1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Cars and TransportationGermany

When elevators fail: How broken lifts affect my journey

03:34

This browser does not support the video element.

Joseph Wright
July 15, 2026

For wheelchair users like Lotte, every trip on public transport begins with uncertainty: Will the lift work? By offering real-time info on defective elevators, the project BrokenLifts helps her get around Berlin easier.

Berlin's public transport system is extensive but not always easy for those with mobility issues to navigate. BrokenLifts helps by posting real-time info on kaputt elevators. Lotte, a 14-year-old girl who uses a wheelchair, introduces us to the project and the people behind it. They work for Sozialhelden or 'social heroes', a German NGO promoting social justice. We accompany Lotte as she travels around Berlin on public transport. Even just getting from the subway platform up to the street level can take be a minutes-long odyssey — and that's when all the elevators are working. But what happens when they aren't? Lotte and other wheelchair users check the info provided by BrokenLifts before setting out, because a broken lift can change their whole journey.

Skip next section DW's Top Story

DW's Top Story

Skip next section More stories from DW

More stories from DW