Cemetery cab: For more accessibility at the New Cemetery
As the gravesites at the New Cemetery are spread over a total area of more than 12 hectares, getting to the grave can be a major effort for many people. To make it easier to cover the distances, Stadtservice and Starthaus are now using special electric vehicles for transportation.
Two electric vehicles are available as shuttles
Flowers or garden tools can also be transported on request. Up to three people can use it to cover longer distances without physical exertion. "Visitors to the cemetery have repeatedly expressed a desire for assistance. We are therefore delighted to be able to provide assistance as part of our cooperation with startHAUS," says cemetery manager Gabriele Schreiber, describing the new service. "At cemeteries in particular, it is important to us that visitors can find services that help them in times of grief and farewell. We have been working continuously for years to make Offenbach's cemeteries as visitor-friendly as possible. The new offer is a further step in this direction," adds Mayor Peter Schneider.
The cemetery cab and driver are waiting in the entrance area of the New Cemetery to take visitors to the desired locations on the cemetery grounds. To ensure reliable operation, ESO Eigenbetrieb has financed two vehicles. If one vehicle breaks down, the reserve can be used. This also allows the company to react quickly in the event of large numbers of visitors.
Participants in the "JugendWork" project drive the cab
The cab is driven by young participants in the startHAUS "JugendWork" project. "The project is one of several startHAUS initiatives in Offenbach and helps unemployed people between the ages of 18 and 25 to integrate into the labor market through qualification and work measures. First of all, the young people's skills are assessed so that they can then be given career guidance in the form of suitable internships," explains Andrea Egerer, Managing Director of startHAUS GmbH.
The collaboration between ESO and startHAUS has already borne fruit in recent years. In 2010, for example, young people painstakingly decorated water basins and parts of the mourning hall at the New Cemetery with colorful ceramic paintings. On behalf of the ESO cemetery administration, the once grey concrete structures were transformed into colorful eye-catchers.