1 Hour Travel Time?

[Alesia]

Providing transit information does not take much money.

Running smoothly? 30 minutes to travel 3 miles? I could almost walk that fast. Only 1 bus every 20 minutes? I guess it depends on your perspective. If the transit agencies in Seattle only ran buses every 20 minutes and didn't offer any apps to let you know when the bus was going to show up the CEO would be fired. I am used to having an express bus show up 1 block from my house every 7 to 8 minutes and only take 25 minutes to travel 7 miles from my house to downtown. During rush hours the bus is even faster.

If Disney had better planning when designing the resort it would have taken no more than 10 - 15 minutes from any hotel room to the front gate at any of the parks.

Providing transit information does not take much money, but developing it does. I think the flaw in your argument is the assumption that WDW buses run like city buses; They don't. They are much more fluid and flexible than city buses. They normally run every 20 minutes, but they can be adjusted when it's busy to run much more frequently, including having one bus right after another at park closing. I think you'll see how efficiently they run once you actually experience it.

And, for what it's worth, I have only waited for more than 10 minutes for a bus once. That was from the GF to DTD.

 

[goofy4tink]

Actually, providing the type transportation you talk about does cost more money. First you have to develop the plan and technology. THen, once you have that in place, you are going to need more drivers and more buses. You want more frequent buses, you need more drivers and buses.
And I, for one, am not willing to spend more to stay at WDW so others can get to the parks more quickly.
If getting from point A to point B in the quickest way possible is important, then renting a car or taking cabs is going to be most effective way to get around.
Disney provides transportation for the masses. It works pretty well. Yes, it would be nice to see when the next bus is due to arrive up on a screen at each bus stop. But, what happens when that bus doesn't arrive in a timely fashion? Guests get annoyed and take it out on bus drivers.
It's not a perfect system, but it works. Most of us know when to leave to to get to our destination. I'm not really sure how knowing when the next bus is coming is going to get you anywhere more quickly...unless you have a car and see that the bus won't be there for 15 mins, so you get in the car and drive.

The monorail is consistently breaking down, the boats don't run in really bad weather and the buses aren't as speedy or consistent as many would like. No really good way to make those improvements without it costing the guests money!

 

[rwdavis2]

The best way to avoid all the uncertainty is to rent a car. We've stayed on and off site and always have a car. The only time we use WDW Transportation is between MK-EPCOT or Wilderness Lodge-MK. After about 5-6 trips I rode a Disney bus for the first time last November.

 

[Tara]

WDW transportation isn't public transit. It isn't supported by taxpayer dollars. It is a complimentary service to resort guests. Of course, the cost of it is built into the prices they charge. However, it's a cost that few people acknowledge and certainly no one wants to pay more for. It's not like Disney has no idea what's possible. If they haven't built in systems like you (OP) have described, it's because there is no financial incentive to do so.

The system runs remarkably well given its complexity and the enormous numbers of guests it transports (about 50 million annual visitors to WDW...hard to say how many are riding transportation, but you can bet it's a lot). That doesn't mean you won't sometimes wait for transportation, though.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Unfortunately, the WDW bus system is broken.

There is no way that three buses to Animal Kingdom should try to pick up passengers at BoardWalk within 5 minutes (with two of them leaving empty), while more guests than comfortably fit on a bus having been waiting for a Magic Kingdom bus for almost a half hour.

With GPS and realtime, continuous feedback, a computer system ought to be able to reassign, dispatch, and route buses far more efficiently than today -- providing a better experience for guests and cost savings for Disney.

Letting guests know the wait time for buses (using smartphones, display panels, or both) would also make the system better for guests.

Although WDW buses do not generate fare box revenue, the bus system is an integral part of the whole guest experience. When resort guests start and end their theme park days with efficient, pleasant, quick transportation, they see more value for the considerable money they're spending than if they're squeezed into a packed sardine can bus after an excessively long wait.

 

[sam_gordon]

Unfortunately, the WDW bus system is broken.

There is no way that three buses to Animal Kingdom should try to pick up passengers at BoardWalk within 5 minutes (with two of them leaving empty), while more guests than comfortably fit on a bus having been waiting for a Magic Kingdom bus for almost a half hour.

With GPS and realtime, continuous feedback, a computer system ought to be able to reassign, dispatch, and route buses far more efficiently than today -- providing a better experience for guests and cost savings for Disney.

Letting guests know the wait time for buses (using smartphones, display panels, or both) would also make the system better for guests.

Although WDW buses do not generate fare box revenue, the bus system is an integral part of the whole guest experience. When resort guests start and end their theme park days with efficient, pleasant, quick transportation, they see more value for the considerable money they're spending than if they're squeezed into a packed sardine can bus after an excessively long wait.

I think the bolded is the key though. How do you get that feedback? At a park, it's relatively easy... someone monitors how full each bus stop is getting. At a resort though... how do you track it? IIRC, the bus stops at resorts aren't sorted by destination. So out of the 25(?) people grouped there, how many are going to MK, how many to EC, how many to HS, etc.

ETA: Put a card reader at the bus stop. Swipe your KTTW card, select the destination, and select the number of people in your party (up to the number registered in the room). This wouldn't reserve a place on a bus, but simply let dispatch know "there's at least 'x' number waiting for this destination". It keeps adding up. When the bus to that destination gets there, the driver does a head count and indicates how many he picked up. Maybe?

 

[rumrunner]

Definitely if you have a car use it. al this past week it every bit of 60 minutes using disney transportation. We were at the Poly and thought we left early enough to make the animal kingdom for the opening huhh no way we were 45 min late going thru the turnstyle! Took the car next day and were in like 10 min.

 

[Tara]

ETA: Put a card reader at the bus stop. Swipe your KTTW card, select the destination, and select the number of people in your party (up to the number registered in the room). This wouldn't reserve a place on a bus, but simply let dispatch know "there's at least 'x' number waiting for this destination". It keeps adding up. When the bus to that destination gets there, the driver does a head count and indicates how many he picked up. Maybe?

Not a bad idea, but this relies on people who, in a lot of cases, don't know what they're doing. I've seen people come to the bus stop and not know what to do because they were faced with all sorts of options, none of which were "Disney World." So if people actually use the system properly, it can work, but there's bound to be a lot of error. (people will enter incorrect info, people will not realize they need to do anything, etc.)

 

[Dsnyfireman]

Boy we must just be luck! In all my trips to disney I have never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus and once on it usually takes about 15-20 minutes to get to destination . From the time we get to the bus stop to he time we get to out destination is usually about 35 min average I would say. We go in February and it isn't that busy so maybe that is why. We stay at POP most times, when we stayed at all star sports the rides where longer but wait time was the same. From resort to resort can be longer due to buses not running directly from one to another . If you wait till after the fire works and try to get a bus from MK you can wait awhile but we don't wait till then we leave a little bit early. I think for as complex a route as it can be they do a good job, could it be better, yup but it works ok. I just have not had that kind of wait times in my experience .

 

[dminnie]

It usually takes us about 45 min. to get from the resort (moderate) to a park and often times only about 30 min. There are times where it has taken us 60 min., but not too often. Usually, that's when we just miss a bus and have to wait the full 20 minutes for the next one. Someone earlier in this thread said they waited 45 min. for a bus. I have NEVER had to wait that long. There must have been a glitch that day or something. 20 minutes is the longest we ever waited.

There is a website that give the travel time from different locations(once you're on the bus/monorail etc.) Where it really takes a lot of travel time is when you need to transfer busses. It does help to just plan on getting a taxi if you're trying to go from resort to resort. It's worth the extra money to not have to plan on the 90 minutes for that. Also, there aren't any busses that go from the parks to DTD. They only go to the resorts. You can get around that by taking the bus to Saratoga Springs and then walking from there to DTD.

We enjoy taking Disney transportation while there. It's nice having someone else do the driving. I know it might take a bit longer, but we just kick back and relax on the way to the park. It's nice to not have to take a tram from the parking lot too. The busses drop you off right at the front.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I think the bolded is the key though. How do you get that feedback?

With automated GPS tracking, a computer system should know where every operating bus is at any time, when the last time was that a bus departed to a particular destination from any bus stop, when the next bus is likely arrive at a bus stop (given its current location and route), where buses are needed, where buses on the same route are in "packs," and where buses are overdue.

Sometimes, bus drivers skip resorts because their bus is already full, but this does not appear to trigger sending in an empty or underutilized bus that's in the area. So guests can wait 40 or more minutes for a bus. That needs to be fixed.

Sometimes multiple buses that should be operating 15 to 20 minutes apart end up traveling as a "pack." For example, the first bus could be delayed by legitimate activities such as loading wheelchairs at multiple stops, allowing the following bus to catch up right behind it, messing up the timing completely. That needs to be fixed.

And too many empty buses just waste fuel because they're in the wrong place compared to where they're really needed. That needs to be fixed.

None of this requires swiping a GTTW card or input from drivers.

A system could be even better with additional input, such as "call buttons" at bus stops and easy ways for drivers to make the system aware of issues.

I think Disney needs to bring in some super-smart MIT grad students to build a sophisticated computer model that drives intelligent, dynamic bus operations.

Guests would get a better experience and Disney would save on fuel and driver payroll.

By the way, guests who aren't waiting "forever" at a bus stop (and who aren't angry at Disney) might be spending money at a theme park or resort.

 

[sam_gordon]

With automated GPS tracking, a computer system should know where every operating bus is at any time, when the last time was that a bus departed to a particular destination from any bus stop, when the next bus is likely arrive at a bus stop (given its current location and route), where buses are needed, where buses on the same route are in "packs," and where buses are overdue.

Sometimes, bus drivers skip resorts because their bus is already full, but this does not appear to trigger sending in an empty or underutilized bus that's in the area. So guests can wait 40 or more minutes for a bus. That needs to be fixed.

Sometimes multiple buses that should be operating 15 to 20 minutes apart end up traveling as a "pack." For example, the first bus could be delayed by legitimate activities such as loading wheelchairs at multiple stops, allowing the following bus to catch up right behind it, messing up the timing completely. That needs to be fixed.

And too many empty buses just waste fuel because they're in the wrong place compared to where they're really needed. That needs to be fixed.

None of this requires swiping a GTTW card or input from drivers.

A system could be even better with additional input, such as "call buttons" at bus stops and easy ways for drivers to make the system aware of issues.

I think Disney needs to bring in some super-smart MIT grad students to build a sophisticated computer model that drives intelligent, dynamic bus operations.

Guests would get a better experience and Disney would save on fuel and driver payroll.

By the way, guests who aren't waiting "forever" at a bus stop (and who aren't angry at Disney) might be spending money at a theme park or resort.

I understand how the GPS works. That wasn't what I was referring to. I would think to be efficient, the dispatchers would need to know where people are waiting to go and how many people are waiting to go there.

Even if dispatchers know there are 25 people waiting, that doesn't help dispatch a bus. 20 people could want to go to the MK, and 5 want to go to HS. And dispatch sends a bus labeled for 'Epcot' because the bus is empty? How does that help?

 

[MillauFr]

I would think to be efficient, the dispatchers would need to know where people are waiting to go and how many people are waiting to go there.

I am not up to speed on Disney World yet, but aren't they rolling out fastpass+ where you can reserve ride times in advance? Also you make Dining reservations in advance. Disney could use this information to get a pretty good idea of guests origins and destinations.

 

[sam_gordon]

I am not up to speed on Disney World yet, but aren't they rolling out fastpass+ where you can reserve ride times in advance? Also you make Dining reservations in advance. Disney could use this information to get a pretty good idea of guests origins and destinations.

Not necessarily. Lets say you make a FP+ reservation for Splash Mountain at 1:30p. Now, are you going to MK at 8am for EMH, or are you going there at 12:30 after lunch at the resort (or anytime in between)?

Or do you go to breakfast at another resort, then go to MK? The ADRs/FP+ would tell Disney where someone needs to be and when, but not where they're starting from or when they're going.

Last but not least, Disney doesn't know if those with the reservations are using Disney transportation or their own.

Although I suggested a card scanner at the bus stops, it can also be accomplished with a CM at the bus stop with an iPad type device asking people where they're going. That cuts down on people not using the the card readers, but now increases payroll costs.