(Hübscher bärtiger Mann not included)
Travel made eas(ier) with the RMV app
I have a total mental block around calculating transit time. I know it takes seven minutes to walk from my front door to the nearest Straßenbahnhaltestelle. No matter how many times I’ve had to run the last two blocks, I never remember to also factor in the time it takes to put on my jacket, find my keys, lock the door, and make it down three flights of stairs, let alone navigate the RMV vending machine to get my ticket before the train departs.
I don’t ride often enough to merit getting a monthly pass, and waiting for the next train at an outdoor Gleis in this beautiful but freezing weather is not an attractive option.
But I’ve also heard stories of the mortifying experience of being caught Schwarzfahren, and the €60 fine doesn’t factor in well to my budget.
So I was pleased to find that with the RMV app on my Handy I could buy my single use ticket while I’m still connected to WiFi at home or, more realistically, en route to my Haltestelle. (Just as with paper tickets purchased from the vending machine, RMV says single tickets are only for “immediate use”. They don’t clarify about situations that I could imagine, like, I buy a ticket fully intending to board immediately, but then let three trains pass because there’s a cute dog that’s letting me rub his belly, and all of a sudden it’s 30 minutes since I bought my ticket. As far as I’m concerned that still counts as “immediate use”. With that logic, buying my ticket on my 7-minute walk falls well within the “immediate” time frame.)
Download the RMV app.
There is an option to charge your ticket purchase to your prepaid phone card or mobile phone bill, but this incurs additional charges, so I didn’t investigate that route. Otherwise, you create an account and sign up for RMV-HandyTicket, then connect your MasterCard/Visa for payment purposes. Once you buy a ticket, it’s stored on your phone’s memory, which means you don’t have to be connected to the web to open the app and show your ticket on the train.
During a ticket inspection, you can easily click into the app and pull up the most recent ticket. The inspector asked me to swipe across the screen, which prompted a dynamic movement on the ticket, probably proving it’s not a screenshot.
The App is available in English, though one crucial page doesn’t have the options translated:
Chances are quite high that you will always want Ohne Umweg (direct, or literally, “without detour”). I’m not really clear why the airport and the spa town are common detours.
The site aggregates your purchases and then charges your card once per month (or when you reach €50, whichever comes first).
You can access prior tickets to quickly buy a ticket for the same route, you can create favorite stations and favorite routes for quick searching, you can even personalize your search settings for details on the distance and time by foot or bike to and from the stations.
Last but not least, a little surprise (I love surprises!) is the Smiles Bonusprogramm (I love bonuses!). With every ride you book you accrue Smile Points, which you can then redeem for Gutscheine to local restaurants and attractions. I already redeemed my 500-Smiles Gutschein at Dynochrom Boulderhalle. Next up? Ein Schnupperkurs in Bogenschießen.
Maria am Main 