FAQ - Frequently asked questions about fips
General questions
Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (rnv) is supplementing the existing public transport services in Mannheim and Heidelberg with the flexible individual passenger shuttle (fips). Fips improves connections within the city districts as well as to the districts on the outskirts of the city. The electric vehicles serve as a convenient addition to the rnv bus and tram lines, for example for journeys from the bus stop to near home or as a direct connection on shorter routes in the neighbourhood. The journey requests of several passengers with similar routes or destinations are intelligently bundled. Simply download the app, register, book fips and arrive.
fips does not have a fixed timetable, but offers the option of flexibly booking a journey between virtual and/or existing stops within selected urban areas. Virtual stops are points at which the shuttles stop briefly to board or alight. The network of virtual stops is so tightly meshed that there is usually less than 150 metres between you and the pick-up point. The aim of the service is to bundle the journey requests of several passengers with similar routes or destinations, although a certain diversions may be required.
Where does fips travel? When does fips travel?
fips serves the areas of Blumenau, Feudenheim, Franklin, Gartenstadt, Käfertal, Luzenberg, Sandhofen, Scharhof, Schönau, Straßenheim, Taylor, Vogelstang, Waldhof and Wallstadt in the north of Mannheim from 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, it operates from 8 a.m. to midnight.
In the south of Mannheim, fips serves Neckarau Süd, Neckarau east of the railway, the Strandbad and the SAP Arena S-Bahn station from 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. It also serves Casterfeld, Pfingstberg and MA Seckenheim S-Bahn station Monday to Saturday from 8 p.m. to midnight and on Sundays and public holidays from 8 a.m. to midnight.
In addition, fips is also on the road in Seckenheim in the evening hours from 8 p.m. to midnight.
In the Heidelberg service areas of Ziegelhausen/Schlierbach and Rohrbach, fips is available daily from 5 a.m. to 1.15 a.m. the following day. From 8 p.m. and at weekends, the Altstadt S-Bahn station is also served by the Schlierbach/Ziegelhausen service area.
In Mannheim, fips operates as a supplement to line 58 from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. and between 6 p.m. and midnight on the route of line 58 between Luzenberg and the Ölhafen industrial estate if required. Friesenheimer Insel can therefore be reached from Luzenberg continuously until midnight. Boarding and alighting is only possible at the regular stops on line 58 between Luzenberg and the Ölhafen industrial estate. Bookings for "fips on line 58" can be made as usual via the fips app. After entering the relevant start and destination stops, the "fips on line 58" service can be selected in the app. There is no fare surcharge for these journeys. A regular ticket is therefore sufficient to use the service. As with fips, tickets are not sold in the vehicle.
Stops served by "fips on line 58": Luzenberg, Diffenébrücke, Bastion, Weidenwörth, Einsteinstr., Max-Born-Str., HKW Nord, Werner-Heisenberg-Str., Muskatormühle, Öllager, Ölhafen, Ölhafenstr., Max-Planck-Str., BASF Friesenheimer Insel.
Booking
You need to register once to use fips. Booking is then easy and convenient via the fips app. There you can enter the departure and destination locations as well as the desired departure time, number of passengers, tickets and accessibility.
Passengers who do not use a smartphone can also book fips by telephone on 0621/465-4444 after registering in advance at an rnv mobility centre. This is possible around the clock. Further information can also be found in the chapter "People without access to a smartphone".
You can store your own default values for passenger enquiries in your fips profile. To do this, open the "Profil" (Profile) item in the app. Select "Einstellungen" (Settings) and then "Standardeinstellungen Fahrten" (Default settings for journeys) and finally "Fahrgäste" (Passengers). Now specify how many passengers with which ticket should be included in your journey requests by default. These settings are then automatically preselected for the next journey request.
Yes, that is not a problem. Please note, however, that the person travelling with you must have the ticket specified at the time of booking. Otherwise the driver will not be allowed to take the person with them. If there are any queries from the driver when boarding, they can simply state the name of the person who made the booking for them.
Yes, you can change or cancel your booking at any time before starting your journey. To do this, open the fips app, select your planned journey and then click on "Cancel journey". If you book by phone, please remember to cancel by phone as well (see section "People without access to a smartphone").
You need a valid VRN ticket to travel with fips. If you do not yet have a travelcard or another ticket, you can buy a ticket at the VRN airline fare (eTarif) in the fips app.
In addition, there is a surcharge of 1 euro per journey in Mannheim if you have a valid VRN season ticket (annual or half-year ticket), or 2 euros if you use another VRN ticket. Please indicate in your profile which VRN ticket you use. There is no surcharge for children under the age of six and for people with a disabled person's pass and corresponding token.
To travel with fips in Heidelberg, you only need a valid VRN ticket and do not pay any additional surcharge. Passengers who do not yet have a ticket can also book their ticket with fips directly via the app. In this case, the VRN airline fare will be charged for the journey.
With a demand-based system, due to the fixed number of vehicles and seats, it is possible that at certain times with high demand, a journey request cannot be provided within the defined service criteria. Your request will then be rejected. You can submit your request again at a later time.
Yes, it is possible to change the departure time within certain limits, as the route of the shuttle may change slightly due to new bookings. The arrival time can always be called up in the app, and the current position of the booked vehicle is also visible on the map from around ten minutes before pick-up.
Riding with fips
fips stops at so-called virtual stops. These are only visible in the app. When you book a journey, the pick-up point is displayed on a map in the app, as well as footpath navigation from your location to the pick-up point.
When you book, you will be assigned a fips vehicle and you can see the licence plate and vehicle number of your vehicle in the app. The vehicle number is clearly visible on the outside of the vehicle. Please be punctual at the pick-up point at the specified time, as the fips vehicles can wait for you only in rare cases.
Check the map view in the app again to see whether your current location matches the specified pick-up point. The pick-up points are defined exactly on one side of the road and in the direction of travel. The app also provides footpath navigation to the pick-up point. Check the specified and possibly updated arrival time of your vehicle. You can also track your vehicle live on the map from around ten minutes before collection.
The fips driver can contact you by telephone via a call function if you cannot be found at the pick-up location. Please understand that we cannot do this for every pick-up, but only if the traffic situation and current capacity utilisation allow it. If you do need longer than expected, you can also cancel your journey in the app.
Yes, as in cars, seat belts are compulsory in fips vehicles.
Hand luggage may be carried and stowed in the passenger compartment if it does not jeopardise the safety and order of the operation and does not endanger or inconvenience other passengers. Larger items of luggage may be carried in the luggage compartment depending on their size, weight and the space available in the vehicle. There is no entitlement to carriage. The fips driver always decides on the spot whether the items are to be accepted for carriage and where they are to be stored.
Small animals may be taken on board in suitable transport boxes in accordance with the rules for luggage. As with luggage, the safety and order of the operation must not be jeopardised and other passengers must not be endangered or inconvenienced. There is no entitlement to carriage. The fips driver always decides on the spot whether the animals are authorised for carriage and where they are to be accommodated.
The carriage of dogs that cannot be accommodated and transported in a transportable crate (see Carriage of small animals) is not permitted.
Guide dogs in accordance with SGB IX are always permitted, please select "Guide and assistance dog" under journey options when booking.
Not necessarily. The aim of fips is to bundle the journey requests of several passengers with similar routes and destinations, whereby the individual may be expected to make a certain diversions. Passengers who want to be at their destination at a certain time can use the "Arrival at" option to book for a specific arrival time.
Accessibility at fips
When booking a journey, you can select various accessibility options. If you have any suggestions for improvement or comments on the subject of accessibility, please feel free to contact us via one of the known channels or by email at fips(at)rnv-online.de.
Your children can of course travel with you. In contrast to the bus, child seats are compulsory on the fips for children up to the age of twelve who are smaller than 150 cm. We have child seats on board for children aged 9 months and over. The following options are available under accessibility:
- "Child seat (1 to 4 years)": For children from 9 to 18 kg.
- "Child seat (from 4 years)": For children from approx. 3.5 years or from 15 to 36 kg
- "Pushchair": If you have a pushchair with you, you can also select this option. The fips drivers will then be happy to help you stow the pushchair.
In addition, booster seats are available in all vehicles. These are intended for children from a height of 125 cm and a weight of at least 22 kg.
If you select the "Assistance boarding" option, fips drivers will assist people with reduced mobility with boarding and alighting and, if necessary, with stowing a walking aid or similar. Please note that it must be possible to get on and off the bus independently, as our drivers cannot carry passengers out.
Persons with a severely disabled person's pass. A disability with a degree of disability (GdB) of 50 or more is considered severely disabled and a pass is issued, which is valid as a ticket in combination with a token; in the case of a registered companion, this also applies to them.
Blind people and people with visual impairments can select the "Assistance with boarding" option to receive help from fips drivers in finding the vehicle and getting on and off. If you select the "Guide and assistance dog" option, you can book a guide dog to travel with you.
For people who cannot use a smartphone, a one-off written registration is required before the telephone booking can be used. When registering, all relevant details must be provided, including bank details or a SEPA direct debit authorisation. You can register at one of our mobility centres.
Please note that the functionality of telephone bookings is limited compared to using the fips app. The staff at the mobility centre will be happy to help you go through all the necessary steps for registration and telephone booking.
Converted vehicles are available for people in wheelchairs. The "Wheelchair" option can be activated in the "Journey options" filter. A suitable vehicle is automatically assigned to your booking. The fips drivers provide assistance with boarding and alighting. People who have a folding wheelchair and can sit independently on a seat in the vehicle can also use the "Assistance with boarding" option.
- Height: Interior 144 cm
- Width: ramp 77 cm
- Length in the vehicle while travelling: 140 cm
- Inclination:
- Interior approx. 5°
- Ramp approx. 9°
- Max. weight (wheelchair + person): 350 kg
In total, no more than 350 kilograms can be transported. Due to their length, electric scooters are generally excluded from carriage. Furthermore, not all wheelchairs can be transported. This includes wheelchairs with bulky attachments, such as operating aids or detachable motorised supports. To date, the latter cannot be transported securely.