? about the Disney Buses and Scooters

[Virgo10]

Last May when I was at WDW they were having a problem with the new buses. By my last day they wouldn't allow any scooters or wheelchairs on them because some people had gone off the ramps. I also heard that they were having trouble with the ramps going up and down properly.

Has this issue been resolved? Can people using scooters use any lift equiped bus? My final day there last year was a real challenge. Trying to get out of the MK mid morning took me 45 minutes. Finally a totally empty old bus came over and took pity on me. I had a private ride back to the AsMusic!

Roberta
*Imagine... only 7 days, 18 hours and 5 minutes till WDW!*

 

[MinnieGi]

While I don't have any specifics for you - I do know on our trip this past February we saw several guests with scooters being loaded onto buses departing and arriving at AKL. They did not seem to have to wait for any specific bus and they seemed to be on the low and high rider buses.

Tyler on the Transportation board may be able to give you more specific information.

 

[Kallison]

You may get more replies on the DISAbilities board.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Unfortunetly at that time, we were having some liability issues & safety concerns with the ramps and kneeling feature of the new Nova low floor buses. Due to a legal situation, I cannot say much more than that.

HOWEVER...

The Nova's are back to being fully accessible at this time. However, the big change is that electric wheelchairs and scooters *MUST* go up the ramp in Reverse. If this is not possible, or if you do not feel comfortable/safe with this option, you may request a lift-equipped RTS bus instead.

If you do not agree with this policy, please do not take it out on the driver, they are just doing thier job, and can get into serious trouble if they violate it. We have no control over this policy, as it comes straight from our Legal department. All comments and complaints should be directed to Walt Disney World Guest Relations.

 

[Virgo10]

Originally posted by Chip 'n Dale Express
Unfortunetly at that time, we were having some liability issues & safety concerns with the ramps and kneeling feature of the new Nova low floor buses. Due to a legal situation, I cannot say much more than that.

HOWEVER...

The Nova's are back to being fully accessible at this time. However, the big change is that electric wheelchairs and scooters *MUST* go up the ramp in Reverse.

Thanks for the information. I actually prefer going on the bus in reverse. It was hard for me to get use to parking the scooter on the new buses after years of using the other ones.

Now if I could just get the drivers to understand how hard it is to get on any of the buses if they park so those dang light pole thingies are right in front of the door!

Roberta

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by Virgo10
Now if I could just get the drivers to understand how hard it is to get on any of the buses if they park so those dang light pole thingies are right in front of the door!

Beleive me, we understand. We're actually going through a huge battle right now with the resorts on having them moved.

The biggest problem resort was the Beach Club, MK stop. It was impossible to line up for that load zone, and if you were even just a few inches off, you had to move. Now we have painted lines so that we can line up either type of bus perfectly.

The All-Stars are another problem. Designers didn't take into account the light poles when they put in the bollards. When we pull into a load zone, and line the bus up properly (Meaning we're not blocking the bus behind us, and we have enough room, to pull out), we end up like this:

If we pull short, you still cant get in because of the bush. If we pull up further, we now have to back up in order to get the bus out of the load zone. And putting a bus into reverse is a BIG NO-NO... especially at the All-Stars when people are frequently tying to cross there.

 

[tinksfriend]

Could I just jump in here and take the opportunity, through Tyler, to thank, & sing the praises of the drivers of WDW Buses (except 1!! )

We were at POR for 2 weeks last November/Dec. DH has MS & used an ECV and we very rarely had to use the car we had rented!!! The drivers were helpful and pleasant. Even when, at first, DH couldn't get the hang of loading in reverse, they NEVER showed any impatience!

Coming from UK, where very little seems to be Handicapped friendly, this was not only a surprise but made for a 'Stress Free' time!

I thank you all!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

A scooter should not have trouble going up the ramps in reverse. A power wheelchair is a totally different situation and with a power wheelchair, I would wait for/request a lift equipped bus.
And I also want to send some pixie dust and praise to Tyler. He has been very helpful to people on the disABILITIES Board as well as all the information he cheerfully gives out here.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by SueM in MN
A scooter should not have trouble going up the ramps in reverse. A power wheelchair is a totally different situation and with a power wheelchair, I would wait for/request a lift equipped bus.
And I also want to send some pixie dust and praise to Tyler. He has been very helpful to people on the disABILITIES Board as well as all the information he cheerfully gives out here.

Sue... You might be interested to know that I had a situation the other day when my ramp got stuck. Long story short, I had a guest using a power wheelchair stuck on board, and so my manager was called out. Maintenance was finally able to get the ramp and kneel to work manually, and the guest was switched over to a different lift-equipped bus. (Those ramps are a pain in the posterior!)

But anyways, he got to see first hand about that issue, and talk with the guest himself. Whether or not any good will come of it... *shrug* I doubt it... he really doesnt have much control over the issue... but at least he's seen it now first hand.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for your update.
When the ramp on our van doesn't work, it's usually because I hit the automatic/manual toggle switch with my ,umm, posterior when I was strapping DD's wheelchair down.

 

[seashoreCM]

I am not sure about WDW's buses, but I have heard that some city buses and trolley cars in some cities have similar ramps that slide out and down when needed. There, there have been complaints that powered wheelcharis and scooters could not get up the ramp if the bus or trolley stopped where there was no curb and the ramp had to slope down to street level.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by seashoreCM
I am not sure about WDW's buses, but I have heard that some city buses and trolleys in some cities have similar ramps that slide out and down when needed. There, there have been complaints that powered wheelcharis and scooters could not get up the ramp if the bus or trolley stopped where there was no curb and the ramp had to slope down to street level.

Indeed, the angle can get pretty steep. Our buses tilt down... I'm sure you've see that... it reduces the angle, but it still can be slightly steep.

As for Auto/Manual operation... most ramps have manual cranks... ours of course are the cheap model... we dont have cranks. We do however have a t-bar, that hooks to the end of the ramp, and we can pull (with all our might) the ramp in or out. Not very easy, but works in a pinch. Probably about 1 out of every 100 drivers actually knows about the t-bar, though.