Functionalities In order to describe the EU-Spirit service, the international information service of VBB in Berlin-Brandenburg based on „EU-Spirit“ is introduced here. VBB's travel information system provides: Stop search in Berlin and Brandenburg Addresses in the whole of Berlin and greater cities of Brandenburg Fare information for trips within the area covered by VBB Real time information on rail & bus lines Calculation of alternative routes in case of delays Barrier-free trip calculations and barrier-free information for individual needs Overview on routes for frequent travelers Possibility to store timetable on mobile phone Map presentation for the whole area Different languages (German, Englisch) All itineraries presented include the following information: departure time, arrival time, number of stop-overs, total travel time and, in a more detailed itinerary description, symbols for the vehicles, indication of lines, indication of final stop of each line and arrival and departure time of each interchange stop for the whole itinerary. By providing the EU-Spirit service, itineraries to all those regions that offer the information service can be calculated.
	Existing functionalities In the following, the different steps for an itinerary search in VBB's international service and additional functionalities available are described in detail.
	How to enter user request
	When entering the EU-Spirit network via the VBB home page (www.vbbonline.de) or the fahrinfo home page (www.vbb-fahrinfo.de), the system’s concept and the available functionalities are explained to the user.
	The user can select a region of departure and destination in order to either enter an address or a stop of departure and destination. The day and time of departure or arrival needs to be entered as well. Addresses are, however, an option which is not supported by every provider of the EU-Spirit service. When entering an address (street and house number), the system searches automatically for the ideal stations and generates ideal door-to-door itineraries.
	International itinerary request
	Itineraries are then displayed in the user’s well-known local travel information system. In the Berlin system, all possible itineraries are first displayed in a short format, indicating departure / arrival time, total travel time, and number of interchanges.
	Overview of international itineraries
	In a second step, the user can select single itineraries of which any other information needed is displayed, e.g. arrival and departure times at interchanges, information about transport mode (train, bus, tram, etc.) and line number, indication of foot paths, etc.
	Detailed international itinerary via long-distance trains
	Detailed international itinerary including a flight between different regions offering the EU-Spirit service
	Detailed international itinerary including worldwide flights
	Maps Simple stop and address information is not sufficient when searching for a place in an unkown area. Maps indicating the shortest footpath from the station to the destination or footpaths inside large stations are clearly a benefit for the customer. As an additional service, a map of the selected address can directly be generated by the local system in Berlin.
	VBB map service
	Real time information Real time information for bus and rail lines is also available for almost the whole region of Berlin and Brandenburg. Boards at a stop or station give a prognosis about next real time departures. The route planner considers current delays and offers alternative routes in the case a connection cannot be reached due to a delay.
	Overview of connections including delayed connections (yellow triangle), a delayed connection which might cause to miss the next connection (red triangle), and an alternative route (red arrow).
	Details of a delayed trip as well as an alternative connection including real time information
	Real time information at a station board including coloured clocks according to punctuality
	Barrier- free information services The travel planner VBB-fahrinfo offers the opportunity of barrier-free connections whereby bus and rail lines can be considered if the means of transport stops at a barrier-free station or stop.
	Overview of connections with barrier-free means of transport and use of barrier-free stations or stops
	Details of a barrier-free connection including paths, escalators and ramps on stations
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