School rides in Berlin: getting to school and back safely
PrimaFahrten plans school rides for children and young people with different mobility needs. Individual and group rides, wheelchairs, rehabilitation buggies, suitable child seats and a dependable handover are agreed in advance. For children of daycare age, there is our daycare rides page; school and work rides gives an overview of all regular journeys.
Your ride profile
- Journey type
- regular or individual · outbound and return journey
- Handover
- a responsible person agreed in advance
- Mobility aids
- wheelchair, rehabilitation buggy and seat shell as agreed
- Planning
- journey details, school and pickup times agreed in advance
How we plan the journey
- Parents or the facility send journey details, times and mobility information – for regular rides, preferably by email.
- We agree pickup, destination, handover person and mobility aids.
- Where needed, we prepare a cost estimate for the responsible procedure.
- Once confirmed, the ride is added to route planning.
What we need before the journey
- Start and destination
- home address, school and, where possible, the right entrance
- Times
- pickup, start of lessons and return journey
- Support
- child seat, seat shell, wheelchair or rehabilitation buggy
- Handover
- name and contact details of the responsible person
- School days
- school days, expected end of lessons and the requested handover point
Arriving safely and handing over properly
For children’s rides, we agree in advance who hands the child over at pickup and who receives them at the destination. Specific supervision or handover duties are agreed individually and are not promised across the board. We agree any necessary authorisations or handover arrangements with the parents and the responsible institution.
Children may also travel without a parent. Parents can bring the child seat, or PrimaFahrten supplies one as long as child seats are available. A familiar driver can be considered where scheduling allows; we cannot promise one.
School days, holidays and timetable changes
Tell us who the organisational contact is and how days without lessons or timetable changes are passed on. Please report changes to days, times or pickup points as early as possible; they count as confirmed only after coordination. Holidays and days off belong in the coordination early on.
Costs and application
Depending on the case, school transport may be organised through the school office (Schulamt), the district office (Bezirksamt) or another responsible cost carrier. In Berlin, the school office usually pays for school journeys, not integration assistance.
In many districts the application goes through the school to the school office; the procedure may differ by district. There is no legal entitlement to transport. Which documents or offers are required depends on the specific procedure.
Where needed, we prepare a cost estimate and help compile the journey details. The decision always lies with the responsible cost carrier. More in our guide Integration assistance and rides and on Who pays for the ride?.
How can the journey be paid for?
- Cost carrier
- Depending on the individual case and approval, a cost carrier may be responsible.
- Self-payment
- Individual cost estimate before the journey is confirmed.
- Billing
- We clarify the suitable billing route and the documents needed beforehand.
Send us the key details of your journey. We will review the individual arrangement and get back to you with the next steps.
Request a ride
Frequently asked questions
Who applies for school transport?
In many districts the application goes through the school to the school office; the procedure may differ by district. Parents and school clarify this beforehand. We help compile the journey details; the school office makes the decision.
Who takes over my child at school?
We agree this together beforehand: the name and contact details of the responsible person at the start and at the destination are part of the request. Supervision duties are agreed individually and are not promised across the board.
Can class trips be driven too?
Yes, PrimaFahrten coordinates group rides for schools, among others. Depending on the vehicle configuration, up to six wheelchair places are possible in one vehicle; for larger groups, several vehicles can be coordinated. Details are on group wheelchair rides.
Can a parent travel along?
Give the companion in the request. Accompanying people can travel at no additional cost, as long as seats are available in the vehicle. Whether they can join is clarified for the specific ride. Children may also travel without a parent.
Official information
Information on the procedure is available from Berlin.de under Special educational support and School transport (Treptow-Köpenick district office) (both in German).