PhD Handbook

27 bank, Comdirect, Berliner Bank, Postbank, Hypovereinsbank, Norisbank, DAB bank, Bankhaus Neelmayer) are allowed to pick up money for free from the partner banks. Consider which bank has ATMs that are close to where you live and where you often visit (or even in your home country) as well as the account benefits like fee-free withdrawals, as cash is still commonly used in restaurants and some shops - sometimes EC cards are not accepted. Credit card regulations may be different to those in your home country. Some credit cards will automatically deduct the balance from your current account at the end of each month and any overdraft charges will come from your current account rather than accruing interest. If you lose your EC card or your credit card, you can report it as stolen and can freeze the card by ringing a hotline provided by your bank at any time of day or night. 116 116 is a nation- wide blocking hotline. You should report the loss as soon as possible not to be liable for misuse, and in case of crime also state the loss to the police. 5.9 EMERGENCY NUMBERS • Police: 110 • Fire / Rescue Service / Emergency Services: 112 • Medical Emergency Service: 116 117 • Children and Youth hotline: 0800 1 11 03 33 5.10 TRANSPORT AND TRAVEL Bicycle Whether you buy a bicycle or rent it for a day, most cities are equipped with very good bike paths systems and many people pick the bike as their only means of transportation. Although Germans love rules, it seems as if the traffic rules are not well-known by bikers (and the car drivers that have to deal with them). Therefore, especially when you are not used to biking, ride carefully and be aware of police controls for bikers. Public transport system The public transport system in Germany is very well develo- ped and makes owning a car often unnecessary, especially in the cities. Most places are reachable with the local public transport ser- vices (“Nahverkehr”) for which you can usually buy monthly or yearly tickets, as well as single rides and daily tickets. Often the semester tickets you get from University serve as bus pass and are sometimes valid for very large distances. Smaller towns usually are equipped with buses, while in larger cities offer busses, trams, ferries and underground systems. Towns are usually connected by city trains. The local public transport providers are private companies and therefore the service quality can be very different, but is usually relatively high and trains run on time. There are special offers for tickets which allow you to use the complete “Nahverkehr” of a federal state or Germany-wide (single or group) for one day (check www.db.de “Wochenendticket” or “Länderticket”). Timetable information is in many cases available online and predicts easiest connections either by stops or by address. Trains The train company (“Deutsche Bahn”) is one of the companies that raise negative emotions in German people, because they are not always punctual and quite expensive. Anyway, trains are a very convenient way to travel through Germany/Europe and you avoid being stuck in a traffic jam. It is worth, though, by your bank at any time of day or night. 116116 is a nation- • Medical Emergency Service: 116117 • Children and Youth hotline: 08001110333

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