Strollers in buses

[goofy4tink]

Ok....I saw the most interesting thing last week. We were at MK, waiting for our bus back to our resort. I watched as a woman pushed a stroller, child in it, off the bus. I forget how we started chatting about it, but the driver told me that you can request a 'red tag' for the stroller that says it is being used as a wheelchair. Then, the child can stay in it on the bus. The driver wasn't happy about it.....said its really hard to secure a stroller safely, but Disney allows it. She really hopes that Disney changes that ruling. She said it makes for very unsafe rides for everyone.
I was really surprised. I had never seen that before. Thus was a regular stroller, nothing special about it, other than it being fairly large. I've seen many if the act same model in the parks.
Now, perhaps the youngster had some issue. It wasn't easily apparent, but that doesn't mean much. Child looked pretty healthy to us.
Have any of you seen this before?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Anxious to get joelkfl's take. As far as I know, that tag is for use in the parks.

 

[Dacky619]

Yeah I thought that was just for in the parks as well. I can't imagine even our adaptive stroller being secured properly on a bus and us being comfortable with it.

 

[minnie mum]

If the mother was able to get a stroller as w/c tag, then the child definitely had an "issue", whether it was apparent to you or not. There are many people with debilitating issues who look completely normal to a stranger. But I've never seen them on a bus before. Learn something new every day.

 

[Gracie09]

stroller as a wheelchair is only for use in the park. It could have been a transit stroller (would have a beefed up frame and tie down spots) a normal stroller is not safe open on a moving vehicle. The frame is not made to withstand the force of a crash. The bus driver could have ( and for the safety of everyone aboard should have) refused to transport her with the stroller open.

 

[SirDuff]

There is a "stroller as a wheelchair" tag. However, this comes up on the DISabilites forum and the people there are very clear that the card is not valid on busses - unless it is actually a wheelchair (or a special needs stroller with tie-down spots - not sure they exist or not), then it is supposed to be followed up on the buses, just like all strollers.

 

[BigAlsGal]

A moderator needs to go ahead and lock this thread....oh wait....

 

[SirDuff]

A moderator needs to go ahead and lock this thread....oh wait....

Why?

 

[goofy4tink]

Yes, I completely understand that this young person could have 'looked' healthy yet had a debilitating condition. My issue is the safety while on that bus. As someone already said, strollers aren't built for being 'tied down'. If, and I realize it's a big if, a person has a truly debilitating disease, I would think they would be using a more stable form of transportation, not an every day stroller. And this was, in fact, an everyday stroller. I've seen them everywhere.
If you can not adequately secure something, I'm not sure it should be allowed to be used as something that can be secured! This was the drivers issue. He said that if they had that red tag, it could be used as a 'wheelchair'. And that he hoped Disney would change that.

 

[goofy4tink]

There is a "stroller as a wheelchair" tag. However, this comes up on the DISabilites forum and the people there are very clear that the card is not valid on busses - unless it is actually a wheelchair (or a special needs stroller with tie-down spots - not sure they exist or not), then it is supposed to be followed up on the buses, just like all strollers.

I know the driver said he tried telling the mother she couldn't do it. But, she insisted it was a 'wheelchair' and she had the 'tag'to prove it. The driver did say that if there had been an accident or such, he could lose his license. So, I'm going to have to wonder if the driver should have just out and out refused the mother's request.

 

[lanejudy]

To my knowledge stroller-as-wheelchair tag is only valid in the parks. Most strollers -- and definitely the average baby stroller -- are not built or intended to be tied-down on moving transportation. The frames are not strong enough, could be bent, and in addition to damaging the stroller could result in injury to the passenger. There are some (few) special needs "strollers" that are designed to be used in such manner. Most look more "wheelchair-like" but there are Convaid and Ottobock models that might be confused with a more traditional stroller.

I have heard parents argue that a "stroller-as-wheelchair" should be allowed on the bus in the same manner as a wheelchair. These parents are unfortunately not informed in mobility devices and are putting their child's safety in jeopardy. The bus drivers will typically refuse. I don't know why this bus driver relented and allowed the tie-down. But again, there are a few special needs strollers properly designed for such use and fitted with tie-down spots so it's possible this was the case witnessed.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[SueM in MN]

The rules did not change.
In fact, I emailed Disney Special Needs asking about just this subject 2 weeks ago because someone posted that she used her regular stroller on the bus (!tied down with the tie down straps!). She said she had a red 'stroller as wheelchair' tag and was encouraging anyone with one to have their regular stroller tied down.

The response I got from Disney is that:
- the stroller as wheelchair tag is for theme park attractions only, not restaurants or any transportation
- strollers are not allowed to be unfolded on the bus (that is Federal law)
- strollers are not allowed to be tied down unless they are special needs strollers designed for transport
- bus drivers sometimes do get pressured by guests' demands into doing inappropriate things (like allowing an unfolded stroller on the bus)

We also were just at WDW and were on several buses with trainers orienting new drivers to the wheelchair tiedowns.
I found out that drivers caught doing things inappropriately would be re-educated and could be disciplined of found repeatedly doing inappropriate things. In an accident, a driver could loose their license.

This was what I posted in the place where the person posted her report and a picture of her regular stroller tied down on the bus:
If it's a regular stroller, it is not safe to tie it down on the buses. The regular stroller is not designed for that. They are designed to be light weight and fold easily. In an accident, the frame will not be strong enough to stand the forces of an accident. Wheelchair (other than stroller type wheelchairs) are different; even if they don't have a transport option, they have frames that are welded together, not just attached together like regular strollers.
Having the red 'stroller as wheelchair' sticker does not make it safe.

Although the tag is really only meant for theme parks, a better option would be to show the sticker to use the back door to get onto the bus, then fold the stroller and sit with the child on your lap or next to you.
Most bus drivers will let you board at the back door with the red tag, but the tag is officially only for the theme parks.

 

[SueM in MN]

This video shows a special needs stroller that is not designed for being tied down on a vehicle and one that is (Convaid Cruiser ac 19 compliant). The end after the 1:09 point shows the seat of the one designed for transport, which came through in good shape, compared to the one that was not designed for transport. The setback on that one was quite crushed.

I can't find it any more, but at one time I had a link to a crash test of a regular stroller with a child crash dummy. The stroller basically had the front pulled apart and dumped the 'child' on the floor in a tangle of stroller pieces or hurled the child through the vehicle in each crash

 

[joelkfla]

Anxious to get joelkfl's take. As far as I know, that tag is for use in the parks.

I'm going to refrain from participating in this particular discussion.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm going to refrain from participating in this particular discussion.

Oh come on now...you're just the person to give us a more definitive answer. I knew I was seeing something that shouldn't have been done.

 

[seashoreCM]

1. If the child cannot walk then he will have to be pushed (while in the marked or unmarked stroller-as-wheelchair) onto the bus.
2. If he can, a person in a (real) wheelchair or scooter, once on the bus, is supposed to get up and sit on a bus seat, despite doing so much to the chagrin of other riders if the bus is crowded.
3. A stroller or wheelchair when unoccupied is somewhat less likely (still not absolutely unlikely) to self destruct or cause injury to others if there is turbulence more than slight chop during the bus ride.

Draw your own conclusions.

 

[cranbiz]

I can't say what the policy is now but 4 years ago, when a guest presented a stroller with the stroller as a wheelchair tag, We had to treat it as a wheelchair and it was able to be strapped in. IF it was not a transport stroller, we were told to request the guest fold the stroller and remove the child for the duration of the trip. If there was push back, we told them that the stroller presented was not a transport rated stroller and any damage was not Disney's responsibility. If they still pushed back, it got strapped in and on my bus it was really secure. I can not confirm or deny that there may have been a few with bent structural members when I was done. A transport rated stroller is really easy to identify and has tie down points. Those who had transport rated strollers wore always good to work with.

As for the driver refusing, he would probably be OK but there would be a discussion with a manager once the guest complained. You have to be tactful and show genuine concern for the child, if you do, the parents will usually (mostly) see it your way.

 

[tjmw2727]

I saw the opposite in April, Mom was traveling with a teen, a sleeping toddler in a cast and a stroller as a wheelchair tag. Unfortunately the stroller was much too small to be secured in any way and the bus driver informed her of that. She was very understanding and gracious about it and stepped aside to re-organize and then board carrying the toddler and the folded stroller. The bus driver as well as all the guests were really courteous in making sure there were two seats available for them up front.