Lots more scooters riding the buses now

[dakotix]

Hmm I used to complain about the ECV people...until I went on a trip with my mom who broke her foot a week before our trip and needed one. It's not an ideal situation but a little compassion goes a long way. Stewing over the "un-fairness" of how Disney MUST accommodate ECVs for both safety and legal reasons is only making your own experience suck. Approach the "inconvenience" with a bit of compassion and you'll find its really not a big deal. Believe me, my mom would have much rather have been on her feet rather than trying to drive one of those things onto a bus and then navigate through a crowded park.

 

[sam_gordon]

I think 39 may be an outlier. You ever see 39 board with a guest using a ECV? I haven’t. But I really haven’t stood around and counted.

I intentionally went with an extreme number to prove my point (that there should be a limit).

 

[snappy]

I read one example here on The DIS about a driver saying something like, "It's my bus and I decide how to load it." And (maybe the same driver and thread maybe different ones) the driver calling out for other family members to accompany the person just tied down with the scooter.l

But what if the driver did nothing special? Some time I suggested on another forum, a thread discussing assaults on drivers, that "The driver should accept fares as opposed to collect fares." The same idea, the driver should not force any issues.

What would then happen here at a Disney bus platform. Would a free for all happen at the bus door? (Don't you all chime in in the next 60 seconds, perhaps ending up with as many different replies as there were different responders.)

I have not yet observed a situation on another transit system (and I use public transit a lot) where an issue arose regarding family members and scooters.


Isn't a driver supposed to make that call if he leaves guests behind? It can be done discreetly without confronting guests.

Not aware of the bolded. I am glad to hear it

 

[kaytieeldr]

Not aware of the bolded. I am glad to hear it

It was a question to which that poster does not have a definitive answer (which is why it was stated as a question.) Correct response would come directly from Guest Communications, and should not be considered fact until then.

 

[charmed59]

The last time I rode a Disney bus we were leaving EPCOT at closing, heading toward AKL. The line was long, and I was in line through two buses before I got to somewhere I thought I might get on the bus, but there were no buses to be found. Looking around the bus depot there were no people waiting for other resorts, yet we still had a line.

Finally we see a bus coming, just as a large group with two ECVs pulls up. At this point it is 20 to 30 minutes after the park closed, so I’m guessing they were waiting somewhere out of the way inside so they didn’t have to deal with crowds and driving. They take up half the bus and we didn’t make it. I’m okay with that, as I figure they were waiting somewhere, just not in the line. Similar to the DAS. Ironically, there were people that probably had DAS passes behind me in line, but the passes don’t work for transportation. Yes, their charges were in complete meltdown mode.

We waited another 20 minutes for a bus, and made it with another group on ECVs. There was at least a bus worth of people left behind. This was at least 40 minutes after the park closed. I don’t blame that on the ECVs, but on Disney for not getting enough buses there.

Now we either stay where we can walk, drive, or most often head elsewhere for vacation instead while we are still healthy enough to do so.

 

[snappy]

We started doing split stays at BWV, BCV, and swan/dolphin or Poly and now we can walk or do a short drive in either our car or a rental to any park. We always drive to AK.
It’s improved our experience.

 

[seashoreCM]

(snip) but there were no buses to be found. Looking around the bus depot there were no people waiting for other resorts, yet we still had a line.

We waited another 20 minutes for a bus, and [finally] made it (snip) There was at least a bus worth of people left behind. This was at least 40 minutes ...

I think this is worth writing home about, er, writing or stopping by Guest Relations about.

I would have thought they fixed this problem eons, or at least decades, ago.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I think this is worth writing home about, er, writing or stopping by Guest Relations about.

I would have thought they fixed this problem eons, or at least decades, ago.

Definitely. I know that I have spoken to Cast Members about buses, and they have called for another bus.

It doesn't have to be the driver. Others can do it.

 

[TinyTim2]

A couple of things. Each new bus cost between $400 and $500 thousand. You don't buy more then you realistically need. You go by historical numbers as to what you need. As for Dot saying bus must be empty when loading a ecv or a chair there is none that I'm aware of ( going on over 30 years experience here). Whoever speced out the new buses with the ramp in the backdoor and a bigger backdoor had a good idea. As for making ecv riders transfer to a seat that is a Disney rule.

 

[Oliviaxxx]

A couple of things. Each new bus cost between $400 and $500 thousand. You don't buy more then you realistically need. You go by historical numbers as to what you need. As for Dot saying bus must be empty when loading a ecv or a chair there is none that I'm aware of ( going on over 30 years experience here). Whoever speced out the new buses with the ramp in the backdoor and a bigger backdoor had a good idea. As for making ecv riders transfer to a seat that is a Disney rule.

The bus does not need to be completely empty but the front half needs to be relatively empty and obviously, there can be no people standing in that middle area where the ECV goes. In Disney my mother needs help parking her ECV. It's a very tight turn and you need to get it just right. Therefore the bus driver stands in front of the ECV to steer it. They do this countless times a day and many times the driver needs to direct the scooter halfway up the middle aisle of the bus. This would be literally impossible if all the seats were full and all those legs in the way. Maybe a very experienced ECV driver could get it just right but the majority can't. The people sitting in the front don't want an ECV to roll over their foot or hit their shin.

 

[TinyTim2]

The bus does not need to be completely empty but the front half needs to be relatively empty and obviously, there can be no people standing in that middle area where the ECV goes. In Disney my mother needs help parking her ECV. It's a very tight turn and you need to get it just right. Therefore the bus driver stands in front of the ECV to steer it. They do this countless times a day and many times the driver needs to direct the scooter halfway up the middle aisle of the bus. This would be literally impossible if all the seats were full and all those legs in the way. Maybe a very experienced ECV driver could get it just right but the majority can't. The people sitting in the front don't want an ECV to roll over their foot or hit their shin.

Sorry but it happens all the time on buses where in the middle of a route a ecv or wheelchair needs to get on or off. People have to give up seats and move.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Sorry but it happens all the time on buses where in the middle of a route a ecv or wheelchair needs to get on or off. People have to give up seats and move.

Yes, and if it has enough people so the scooter can't safely be parked, the driver tells the scooter rider to wait for the next bus. It happens all the time, especially when the stop is in the middle of the route.

I'm always surprised at the people that can't look up from their phones long enough to realize that they need to pull their legs in so they aren't hit.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

I'm always surprised at the people that can't look up from their phones long enough to realize that they need to pull their legs in so they aren't hit.

Oh that’s nothing. What kills me as a scooter user is the people who will sit there and stare at you until you have to tell them, “If you don’t want to be hit you need to move.” All the time.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Oh that’s nothing. What kills me as a scooter user is the people who will sit there and stare at you until you have to tell them, “If you don’t want to be hit you need to move.” All the time.

I've looked at people and said, "I'm pretty experienced at this, but if I were you, I'd pull in my feet. But it is up to you." And I start driving.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Been here 5 days ( pofq) using app for bus times resort to parks, parks to resort. We had one slight delay to park but it’s been great service. We’ve had 2 scooters at once, twice, no issues as well.
Yet there are other things that need some tweaking imho, will post when I return.

 

[Wild4Walt]

We were there in September and there were scooters and wheelchairs on every bus we took from AKL. So I think it may fluctuate depending on time of year and resort.

That said though, it did take longer but they are a necessity for many and their vacation shouldn't be hampered either.

I actually had the thought that Disney should integrated double decker buses on property. Lower level for scooters and wheelchairs and upper level for those who can manage stairs. It would allow for more people to be loaded onto the buses overall. It's a long term solution ( as they wouldn't want to buy a while fleet of new buses ) but it seems like there could be a test market for it.

 

[maxiesmom]

We were there in September and there were scooters and wheelchairs on every bus we took from AKL. So I think it may fluctuate depending on time of year and resort.

That said though, it did take longer but they are a necessity for many and their vacation shouldn't be hampered either.

I actually had the thought that Disney should integrated double decker buses on property. Lower level for scooters and wheelchairs and upper level for those who can manage stairs. It would allow for more people to be loaded onto the buses overall. It's a long term solution ( as they wouldn't want to buy a while fleet of new buses ) but it seems like there could be a test market for it.

They have added some of those extra long buses. But I'm not sure how much they use them. I was on one once, and it was a little strange.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

We were there in September and there were scooters and wheelchairs on every bus we took from AKL. So I think it may fluctuate depending on time of year and resort.

That said though, it did take longer but they are a necessity for many and their vacation shouldn't be hampered either.

I actually had the thought that Disney should integrated double decker buses on property. Lower level for scooters and wheelchairs and upper level for those who can manage stairs. It would allow for more people to be loaded onto the buses overall. It's a long term solution ( as they wouldn't want to buy a while fleet of new buses ) but it seems like there could be a test market for it.

You may have seen us.

One walking, one riding.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I actually had the thought that Disney should integrated double decker buses on property.

Probably too many clearance issues.

 

[sam_gordon]

Probably too many clearance issues.

Nothing that couldn't be worked out I would think. I like the idea.