Coach Hire Across Switzerland

Accessible Group Travel with a Driver

When a group includes wheelchair users, the vehicle comes first and the route second. A lift or ramp, securing points and the right number of wheelchair places decide the rest of the plan.

Choosing the vehicle

An accessible minibus is fitted with a lift or ramp and floor securing points. Each wheelchair position replaces seats and takes luggage room as well. A mixed group often travels best with a standard coach and an accessible minibus running together.

Tell the operator how many people stay in their wheelchair, how many can move to a seat, and whether any chairs are electric. The layout is set from those answers.

Sprinter 19-seat minibus, side view
Sprinter 19-seat minibus, side view

Rules that make it simpler

Transport carried out only for people with disabilities sits outside the federal passenger-transport monopoly, so a care home or day centre needs no federal concession even for a repeated run. And a carer travelling in such a vehicle beside someone who needs close attention may sit unbelted, free to help.

Rules worth knowing before you book

  • All landing stages for the Rhine cruise ships in Basel are barrier-free and can be reached by wheelchair; the St. Johann terminal has a lift and an escalator
  • Transport exclusively of people with disabilities is outside the federal passenger-transport monopoly (Art. 8 Abs. 1 Bst. c VPB)

Stations, piers and venues

All the Basel landing stages for Rhine cruise ships are barrier-free, and St. Johann has a lift. For the panoramic trains, plan the railway side early: Glacier Express wheelchair spaces need a reservation, and for the Bernina Express the SBB Call Center Handicap arranges boarding help when asked in advance.

At Palexpo in Geneva, the P12 car park keeps bays for disabled drivers, and the venue will arrange a set-down at a main entrance if asked. The Montreux Jazz Festival publishes its own offer for visitors with disabilities.

What organisers ask us

Can the vehicle meet a panoramic train?

Yes. It waits at the station, and once the railway's boarding help is booked, its staff take over on the platform.

Can a standard coach carry a folded wheelchair?

Yes, in the luggage hold, for a passenger who can use a seat. Mention it in the request so the space stays free.

Which details matter most in the request?

The number of wheelchair users, whether they stay in the chair, the companions travelling, and the exact pick-up and set-down points.

Destinations

Vehicles, each with a driver