wheelchairs must be able to access bus and trolleybus stops. The slope must not exceed 6%, provided that topographical conditions allow it.

At multi-level stops, the slope of the accesses must not normally exceed 10% or 12% if the accesses are heated or covered.

The lateral inclination of the platform must not exceed 2%, provided that topographical conditions allow it.

On platforms, the width of the passage for wheelchairs must be at least 90 cm. If there is a risk of wheelchairs falling onto the track, the width of the passage must be at least 120 cm.

In bus and trolleybus transport, the access area for wheelchairs includes the space required for individuals in wheelchairs to board the vehicle. It adjoins the area occupied by the ramp attached to the vehicle or by mobile metal ramps or other boarding aids.

It must be free of obstacles. It should have a length of at least 200 cm and a width of at least 140 cm, as far as the available space permits.

If wheelchairs equipped with removable electric motors or if electric scooters for disabled persons are to be accommodated on board the vehicle, the access area must have a width of at least 200 cm.

At stopping points, tactilo-visual markings of at least 90 cm on each side and positioned 30 to 45 cm from the edge of the platform must be installed for visually impaired and blind individuals at the location of the first door of the vehicle, in accordance with standard SN 640 852.

In bus and trolleybus transport, boarding and disembarking must be guaranteed as follows: a. for persons in wheelchairs or using walkers, between the platform and the passenger compartment access area, by a level difference and a gap width allowing for level access in accordance with section 2.3 of the annex to Regulation (EU) No 1300/2014; b. for persons in wheelchairs, by a movable or integrated vehicle ramp, a lifting platform, or another technical solution.

In bus and trolleybus transport, low-floor vehicles are to be used. In justified cases, particularly if required by topographical conditions, high-floor vehicles are permitted.

Vehicles of all classes must comply with the requirements defined in Annex 8 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regulation No. 107. The following deviations are reserved (the numbers in Annex 8 are in parentheses)

a. Wheelchair ramps, whether mobile or integrated into the vehicle, may have a gradient of up to 18% if company personnel offer assistance during boarding or alighting (3.11.4.1.3);

b. Seats for persons with disabilities must also be usable by individuals with age-related impairments and must be marked (3.2);

c. In vehicles of classes M1 and M2

1. Seats reserved for persons with disabilities are optional (3.2),

2. Communication devices are optional (3.3),

3. A ramp is allowed at the rear door provided that personnel offer assistance during boarding and alighting (3.6.2),

4. Personnel may also offer assistance to facilitate access to the designated wheelchair space (3.6.4),

5. Door controls are optional (3.9);

d. In vehicles of class M3, one seat reserved for persons with disabilities is sufficient (3.2);

e. The wheelchair is secured by a safety belt attached with a hook to an appropriate point on the wheelchair;

f. Class M3 vehicles over 12 meters long used primarily in suburban or long-distance traffic in Switzerland must have two designated wheelchair spaces and the number of seats reserved for persons with disabilities in accordance with section 7.7.8.5.3 of Annex 3 of UNECE Regulation No. 107, but in all cases at least two seats reserved for persons with disabilities;

g. Push-buttons inside the vehicles for wheelchair users must comply with art. 9, para. 4 (3.9.1.2);

h. Pictograms related to persons with disabilities are governed by art. 5, para. 2 (3.2.8, 3.6.6, 3.7.2, 3.7.4, 3.10.9); they are optional at the front, passenger side (3.2.8, 3.6.6).

Simple stop request push-buttons and push-buttons inside the vehicles are governed by section 7.7.9.1 of Annex 3 of UNECE Regulation No. 107. Furthermore, stop request push-buttons and push-buttons must confirm the stop request, if necessary, with an acoustic signal in the passenger area.

The toilets on buses must be accessible to wheelchairs and usable by visually impaired and blind persons. Compliance with dimensions and a help call device in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 1300/2014 are not required if assistance in use is guaranteed by the company's personnel. As far as possible, frontal and lateral access to the toilet bowl for wheelchair users must be ensured.

Visually impaired persons must be able to recognize, on the exterior side of the vehicle, the doors operated by travelers or the outline thereof.

Parking spaces must be provided for persons with disabilities near the main access to cable transport stations.

The maximum slope for uncovered ramps is 10%, while that for heated or covered ramps is 12%.

The maximum mesh size of grids in the passenger area is 10×20 mm.

In cable transport, the area intended for passengers must have sufficient space to allow for the maneuvering of wheelchairs. In accordance with the standard SN EN 13796-1:2017, a maneuvering area with a diameter of 1200 mm is sufficient for cabins of ten seats or fewer. It is not necessary to place a help request device at the designated spot for wheelchairs in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 1300/2014.

In funiculars and reversible aerial cableways, the automatic closing of doors must be announced both visually and audibly, in a way that is perceptible for visually impaired and hearing-impaired persons.

In cable transport, the boarding and disembarking of persons in wheelchairs or using walkers must be ensured as a priority without the assistance of staff: a. by a ramp integrated into the vehicle with an inclination: 1. of a maximum of 18% for a level difference of up to 50 mm, 2. of a maximum of 6% for a level difference of more than 50 mm; b. by a difference in level and a width of the gap between the platform and the boarding area in the space intended for travelers allowing level access in accordance with ch. 2.3 of the annex to Regulation (EU) No 1300/2014.

Staff may assist with boarding and disembarking as a subsidiary measure. In this case, access for persons in wheelchairs must be ensured by a mobile or vehicle-integrated ramp, a transfer plate, or a mobile aid. The inclination of the ramp or the transfer plate must not exceed 18%.

In cable transport systems, Art. 5 applies to emergency call systems.

In the unmanned operation of funiculars and aerial cableways, Art. 5 also applies to installations intended for customer information and communication.

The Federal Office of Transport periodically verifies whether the requirements need to be adapted to the state of the art and proposes ad hoc measures to the DETEC.

The Ordinance of DETEC of 22 May 2006 concerning the technical requirements for facilities aimed at ensuring access for persons with disabilities to public transport is repealed.

This Ordinance shall enter into force on 1 July 2016.