Deutsche Bahn: For wheelchair users Kay Macquarrie, every trip is an ordeal

The 80-year-old Green politician Hans-Christian Ströbele, who relies on a walker, complained publicly about the train last week because employees had refused to lift him onto the train with a lift – this was not for insurance reasons possible, he first had to apply for help at the Deutsche Bahn Mobility Service Center (MSZ). As a result, Ströbele accused Deutsche Bahn of a "serious lack of organization" with regard to barrier-free travel.

Kay Macquarrie has a similar view. He no longer wants to accept the fact that travelers with disabilities have to contact the MSZ at least 48 hours in advance by phone or via an online form to receive assistance – such as a wheelchair lift. In addition, the complex process is far from being successful: the railways can also refuse to be carried on the desired train.

That is why Macquarrie has started a petition to rail chief Richard Lutz. FOCUS Online talked to the 44-year-old.

FOCUS Online: Mr. Macquarrie, you have started a petition to Richard Lutz, DB board member, because traveling by train is “a real nightmare” for people with disabilities. How does it start?

Kay Macquarrie: The booking process alone is extremely time-consuming. If I book a train journey, I have to register it at the rail mobility service center at least 48 hours in advance so that I can get all the help I need.

This works either by phone or using an online form. I am not on the phone and the online form has not yet arrived.

Elaborate booking process that makes spontaneous travel impossible

FOCUS Online: What is so complicated?

Macquarrie: If you register your trip online, you buy your ticket in advance and then have to go through almost 80 form fields to register for assistance, which can easily take 20 to 30 minutes. And only for one way – because the train does not save the entered data.

Carriage is not even automatically guaranteed. It is estimated every fourth time that the trip cannot be offered in a wheelchair-accessible manner because there is no barrier-free wagon, a barrier-free universal toilet is defective or there is simply no staff. A new travel connection must then be established.

Either way: Booking is incredibly complicated, takes a lot of time and nullifies any spontaneity when traveling – especially since the service staff of the train is usually only guaranteed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Defective elevators at train stations, defective toilets in trains

FOCUS Online: What problems have you encountered while traveling by train?

Macquarrie: It happened to me more than once that the registered service personnel simply did not show up and I had to ask strangers for help when getting in and out. Most of the time, however, they are already reliable, and much bigger problems are caused by non-accessible barrier-free cars, defective toilets and broken elevators at the train stations. That means a lot of stress for me.

For example, if the elevator does not work at my arrival location, I have to get off at another station and then use local public transport to get to my actual destination.

If the toilets are broken, for me this means that I have to adjust my drinking behavior. Specifically: I simply don't drink anything before I have to change trains. After that, however, I demand compensation for pain and suffering.

A simple change would make traveling by train a lot easier

FOCUS Online: What do you specifically ask from Deutsche Bahn?

Macquarrie: I demand that I, as a person with mobility restrictions, can travel around the clock and spontaneously without barriers. I would like to be able to buy my ticket at any time on the channel of my choice without having to dial a hotline or fill out an unspeakable number of form fields. That shouldn't be too much to ask.

And the solution is so simple: Deutsche Bahn could simply include a field for clicking the mobility service in the booking process for online tickets. This method has been common for many airlines for years and works without problems.

The first long-distance train with ground-level entry and exit will not arrive until 2023

At the moment, however, I see only one thing about the train: total lack of planning in terms of barrier-free driving. If this continues in the future, we will not be so far in 100 years that people with disabilities can simply travel like everyone else.

Seriously: Nobody wants to get into the train with their suitcases over stairs. It is not until 2023 that Deutsche Bahn plans to introduce a new type of long-distance train between Berlin and Amsterdam, which enables stepless entry. Why is this taking so long? What becomes comfort for others is existential for us, the train seems to forget it. The situation is grotesque.

900,000 signatures left to go

FOCUS Online: 90,000 people have already signed your petition, what is your goal?

Macquarrie: My goal is 900,000 signatures, that would be 10 percent of all people in Germany who have a disability. It is not a small group. As a train manager, you should make sure that you serve them and not just leave them to one side. I know a lot of people who, due to the current situation, are reluctant to travel by train due to frustration.

But for me this is not an option, the train is my preferred mode of transport and I want it to be barrier-free.

FOCUS Online: And was there a reaction from DB board Lutz?

Macquarrie: Dr. I asked Lutz himself to take a train in a wheelchair and take a look at the situation. He only waved off thankfully with reference to his busy schedule.