Yarra Trams Accessibility Guide
Yarra Trams is working closely with the
Victorian Government to enhance the
accessibility of the tram network. While
there is still a long way to go, we are
making steady progress.
In 2004, Melbourne’s tram network had approximately
40 accessible platform stops. Today there are over 350
level access stops with more set to open in coming
months.
With 50 new low floor trams on order, the total number
of low floor trams on the network will increase to 150.
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This guide is designed to help you plan
your journey, get on board and complete
your trip as easily as possible.
While we have put every effort into making this guide
accurate and comprehensive, please let us know if there
is something you think we could do to improve it.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to
contact Yarra Trams Customer Feedback on
1800 800 007 (6am-midnight daily) or speak to one of
our Customer Service team out on the network.
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Table of contents
Before you travel
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Mobility guide
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tramTRACKER®
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PTV mobile and online tools
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Accessible stops
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Low floor trams
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High floor trams
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Travelling with a valid ticket
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Where to buy your ticket
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Scooter and Wheelchair Travel Pass
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Access Travel Pass
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Support services
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Assistance Animal Pass
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Companion Card
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At the tram stop
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Passengers with vision impairment
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Mind the gap
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On board
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Priority areas – look for bright orange
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Priority seats
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Low floor trams and mobility aids
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Citadis
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Combino
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Bumblebee
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Need some help?
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Support for accessibility groups
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Tips for parents with prams or strollers
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Safety recap
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Your journey continues
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Before you travel
Taking the time to plan your journey reduces the
likelihood of unexpected challenges.
Yarra Trams and Public Transport Victoria have a
number of tools to make it easier to travel by public
transport in Melbourne:
• You can use the journey planner online at
ptv.vic.gov.au. Simply enter your origin and destination
and receive a customised trip plan detailing all public
transport services and connections.
• Use tramTRACKER® to check real-time tram arrival
information. It’s available free on your iPhone or online
at yarratrams.com.au
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• Call 1800 800 007 for train, tram and bus information
between 6am and midnight daily or visit ptv.vic.gov.au
• Visit the PTV Hub at the Melbourne Town Hall on the
corner of Swanston Street and Little Collins Street,
Melbourne. It’s open 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday
and 9am to 1pm Saturday. The PTV Hub is closed
Sundays and public holidays.
• Visit the PTV Hub or PTV Hub myki Centre at Southern
Cross Station; 6.30am - 8.30pm daily except Christmas
Day
• Ask our customer service employees at major CBD
tram stops during peak hours or Federation Square all
day.
Mobility guide
To check whether your mobility aid (wheelchair, scooter
or motorised vehicle) is suitable for use on public
transport, visit ptv.vic.gov.au and click on Accessible
transport.
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tramTRACKER®
tramTRACKER® provides real-time tram arrival
information for every tram stop on the network by
phone, iPhone, SMS or online at yarratrams.com.au.
The free tramTRACKER® iPhone application works with
your iPhone’s VoiceOver feature.
tramTRACKER® will let you know when to expect the
next three low floor and air conditioned trams at your
stop. Please visit yarratrams.com.au.
With the tramTRACKER® iPhone app you can use the
‘Browse’ or ‘Onboard’ feature to check the locations of
accessible tram stops on any route. Please remember,
not all routes are serviced by low floor trams.
PTV mobile and online tools
Public Transport Victoria has a range of handy mobile
and online tools available to help you access public
transport information. For details visit ptv.vic.gov.au and
click on Customer information tools.
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Accessible stops
People using most types of mobility aids can board low
floor trams at accessible platform stops. These stops are
known as accessible stops or platform stops.
It is best to check before you travel whether there is an
accessible platform stop at the origin and destination of
your intended tram journey. A full list of accessible stops
is available online at yarratrams.com.au
Low floor trams
Depending upon operational availability, we aim to run
every service on Routes 96 and 109 with a low floor
tram. Routes 5, 6, 8, 48, 16 and 72 are partly serviced by
low floor trams.
You can use tramTRACKER® to find out if any of the next
three trams at your stop will be a low floor vehicle. For
more information please visit yarratrams.com.au
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High floor trams
For people with special needs, priority seats are located
near the doors closest to the driver's cabin. The location
of the priority seats makes it easier to speak to the
driver and get on and off the tram. Remember, only
speak to the driver when the tram is stopped.
High floor trams have steps, so they are unsuitable for
wheelchairs or scooters.
Travelling with a valid ticket
To make your journey easier, you can purchase your
public transport ticket before you travel.
Melbourne is currently making the transition to a
smartcard ticketing system called myki. Once you have
your myki, simply top up, touch on and travel.
Where to buy your ticket
myki
• Online from myki.com.au
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• Phone 1800 800 007
• At staffed train stations
• The PTV Hub at the Melbourne Town Hall on the
corner of Swanston Street and Little Collins Street,
Melbourne
• PTV Hub/myki Centre at Southern Cross Station
• myki machines at most train stations, selected tram
stops and bus interchanges (top up only)
• Around 800 retail outlets, including all 7-Eleven stores,
where you can see the myki sign.
Metcard
• At staffed train stations
• From bus drivers
• Coin-only ticket machines on board trams
Metcard (paper tickets) will be withdrawn from sale in
late 2012.
Scooter and Wheelchair Travel Pass
The Scooter and Wheelchair Travel Pass has been
introduced to support independent travel for people
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who rely on scooters and wheelchairs. The pass gives
holders free travel throughout Victoria’s public
transport network.
The Scooter and Wheelchair Travel Pass is issued by the
PTV Pass Office and comes in the form of a myki
smartcard. For more details and the application form,
visit ptv.vic.gov.au, call 1800 800 007 or visit the PTV
Pass Office at Southern Cross Station.
Access Travel Pass
The Access Travel Pass is issued by the PTV Pass Office.
It is for people with a significant permanent disability
who travel independently on Victoria’s public transport
network and can demonstrate that due to their
disability they cannot use the ticketing system.
The Access Travel Pass entitles the cardholder to free
travel on Victoria’s public transport network and takes
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the form of a myki which bears the name and
photograph of the passholder. For details, visit
ptv.vic.gov.au, call 1800 800 007 or visit the PTV Pass
Office at Southern Cross Station.
Support services
For people who cannot travel independently on
Victoria’s public transport network, the following
support services may be of useful:
• Travellers Aid - Phone 9654 2600
- Flinders Street Station (8am to 8pm - Sunday to
Thursday, 8am to 10pm - Friday and Saturday)
- Southern Cross Station (7am to 10pm daily)
-Bourke Street (City Village)
• Red Cross Patient Transport Service – Phone
1800 246 850
• TTY facility (for people with a speech or hearing
impairment) Phone 9619 2727
The Assistance Animal Pass
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The Assistance Animal Pass has been developed to help
people with an ongoing disability (including issues
relating to ageing and psychiatric illness) who are unable
to use public transport without an assistance animal.
The pass is issued to people who can demonstrate that
their assistance animal alleviates the effects of their
disability.
For more information contact the PTV Pass Office on
9619 1159 or visit ptv.vic.gov.au
The following assistance animals do not require an
Assistance Animal Pass and can travel free on public
transport in Victoria:
 Guide dogs trained to help blind or visually
impaired people
 Guide dogs in training
 Hearing dogs trained to help deaf or hearing
impaired people.
Companion Card
People who require the assistance of a companion to
travel can apply to the Department of Planning and
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Community Development on 1800 650 611 for a
Companion Card.
It provides free travel for the carer/companion of the
cardholder on all public transport. A Companion Card
does not entitle the cardholder to concession or free
travel (passengers with accessibility difficulties may be
eligible to apply for free travel passes).
Please remember that you must carry your pass or proof
of your concession entitlement whenever using
Melbourne's public transport network.
At the tram stop
There are more than 1770 stops on the network. Each
stop displays a stop number as well as a unique
tramTRACKER® ID number.
You will find a timetable at every stop. Details of
planned service changes are posted at all affected stops
in the timetable display case.
The tram network has more than 350 level access stops,
many of which feature shelter, priority seating and
allocated spaces for wheelchairs.
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Approximately 150 stops have Passenger Information
Displays (PIDs) which show the predicted arrival time
and destination of the next services.
Some CBD platform stops have customer service staff to
assist passengers during peak periods.
Please remember to hail the tram you wish to board by
raising your hand to signal the driver.
Be sure you board the right tram by checking the route
number and destination display.
For safety and to enhance visibility, the doors on our
trams have been painted yellow. On low floor trams, a
warning tone sounds when the doors are about to close.
Passengers with a vision impairment
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Stops with Passenger Information Displays (PIDs) also
provide tram arrival information for vision impaired
passengers via an audio button.
In addition, platform stops have a tactile strip along
their length indicating the safe distance from the
platform edge.
Mind the gap
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Please be aware of the gap between the platform stop
and the tram. The gap can vary in size, due to the
specifications of some of the older platform stops, the
model of tram or even the number of passengers on
board the tram. The type of mobility aid you use makes
a big difference when navigating gaps. Wheelchairs and
scooters with larger wheels can cross larger gaps than
those with small wheels. You may wish to consider this
when selecting a mobility aid.
On board
Once you’re inside the tram, please take a seat or hold
on to one of the safety handles, a pole or the back of a
seat. It is important to hold on at all times, because
trams sometimes need to stop suddenly.
Priority areas – Look for bright orange
Yarra Trams is introducing bright orange fabric for
priority seats as pictured below. On low floor trams, a
bright orange floor marking will indicate the priority
area for wheelchairs, scooters and prams. This colour
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coding is being introduced following a successful trial in
2011.
Priority seats
All trams have priority seats near the driver for people
with special needs.
In low floor trams, step-free priority seating is also
provided inside the door marked with the wheelchair
symbol. From priority seats it is easy to validate your
ticket and reach the stop request button.
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If you are in a wheelchair or scooter please get on and
off low floor trams through the centre door marked with
the wheelchair and pram symbols. These trams have
one allocated space for passengers using mobility aids.
Low floor trams also make travel easier for people with
prams or luggage, but please do not block the aisles or
the doorways.
Low floor trams and mobility aids
Melbourne has three kinds of low floor trams:
• Citadis
• Combino
• Bumblebee
Citadis
Citadis trams have a four digit identification number
that starts with 30 (3001 – 3036). They have three
sections and operate mainly on routes 24, 48 and 109.
If you are using a wheelchair or scooter on a Citadis
tram, press the blue stop request button to alert the
driver that you need to get off at the next stop. The
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bridging plate should be extended to help minimise the
gap between the tram and the platform stop.
Combino
There are two models of Combino tram with either
three or five sections.
Those with three sections have a tram identification
number starting with 35 (3501 – 3538). The longer fivesection Combino trams have identification numbers
starting with 50 (5001 – 5021).
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Combino trams have doors that close automatically
after a set time. If you think you might need extra time,
press the blue button to alert the driver on approach to
your stop. This blue button, located between the
priority seats, gives you extra time to exit the tram
through the doors labelled with the blue wheelchair
symbol.
Bumblebee
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There are five distinctive bright yellow Bumblebee trams
operating on Route 96.
These trams have fixed bridging plates which minimise
the gap between the tram and platform stops.
Please press any stop request button to alert the driver
that you wish to get off at the next stop.
Need some help?
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If you are visually impaired, please tell the tram driver
your intended destination so they can announce when
the tram is approaching your stop.
In Melbourne’s Central Business District, the next stop is
generally announced by the driver. Some trams provide
automatic stop announcements.
Signage at stops, route maps and brochures will help
you know where you are along your journey.
Yarra Trams customer service staff including Authorised
Officers can provide you with assistance.
Customers with a vision impairment can request a large
font version of this guide from Yarra Trams Customer
Feedback on 1800 800 007 (6am - midnight daily). A
downloadable version of this guide and the companion
accessibility video are available online at
yarratrams.com.au
Support for accessibility groups
Yarra Trams works with accessibility groups and
rehabilitation hospitals to deliver small group training
and support sessions about using trams.
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Groups are held regularly at one of our eight tram
depots providing a safe and unhurried environment to
learn best use of the tram network for individual
accessibility needs.
Participants are able to practice boarding and alighting
different tram types, find where priority areas are
located and become familiar with the extra assistance
features available on board trams. The groups foster
confidence in using trams as part of everyday life.
Check with your accessibility support group or
rehabilitation provider if they are part of the program. If
you provide support or rehabilitation services and feel
these groups may benefit your clients, please contact
Yarra Trams Customer Feedback on 1800 800 007 (6am
to midnight daily).
Tips for parents with prams or strollers
 Ensure your baby or toddler is safely restrained in
the pram
Using trams with steps:
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 When lifting your pram up the steps, keep it as
level as possible
 If you are by yourself, ask your fellow passengers
for assistance
 When waiting at the tram stop, please keep your
pram behind the tactile strip or the safety line
 Before purchasing a pram or stroller, please
consider its width as some are too wide to fit
through tram doorways.
Safety recap
• At the tram stop, stand behind the safety line.
• Mind the gap between the tram and the platform stop
when getting on and off.
• If all priority seating is occupied, make your way to the
nearest available seat as quickly as possible.
• If you are not seated, hold on tight to a safety handle
or pole during your journey. Trams sometimes need to
brake suddenly to avoid a collision with a pedestrian or
motor vehicle.
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• When travelling in a wheelchair or scooter, apply the
brake or turn off your electrical device, position yourself
near the side grab rails and fasten your seatbelt.
• Take care when getting on and off the tram. Always
look for approaching motor vehicles and only step onto
the road when it is safe to do so.
• If you are unsteady on your feet, move sideways down
the steps and hold onto the handrail at all times.
• In the case of a disruption or emergency, please seek
assistance from a Yarra Trams employee.
Your journey continues
At platform stops, signage indicates the direction of
nearby bus stops and train stations to help you continue
your journey. All metropolitan trains are accessible with
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the assistance of the train driver who will deploy a
ramp. Many bus services operate with low floor buses.
For more information on connectivity across Melbourne,
use the PTV journey planner at ptv.vic.gov.au or call PTV
on 1800 800 007.
We value your feedback. If you have any queries,
suggestions or concerns, please call our feedback team
or use our online feedback form and we will
investigate and contact you with an outcome.
For Yarra Trams Customer Feedback and lost property,
phone 1800 800 007 (6am-midnight daily) or visit
yarratrams.com.au
For train, tram and bus information Call 1800 800 007
(6am-midnight daily) or visit ptv.vic.gov.au
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