Some EVC Questions?

[southjerseymom]

Thanks to some replies to a previous post I am going to try to rent an EVC for my 78yo Mom for our upcoming trip. We are staying at the Poly and will probably spend most of our time in Epcot and MK. Can you ride the EVC's on to the monorail?? My Mom is not disabled - just not capable of too much walking. If we take a bus she can get off the EVC - will the driver help get the EVC into the bus? Lastly, any tips or help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. My kids (3 and 5) are thrilled Mommom is coming with them and I want it to be a good trip for everybody.

 

[dj2]

glad to hear she's getting the ecv!!

yes you can ride right onto the monorail. going up the monorail ramp is not always easy, especially if it's packed with people. to "hold" my position when i couldn't move forward because of crowds, i sometimes had to "pump" the handle. otherwise i'd slip backwards. avoid crowds if possible. or just a thought, but if there's someone with quicker reflexes, you might want that person to drive the ecv on some occasions. ditto with driving onto a bus. most drivers are helpful, but i don't think they'll drive it on for you.
other thoughts--always take the key when you park it. bring a plastic cover in case it rains while you're away. rent from off site. remember to re-charge it each night.
have fun!
-dj

 

[videogal1]

[/QUOTE=southjerseymom]Can you ride the EVC's on to the monorail??

Yes, the attendants will drag a ramp to the car doorway to make driving onto the car easier and may even have you and your party alone in the car .

If we take a bus she can get off the EVC - will the driver help get the EVC into the bus?

Well, it is not too difficult to back the ECV onto the lift. The driver MAY assist or someone in your party could help direct the ECV. She can either transfer to a bus seat then or stay on the ECV.

[/QUOTE]

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't believe the bus drivers will physically drive the ECV to get it up the ramp or lift onto the bus and also will not drive it into place on the bus.
Someone else in your party can drive the ECV on if she wants.
I'd suggest some practice before leaving your resort. Have her get comfortable going firward and backward and also practice parallel parking. Doing that will help her feel more confident .

 

[ndelaware]

There are marked cars (seemed to be a lot of them) on the Monorail for wheel chair and ecv users and the attendants put down a ramp for you to enter the monorail. If there are none wheel chair folk in that particular car they often will ask them to move to another car or at least to the other side. The monorail attendants are great.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I don't believe the bus drivers will physically drive the ECV to get it up the ramp or lift onto the bus and also will not drive it into place on the bus.
Someone else in your party can drive the ECV on if she wants.
I'd suggest some practice before leaving your resort. Have her get comfortable going firward and backward and also practice parallel parking. Doing that will help her feel more confident .

There actually is at least one driver who will take over - unfortunately, despite riding his bus several times I never thought to get his name. He's in his 40s or 50s and has some type of mild accent (Spanish, maybe).
Once you're on his bus, he will ask you (me) to move to a seat, then he will steer the ECV into place and strap it in. Since I had him more than once, I'd have to say he was assigned to a Pop-to-a-park route. Okay, maybe Animal Kingdom, since I went there three different times.
At any rate, once the OP's mom is on the bus and seated, the OP could steer the ECV into position either by riding it or just using the throttle and parallel parking.