Accessibility

From the beginning, the stations, mezzanines, train units, etc. were designed and built with the intention of eliminating physical barriers.

During the design and construction of all the stations the intention has not only been not to build architectural barriers but also to provide short and safe accesses for all our clients. With these actions, we wish to facilitate the full integration of those clients who have mobility problems.

The metro train:

During the design of the metro, accessibility has been a key factor in the conception of this means of transport.

Below, we shall list some elements that facilitate the movement of people with reduced mobility, such as the blind, handicapped people, etc.:

• "Boa" type design of the metro train units which allows passengers to pass freely from one carriage to another as well as achieving optimum distribution.
• Large double doors to facilitate access.
• A suspension system that guarantees a constant height from the platform to the train unit.
• Foldable seats which, if not used, become a support to lean on.
• Areas reserved for clients who use wheelchairs. These are in the carriages where the cabs are located and include safety belts and buttons to inform the driver of the presence of a person in a wheelchair. The driver, by means of internal video-cameras, will be able to monitor the said client.
• Acoustic and luminous warning devices that operate when the doors are being closed.
• Indicator lights that display the position of the train on the line and its departure.
• Closed-door whistle.
• Button, inside the units,for reserved seats.

At stations:

• Ample, open spaces at the stations and straight passages with long curves.
• All the stations are completely accessible for any person thanks to the combination of two levels of lifts, one from street level to the hall and, from there, to the platforms. The street lifts are provided with a paving that is different from the rest of the pavement and directed towards the door of the said lift.
  
• Signs are easy to read thanks to their size and colour contrasts.
• The stations with overhead gangways include access ramps that are appropriate for wheelchairs.
• Short and safe accesses for all clients.
• Rough pavement on the edge of the platform.
• “Braille” system in lifts.
• Public address systems at the stations.
• On the validation lines, one gate access, wider than the rest, has been installed for people with different types of reduced mobility.
• Adaptation of ticket machines.
• A lighting system that eliminates dark or blind areas, especially in the areas of validation machines, stairs and platforms.
• Notches on tickets to introduce them into the validation machines.
• Acoustic and luminous warning signals on train units when they arrive at a station.
• Under the stairs that communicate the platform with the hall, tactile flooring has been installed using rough pavement, similar to that used on the edges of the platforms. The surface allows blind people to detect the existence of the staircase and avoid walking into it.
• Installation of a steel bar around the lower part of the information columns (station maps, line description...).
• Installation of plant-pots behind the Sarriko “fosterazo”.

Fees:

At Metro Bilbao the people who suffer from total permanent invalidity, great invalidity or that have been declared disabled with a disability level in excess of 65%, enjoy reduced prices.

On the web site:

From the Home Page, it is possible to access a more user-friendly version of the website that allows a greater number of people to view its contents regardless of their personal or technological limitations.

This Metro Bilbao user-friendly website complies with the international standards of the World Wide Web Consortium and has passed the Web Accessibility Test in Spanish of the Ministry of Labour and Social Issues.