All the Bus Complaints

[boomchip]

Are the latest bus complaints mostly due to the delays related to waiting for one to arrive, or are there other issues making them hard to recommend using right now?

 

[Cheburashka]

Are the latest bus complaints mostly due to the delays related to waiting for one to arrive, or are there other issues making them hard to recommend using right now?

I was at WDW two weeks ago for spring break, and didn't have any problem with availability of buses that I hadn't had on previous trips. In terms of what the riding experience is like- imo it's better, because it's more orderly and less crowded, but that's a matter of opinion. Some bus waits were short- others long (and waiting for scooters to be loaded & unloaded adds to the time it takes), but that's always been my experience at WDW & one reason I try to avoid using the bus as much as I can. Monorail & Skyliner are (& have always been) much preferable when they are an option.

That said, I didn't do any rope dropping, so I can't give input on how the bus situation was prior to park opening.

 

[loves to dive]

Haven't been yet, I'll be there week after next but...... people have always complained about the buses. The lines are always too long, the wait is always too long, people are always rude, etc. Truth is, the buses are the buses are the buses. There are going to be good experiences and bad experiences for every resort for every time of the day.

 

[boomchip]

I know of the general complaints, I just wasn’t sure if there were other reasons worth mentioning.

 

[Heather07438]

A few reports complained that at resorts with many bus stops, due to capacity limit the buses were often full before making it to the later stops. It’s possible this issue has been resolved. Not sure. I think the problem was biggest in the morning where bus #1 would fill up on the first stop or two. Then bus #2 would come but more people arrived to the first stops. Rinse and repeat a few times and the later stops have a much longer wait.

 

[gharter]

It will be interesting to see how the buses are when we are there in the near future.
I'm expecting much of the same, except for fewer people on the buses.

 

[kdonnel]

Bus issues tonight for the Contemporary trying to leave Animal Kingdom.

Got in line at 7:40. It is now 8:11 and no bus.

Someone came by and said our bus went to the wrong stop and will be 10-30 mins until a new bus arrives.

I know mistakes happen but awfully frustrating waiting 45 mins to an hour for a bus.

 

[gharter]

Bus issues tonight for the Contemporary trying to leave Animal Kingdom.

Got in line at 7:40. It is now 8:11 and no bus.

Someone came by and said our bus went to the wrong stop and will be 10-30 mins until a new bus arrives.

I know mistakes happen but awfully frustrating waiting 45 mins to an hour for a bus.

It doesn't make it right or less frustrating, but that happened frequently pre-covid as well.

 

[OrthoDad]

Are the latest bus complaints mostly due to the delays related to waiting for one to arrive, or are there other issues making them hard to recommend using right now?

We have had a HORRIBLE time the last 2 days at Saratoga Springs. We waited over an hour for MK yesterday, and 1.5 hrs today for AK. The social distancing rules are clearly having an effect: we're at the last stop at SSR, and multiple buses are "full" with their current social limiting capacity constraints.

We haven't stayed at SSR for 12 years....we quit coming because of the buses. Clearly, it's still a problem, but when you add COVID constraints, it's almost impossible this week.

 

[LadybugsMum]

We have had a HORRIBLE time the last 2 days at Saratoga Springs. We waited over an hour for MK yesterday, and 1.5 hrs today for AK. The social distancing rules are clearly having an effect: we're at the last stop at SSR, and multiple buses are "full" with their current social limiting capacity constraints.

We haven't stayed at SSR for 12 years....we quit coming because of the buses. Clearly, it's still a problem, but when you add COVID constraints, it's almost impossible this week.

If you're at the Springs, then walk over to the Grandstand bus stop as that's the first one.

 

[justprettynpink]

Bus issues tonight for the Contemporary trying to leave Animal Kingdom.

Got in line at 7:40. It is now 8:11 and no bus.

Someone came by and said our bus went to the wrong stop and will be 10-30 mins until a new bus arrives.

I know mistakes happen but awfully frustrating waiting 45 mins to an hour for a bus.

We just got home. The “Disney” Buses are great but Disney has hired Charter Buses that do not know where they are going. We got picked up at a park and the driver did not know where the bus stops were in CBR. All the passengers had to give him directions and he drove right past a stop.

I mentioned that to a CM who said Disney is having trouble getting enough bus drivers hired.

 

[kdonnel]

We just got home. The “Disney” Buses are great but Disney has hired Charter Buses that do not know where they are going. We got picked up at a park and the driver did not know where the bus stops were in CBR. All the passengers had to give him directions and he drove right past a stop.

I mentioned that to a CM who said Disney is have trouble getting enough bus drivers hired.

I saw the white charter buses and wondered who was getting picked up by them. They looked like they were going to regular Disney hotel stops so I was confused.

Transportation is definitely worse than usual.

Uber was not great when we used it this past week either. We often had to wait 20+ minutes for a pickup and like you and the bus had to give one driver directions on how to leave the Magic Kingdom area as she kept trying to turn into the Car Care Center. Prices on Uber were also consistently much higher than they were in November.

 

[Joel W]

Pretty sure it's employee shortage. I applied in Feb and just had my Zoom interview a few days ago. Just have to pass my written CDL and wait again. Lots of rules and regulations for CDLs nowadays.

The backlogs at local DMVs do not help either.

 

[gharter]

During our trip in April, we waited longer for a bus than we ever have. It wasn't unusual to wait 30-40 minutes at a stop. It wasn't that a bus filled and we had to wait for the next one, we waited that long without a bus arriving. This was true at AK, MK, DS.

 

[joelkfla]

Pretty sure it's employee shortage. I applied in Feb and just had my Zoom interview a few days ago. Just have to pass my written CDL and wait again. Lots of rules and regulations for CDLs nowadays.

The backlogs at local DMVs do not help either.

If you mean for WDW bus drivers, yes, Disney has always had a hard time finding and retaining bus drivers. Finding candidates with near perfect driving record and no disqualifying health issues is tough to start with. Then some bail out or flunk out during training, And a larger number quit within the first few months, because work schedules for drivers with zero seniority can be brutal.

After a year or 2, drivers can bid into a reasonably consistent schedule, as long as they're not too picky about days off and start times.

 

[gharter]

Definitely would not be an easy job. Would hate to try and drive a bus around WDW when the traffic is at full capacity and nobody knows where they are going.

 

[loves to dive]

I'm back from my trip mid-April. Bus experiences:
Took bus from YC to MK around 7:45 am. There was a line at YC, one for MK and one for other parks but people arriving to the bus stop evidently couldn't read and would either just go to the front of the bus stop or get in the wrong line. When MK bus arrived there was some confusion amongst said people but it went pretty well. Strangely the other buses going to other parks had no problems.

Bus from MK to BW. Probably around 2ish. There was only one other couple in line when I arrived. Probably waited over 15 min for bus.

Bus from AK to Epcot around 2ish. Again there was a line, bus arrived maybe 5 min. after I got in line. No problems.

Bus from Epcot to MK around 6ish, short line not much wait.

I think I took a couple of other buses but can't remember. I didn't have any longer waits than I did pre-Covid going from the parks to either resorts or other parks, it has always been sort of the luck of the draw as to when you arrived at the bus stop and when the last bus left. I think the longest wait I had was the one from MK to BW and either a bus had just left or they were changing drivers or there just wasn't enough people in line. I've noticed that pre-Covid if you are leaving a park mid-day and there aren't a lot of people waiting it tends to take longer. Some of the drivers were better than others for the loading process as far as directing people where to go and making sure they had the right number of people. There was a time or two that people with strollers were allowed to get on the bus with the stroller open (that was because they had those huge ones) and once one of those people stood at the door instead of sitting down like he was supposed to. Once or twice the bus was not loaded to the current capacity but again, that was usually mid-day. The non-Disney bus drivers tended to not be as good at the loading process as the Disney drivers. I took a bus from Dolphin to AK one morning, they use Mears buses. Those buses have to go through the regular traffic lanes instead of the ones the Disney buses use and have to drop off where the Uber drivers do. That was a bit of a pain because it was close enough to park opening that the car lanes were pretty busy and having to wait in those was a long.

I will say I also took the skyliner from HS to Epcot and used the boats from Epcot to the resorts and the resorts to HS a couple of times and wait times were about the same for those. Again, luck of the draw as to when you arrived and when the last boat left. The longest wait/ride I had was the Skyliner. From HS to Epcot you have to transfer at the hub and there was a line there, then you have to stop at Riv. and wait for people to board then you have to go through a turn station. It was just an experiment for me since I normally walk between the two parks. Won't do it again. The boats are not loading to full capacity and leave the end seat vacant on all the rows but they do seem to be running pretty often.

 

[Joel W]

If you mean for WDW bus drivers, yes, Disney has always had a hard time finding and retaining bus drivers. Finding candidates with near perfect driving record and no disqualifying health issues is tough to start with. Then some bail out or flunk out during training, And a larger number quit within the first few months, because work schedules for drivers with zero seniority can be brutal.

After a year or 2, drivers can bid into a reasonably consistent schedule, as long as they're not too picky about days off and start times.

Exactly. I'm still on the fence about it, as I would have to take a pay cut and the extra mental stress. I currently make more at another theme park, but I'm concerned about the future for it. I currently have a prime choice schedule and almost free reign. So even though I made it nearly through, I still may not take it as much as I love Disney.

 

[disneyseniors]

Exactly. I'm still on the fence about it, as I would have to take a pay cut and the extra mental stress. I currently make more at another theme park, but I'm concerned about the future for it. I currently have a prime choice schedule and almost free reign. So even though I made it nearly through, I still may not take it as much as I love Disney.

I can understand your concerns and the increased stress level that bus drivers have to endure.
There used to be a bus driver on this site who had good insight into what it is like for disney bus drivers. He was always positive and loved his job. He did say the new drivers have to work where they are put, but after you get some seniority you could pick your shifts. That's really the way it is with other jobs at entry level.
I forget his "name" but wish he would come on here again and give his excellent advise.