100 first Questions – City Maps/Public Transport/Ways

When a vehicle of the police or an ambulance is driving with flashing blue light and signal tone you have to clear the road as fast as possible (form an lane and pull over to the side). When the vehicle passed you are allowed to walk or drive on the street again.

• Go to the police (addresses see first page) and make a charge
• Report the loss to your insurance company. It is covering the costs when you have an insurance for your bike.

When a traffic accident happens the personal liability insurance is responsible to settle the related damages. More information see question 62

If you see an accident or if you are involved in an accident you should first call the police (110) and when there are persons injured you should also call the emergency doctor (112).

Regarding first aid check the following:

Some of the district meeting points (Stadtteiltreffs) are offering bike driving lessons. Also ask the employees of the home where you are staying regarding this. More information see question 89

Used bicycles can be obtained from the community work (see question 89) at the project “Bicycles for Refugees”. For adults these cost about 25 euros, for children and young people including helmet and lock 15 euros.
At Swapfiets, Heiligengeiststraße 28, 26121 Oldenburg, you can rent a bicycle for a monthly price starting at 16.90 euros.

There are different secondhand markets and flea markets where you can buy cheap bikes (see question 25). When you buy a bike on a flea market or when you get a bike for free you should get a written note from the seller that states that he sold the bike to you, this way you can be sure and you can proof that the purchase was legal. You can also ask the employees of the home where you are staying – they often have information where you can buy cheap bikes.

You should register the bike on your name, so that it can be identified as your belonging in case of theft. Please contact the police for doing this.

Driving a bike

• The following parts of the bike should work to be allowed to use it in the traffic:
  • Lights and reflectors (in front and back)
  • Brakes
  • Bell

• You don’t have to wear a helmet while riding a bike, this is voluntarily. Nevertheless for children up to 12 years of age wearing a helmet is recommended.

• More rules that have to be followed:
  • Mutual thoughtfulness, look out for the other road users!
  • Waiting at the red traffic lights. Please keep in mind that there are often different traffic lights for cars, bicycle riders and pedestrians. Traffic lights for bicycle riders you can recognize by the bike:

Traffic light for pedestrians:

There are also traffic lights that are valid for bicycle riders and pedestrians at the same time:

• Always drive on the right side of the road or on the especially designed cycle path (except signs are showing that the cycle path can be used for both directions)
  • Children until the age of 8 have to use the sidewalk for pedestrians, children from 8 to 10 years of age are allowed to use the sidewalk for pedestrians. In this case parents are also allowed to drive on the sidewalk as the accompanying person.
• Keep an eye on pedestrians and if in doubt give them right of way.
• Follow right-before-left rule (if there are no additional traffic signs the person comming from the right has always right of way (for more information please check „traffic signs“)
• If you want to change the direction show this in time by stretching your arm in the direction you want to go, so that the people driving behind you know that you will turn right or left. When you turn left the vehicles coming from the front always have right of way.
• Using the mobile phone while riding the bike is prohibited and will be punished.
• If you want to overtake another road user please use the bicycle bell in time, so that the other person has time to make space for you.
• You are allowed to listen to music with headphones while riding a bike. But the music only can be so loud that you can still hear the traffic around.
• Only one person at a time is allowed to ride a bike – when you have a child safety seat your child can ride the bike with you together.
• When you were drinking alcohol you should not ride a bike. If you drive conspicuously or cause an accident while under the influence of alcohol, you are liable to prosecution.

• Which traffic signs are important to observe?

Right of way signs:

In Germany it is the rule that the person coming from the right side has right of way. This regulation is not valid when the following traffic signs are there:

	Right of way At the streets where you can see this sign you have right of way at all road entries and the other road users have to wait.
	Right of way at the next crossroad When you are driving on a street with this sign you have right of way and you don’t need to give right of way to the road users that are coming from the right and the left side. This is only valid for the following crossroad, after this the other road users have right of way again.
	Stop and give way You have to stop for a short moment and are only allowed to continue driving when the street is free.
	Give way When you see this traffic sign you are only allowed to drive when neither from the right nor the left another road user is coming.
	Crossroad (right before left) At the next crossroad the people coming from the right have right of way. After that you have right of way again.
More important traffic signs:
	Pedestrian sidewalk On sidewalks with this sign you are not allowed to ride a bike, here are only pedestrians allowed
	Combined bicycle and pedestrian sidewalk When you see this sign as a bicycle driver you have to drive on the sidewalk and you are not allowed to drive on the street. The upper sign means you have to share the sidewalk with pedestrians, the sign in the middle means that the bicycle drivers drive on the left and the pedestrians go on the right (most times the sidewalk is seperated optically). The last sign means that you are driving on a sidewalk for bikes only. Always drive carefully on these sidewalks, give right of way to the pedestrians and ring the bell at your bike on time to draw the people’s attention to you.
	No entry This traffic sign means that you are not allowed to enter the street from that side.
	Bicycles free If you see this traffic sign under a no entry sign you are allowed to enter the street with a bike from that side.
	Pedestrian crossing At a pedestrian crossing the pedestrian has right of way to cross the street – cars have to wait. As a bicycle driver you are allowed to cross the street at this place, but only when no car is coming. Always keep an eye on traffic and check if the cars are stopping before you walk/drive.
	Right turn on red If you see this arrow at a traffic light the car and bicycle drivers have the right to turn right after stopping for a short moment and when the streets are free. But it is very important to  keep an eye on other bicycle riders and pedestrians who are crossing the street!
	These traffic signs show that the street is only free for cars. Bicycle drivers are not allowed to use these streets.
	These traffic signs also mean that you are not allowed to ride a bike, only pedestrians are allowed to walk there.
	Streets with this traffic sign are traffic calmed areas, here you are only allowed to drive with walking speed and pedestrians have right of way. Pay special attention to not endanger pedestrians and playing children and drive carefully and slowly!

Other means of transport

Further possibilities of traveling are for example:

Offer	Information	Contact
BlaBlaCar	Another person who is driving into the same direction gives you a ride in his or her car.  This reduces costs and time in comparison with train or bus. To use this service you register yourself on the website. Then you can enter the place of departure and the destination and different offers for this way will be shown to you, then you have the possiblilty to reserver a place in one of the listed cars. The offers are private, the website is only used as an agent. *lately they get a fee and so they require a card	www.blablacar.de (also available as app)
Coach (Fernbus)	Traveling by coach is a cheap alternative for using the train. The buses departure from the ZOB Oldenburg and are directed to different destinations. Tickets can be booked online via the provider’s website. There you can enter the place of departure and the destination and book the bus ride online after registration.	www.flixbus.de
Taxi / Rental Car	At the train station and other important locations throughout the city you can find taxis which bring you to your wished destination for a payment. At the beginning of the car ride the driver will start the taximeter, at the end of the taxi ride it will show the price that has to be payed. Often you can negotiate a fixed price with the driver before starting the car ride. Taxis you can recognize by the sign on the car roof. If there is no taxi at the location you can call a taxi that will come to you (this is costing an additional charge). You can also stop a taxi on the street when the sign on the car roof is shining in yellow.	There are many private taxi companies. You can find them for example in the yellow pages www.gelbeseiten. de or via www.dasoertliche.de
Frauenmobil (Womens car)	The Frauenmobil is a special taxi service for women in Oldenburg. It is bringing women and girls older then 12 years safely to their destinations within the city limits of Oldenburg. Also boys until the age of 14 can use it. To be able to use the Frauenmobil you have to buy a voucher in the CIty Library or the Bürgerbüro (citizens’ advice bureau). For this you need your passport. The vouchers have a value of 7 euros and are given away at a price of 2 euros. The user pays the difference between the voucher value and the actual fare. A maximum of one voucher can be redeemed per journey, resulting in a saving of 5 euros on the regular fare. Using the Frauenmobil is possible in the evening/at nights between 19:00 and 05:00 O’clock. The Women’s Mobile can be ordered by telephone from a total of 17 taxi and rental car companies. The telephone numbers of the participating companies can be found on the back of the vouchers and in the Women’s Mobile flyer ” (PDF, 4.13MB, barrier-free), which is available in many places in the city or can be picked up at the Equal Opportunities Office ».

Drive a bicycle

In  trains the drinking of alcohol is prohibited. In general eating is allowed, but it should happen very carefully so that nothing will get dirty and so that other travelers are not disturbed. You shouldn’t speak too loud and offer your place to elderly/frail people.

You can buy train tickets either online on www.bahn.de (only possible with valid bank account or credit card) or directly in the service centre at the train station. The most important promotion tickets are listed in the following table:

Name	Price	Conditions
Niedersachsen-Ticket (Lower Saxony ticket)	23€ 4€ extra for every additional traveler (up to 4 persons)	As many train rides as you like during one day throughout Lower Saxony in all local trains. Also valid for train rides to Bremen, Hamburg and Groningen, from 09:00 until 03:00 O’clock of the following day, whole day at weekends and holidays.
Schönes Wochenende-Ticket (Nice weekend ticket)	40€ 4€ extra for every additional traveler (up to 4 persons)	Valid in all local trains (not in IC and ICE) in Germany, Saturdays and Sundays from 00:00 until 03:00 O’clock of the following day
Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket (Across the country ticket)	44€ 8€ extra for every additional traveler for up to 4 persons	As many train rides as you like during one day throughout Germany, not valid for IC and ICE, Monday until Friday from 09:00 O’clock until 03:00 O’clock of the following day, at weekends whole day.

• On the Bahn Homepage (bahn.de) you can find more current offers and special prices under the category „Spezialpreise“/“Sonderangebote“/“Sparpreis-Finder“
• Between the sections Oldenburg – Bremen and Oldenburg – Norddeich also the Intercity Trains (IC) are categorized as local trains, they can be used with a normal ticket.
• The names of the travelers have to be written on most promotion tickets. Otherwise a fine can be given
• The promotion tickets are also valid for the local transport in Hamburg and Bremen (Hannover and Oldenburg also, at least the Niedersachsen ticket). Niedersachsenticket 24 € (1 person), 29 € for 2 persons, 34 € for 3 persons 39 € for 4 persons and 44 € for 5 persons.
  For the Niedersachsenticket plus Groningen or plus Ostharz additional costs have to be paid.
• Single way tickets have to be validated at the train station at the platform or in a validation machine inside the train. To do so the ticket will be put inside the machine and a time stamp will be printed on it. This should protect against misuse of the ticket
• Dogs can be taken free of charge
• Bikes need an extra ticket
• In company of their parents or grand parents children until 14 years of age can take the train free of charge when their name is written on the ticket.
• The following website gives further information regarding the different offers: www. bahn.de (Category „Angebotsberatung“)
• To reach the wished destination by train you need the following information:
  • The number of the train
  • The platform where the train departures
  • The direction / final destination of the train
  • Please also take a look at the information boards at the platform, possible changes will be shown there
• Taking the train without a ticket will be fined with 60€

Taking the train

To find train connections you can enter the place of departure and the wished place of arrival on www.bahn.de. The times of departure and the price of the train ride will be shown to you. Furthermore you can ask directly in the service centre at the train station Oldenburg for the different connections.

 

The most important tickets can be found in the following table. For further questions please contact the service centres of the VWG.

Information: The bus system of the city Oldenburg is divided into different zones. The prices for a bus ride are depending on the length of the bus ride within these zones. The zones can be found on the website of the VWG: https://www.vwg.de/Fahrplan.html

Ticket	Specifics
Single ticket (Einzelfahrschein)	One bus ride for one person, valid for 90 minutes. With this ticket you can drive with different bus lines in a time frame of 90 minutes as often as you want. You can buy this ticket in the service centres or inside the bus.
4-Person-Ticket (4er-Ticket)	One bus ride for 4 persons, valid for 90 minutes. You can buy the ticket in the service centres or inside the bus.
Day pass (Tages-Ticket)	Valid for 1 to 5 adults and up to 3 children (6 to 15 years old) or dogs. Valid from the day of issuing until 03:00 O’clock of the following day. You can buy the ticket in the service centres or inside the bus.
7-Day-Ticket (7-Tage-Ticket)	Valid from the day of issuing for the next 7 calendar days. At the weekends and on holidays another adult and up to 4 children until age of 15 can be taken with this ticket as well. You can buy this ticket in the service centres of the VWG.
1-month-pass (Monats-Ticket)	Valid for a whole calendar month, from the first day until the last day of a month. One more adult and up to 4 children until age of 15 can be taken for free with this ticket. You can buy this ticket in the service centres of the VWG.
MIA	Electronical card that can be used without cash for the whole year in all buses and trains (local transport) in the VBN area. The card can be bought in the service centres of the VWG. If you loose this card you can freeze the card directly in the service offices or by telephone 0421-596059 so that nobody else can use it. More Information: see question 43
MIAplus-Ticket	In addition to the ticket holder one more adult and up to 4 children between age 6 to 15 can be taken with this ticket. This is possible during the weekdays from 19 O’clock onwards and whole day at weekends. At weekends and on holidays the busses can be used for free. The ticket can be bought in the service centres of the VWG.
BOB-Ticket	The BOB ticket can also be used for a complete year. The application for the ticket is free, it calculates the most reasonable price for each bus ride. The ticket fees will be debited once a month from your bank account. You can buy the ticket in the service centres of the VWG.
Youth-freetime-ticket (Jugend-Freizeit-Ticket)	This ticket is valid for young persons under the age of 21. With this ticket they can take the bus during the week days from 14:00 O’clock onwards, during weekends and holidays all day. Also they can use the night line busses and trains (2nd class) in the whole VBN area (please ask in the service centres for the exact locations).
Kombi-Ticket: entrance ticket and public transport ticket – two in one	EWE Baskets Kombi-Ticket, VfL Oldenburg Kombi-Ticket, Bus-Kanu Kombi-Ticket, OLantis Kombi-Ticket, Werder Kombi-Ticket Provides free public transport to different leisure time activities. The entrance ticket for the respective event can be used as public transport ticket. You can buy these tickets in the service centres or directly inside the bus.
Train ticket to Bremen	In the buses in Oldenburg you can also buy a combi ticket that will bring you with the bus to the main train station of Oldenburg, from there you can then take the train to Bremen. Please ask the bus driver about it.

There are also summer holiday tickets for children and young people and various special tickets:
Night ticket from 7 p.m. for the entire VBN network (e.g. to Bremen, Nordenham, etc.) for €9.90.
Short trip (for 3 stops) 1.50 €, 4-way ticket 5.60 €.
Bicycles must be paid for separately (€2 per bike).

• Children until age of 6 can drive with the bus free of charge. Children aged between 6 to 14 can purchase cheaper tickets.
• Often the tickets have to be validated inside the bus. There is a machine inside the bus were this can be done, you put the ticket inside the machine and a time stamp is printed on the ticket. This is necessary so that the ticket cannot be used a second time.
• All buses are departing from the train station/ZOB and from Lappan, there you can get in or off every bus line. Exception: the bus line 314 does not depart from the ZOB.
• The buses only stop at the stated bus stops, (see question 10), they don’t stop in between. The bus is only stopping at a bus stop when there are people waiting that want to enter the bus or when a person inside the bus is pressing the red „stop“ button to show that he or she wants to get off the bus. In some buses an overview of the bus stops is announced, in some buses it is shown on information boards.
• When you are using the bus without a valid ticket you have to pay a fine of 40 €.

Children and young people from 5th to 10th grade travel free of charge in Oldenburg during school hours and use their Mia Junior Card (often combined with the Oldenburg Card to participate free of charge in canteen meals and other discounts). For more information, see question 43!

The bus tickets also can be bought at the service centers of the VWG and at ticket machines in the city center area. You have to show them to the bus driver when entering the bus and in addition single way tickets have to be validated in the validating machine inside the bus. The bus driver can sell you a ticket as well, this ticket doesn’t have to be validated afterwards.

You can ask for the bus connections in the service centres of the VWG (bus company), you can find these directly at the ZOB (central bus station) or in the city centre at the Lappan. Here you are also able to get the bus schedules for the city Oldenburg.

Also on the homepage of the VWG (www.vwg.de) and with the help of different apps („VBN Fahrplaner“, „DB Navigator“) you can find out about the bus connections.

In Oldenburg the buses are departing in regular intervals (between 10 and 30 minutes) in the time period from around 05:00 O’Clock in the morning until 00:30 O’Clock at night from the different bus stops. At the weekends the intervals start a little later but for that the buses drive a little longer at night.

The VWG also offers night lines. These are departing daily during the week days at 00:30 O’Clock from the bus stop „Lappan“. At the weekends (in the nights from Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday) those bus lines are departing at 00:30, 01:30 und 02:30 O’clock from the bus stop „Lappan“.

 

Taking the bus

The following sign shows, that there is a bus station:

There you also can find most of the timetables of the buses departing from there. In addition some bus stops have electronic departure and arrival boards that show when which bus line will drive where and when the next bus will arrive at the bus stop.

To be able to arrive at the wished destination within the city you need:

• The number of the bus/bus line
• The direction the bus is driving into or the terminal bus stop
• The name of the bus stop where you need to get off the bus
• How you can find this information will be answered in the following questions.

 

To find your way around the city

Online through https://www.oldenburg.de/startseite/buergerservice/geoportal/informationen-zum-interaktiven-stadtplan.htmlStadtkarten/Verkehrsmittel/Wege

You can find a city map for Oldenburg in exchange for a small fee for example in the Tourist-Information (Schlossplatz 16) and in the Service Centres of the VWG at the ZOB (central bus station) and in the city centre at the Lappan. If needed the most important points of the city can be explained there as well.