APPAULED by the bus wreck, WE REPORTED FRED THIS SUMMER!

[timandlesley]

I am completely taken aback right now. I just read the other thread on here about the OTHER Disney wreck that occurred today, when I saw the driver was 81 year old FRED, I was BLOWN AWAY! We encountered him during our trip this past summer and reported him. I am copying and pasting what I typed in our Trip Report about our horrible incident on Fred's bus:
What a WONDERFUL, PERFECT, OUTSTANDING, AMAZING,INCREDIBLE,FANTASTIC,SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICE XPIALIDOCIOUS DISNEY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, at the parks that is, the magic ended when we got on the bus. We had a driver named Fred. He was driving so fast he ramped 3 curbs even after people told him to slow down. One time he ramped one a kids head nailed the window and he started crying and screaming. He took off at one point and shut the door when people were standing up trying to exit the bus and they almost all fell over like dominos. At this point Tim and another guys said “hey, DUDE, you have people trying to get off back here and you’re taking off and they are falling down, open your eyes!” To which he said “You want to drive the bus buddy!!!” Oh man, our blood was boiling. At one point he came back to the unload a wheelchair which was right by us and Tim and the other guy calmly said “you need to slow down, you have kids hitting windows, people falling down, you are ramping curbs left and right” the guy got angry and defensive and kept saying “well, then you drive the bus! I’ve been driving longer than you’ve been living! I ramp curbs all the time, it’s no big deal, that ‘s what happens in these buses, everyone ramps the curbs.” GEEZ. The other guy kept saying “don’t argue with guests please Fred” but he kept it up.(bare in mind this was just a DAY after the monorail accident you would think Fred would be taking public transportation safety a little more seriously) Well, we were a LITTLE fired up by the time we got back to Saratoga and Tim and the guy headed to the front desk with the bus number and Fred’s name to report him. They did seem to take the complaint very seriously so I’m hoping Fred is no longer driving Disney buses. While Tim and the guy were up complaining about Fred the bus driver from hell the kids and I grabbed some snacks at Springs. Then we all walked back to the room and sack around 11pm.


CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!?!?! I am absolutely appauled that Disney allowed him to drive at the age of 81 and with reports like ours. I am PRAYING that this accident today will finally show Disney they need to fire this horrible excuse for a Disney employee or these accidents will just keep occuring!
Lesley

 

[WeCantWait]

Wow, I remember reading this in your trip report but had no idea it was the same driver. How terrible. For some reason I thought this driver was younger?? I thought he was in his 50's?

 

[timandlesley]

Wow, I remember reading this in your trip report but had no idea it was the same driver. How terrible. For some reason I thought thos driver was younger?? I thought he was in his 50's?

Oh no, I know this is the same Fred, he gave us his full name when we reported him but I didn't type it in my TR for his privacy, now I just don't care!
Lesley

 

[wishspirit]

That is terrible! I am glad you reported it, but Disney should really have done more, even if it is to have his bus monitored every now and again!

 

[BriarRosie]

I think you should email the WDW Guest Communications and remind them that when you read the story about Fred getting cited for causing a bus accident today, you reported him on such and such a date about his unsafe driving on the Saratoga Springs route.

My own dad acted belligerent about driving when his Alzheimer's was starting to progress. There's no way he would be driving if the Mears managers would have randomly evaluated his driving like secret shoppers evaluate stores.

 

[WeCantWait]

I'm confused. Are you speaking about the bus accident where the boy was riding his bike and killed by the bus?


Sorry, I didn't realize there was ANOTHER bus accident today.

 

[safetymom]

Yes there was another bus accident today. http://www.wftv.com/news/23044258/detail.html

I couldn't believe that this bus driver was 81. I hope I am still alive at 81 but I really think there needs to be an age limit for bus drivers just like there is for airline pilots.

 

[Dizzy for Dsny]

Wow...that is awful! And what were the chances that he hit a person from Ohio today! I would definitely contact Disney again, if not even OSHA, if not anything else, but the safety of others.

 

[kim532]

This is horrible. I am astonished that Disney still allowed him to drive after the complaints, because I would bet you guys weren't the only people complaining. I don't care about age it is ability and customer service which this man seemed to have neither.

Kim

 

[916chipndale]

um the accident that killed the boy had a 50 yr old driver not 80

 

[916chipndale]

sorry i didnt realize there was another accident

 

[sjsjbrook]

um the accident that killed the boy had a 50 yr old driver not 80

There was another accident today, the 81 year old bus driver hit and SUV.

 

[jthornton94]

Anyone seen the name of the Ohio man involved. Just curious as my brother is down there and I sooo wouldn't be surprised if it was him. And if it was, he will sue Disney, without a doubt.

 

[dkostel]

Wow, someone should lose their job for this (and i'm not talking about the bus driver, although clearly he needs to be retired from bus driving). As bad as Lesley said he was he must have had other complaints, and some manager somewhere chose to ignore this.

 

[trivial]

This doesn't look very good for Disney at all. After reading the OP's report, I'm astonished that the guy is still driving. Maybe someone involved in the accident will get wind of this guy's record, Disney's prior knowledge of it, and give Disney some financial/legal motivation to put their guests' safety first.

 

[Cyrano]

Yes there was another bus accident today. http://www.wftv.com/news/23044258/detail.html

I couldn't believe that this bus driver was 81. I hope I am still alive at 81 but I really think there needs to be an age limit for bus drivers just like there is for airline pilots.

Totally agree

 

[Tikitoi]

Good job OP for reporting Fred, but very bad job disney for not doing a thing about it!Well maybe when they have to start paying out for lawsuits that will get their attention.

 

[little bob]

Just for the record. I have never sued anyone and dont think that I have ever told anyone to sue someone.

BUT

If I were in your shoes(and im not) I think that I would possibly contact anyone that was injured or had any property damaged by this accident and give them your report. That way they could 'stick it to disney'. I hate to say it that way but this is completely unacceptable. What if he had hit another child because of his 'I dont give a damn what you think about my driving' attitude?

/rant

 

[parrotheadlois]

I am completely taken aback right now. I just read the other thread on here about the OTHER Disney wreck that occurred today, when I saw the driver was 81 year old FRED, I was BLOWN AWAY! We encountered him during our trip this past summer and reported him. I am copying and pasting what I typed in our Trip Report about our horrible incident on Fred's bus:
What a WONDERFUL, PERFECT, OUTSTANDING, AMAZING,INCREDIBLE,FANTASTIC,SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICE XPIALIDOCIOUS DISNEY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, at the parks that is, the magic ended when we got on the bus. We had a driver named Fred. He was driving so fast he ramped 3 curbs even after people told him to slow down. One time he ramped one a kids head nailed the window and he started crying and screaming. He took off at one point and shut the door when people were standing up trying to exit the bus and they almost all fell over like dominos. At this point Tim and another guys said “hey, DUDE, you have people trying to get off back here and you’re taking off and they are falling down, open your eyes!” To which he said “You want to drive the bus buddy!!!” Oh man, our blood was boiling. At one point he came back to the unload a wheelchair which was right by us and Tim and the other guy calmly said “you need to slow down, you have kids hitting windows, people falling down, you are ramping curbs left and right” the guy got angry and defensive and kept saying “well, then you drive the bus! I’ve been driving longer than you’ve been living! I ramp curbs all the time, it’s no big deal, that ‘s what happens in these buses, everyone ramps the curbs.” GEEZ. The other guy kept saying “don’t argue with guests please Fred” but he kept it up.(bare in mind this was just a DAY after the monorail accident you would think Fred would be taking public transportation safety a little more seriously) Well, we were a LITTLE fired up by the time we got back to Saratoga and Tim and the guy headed to the front desk with the bus number and Fred’s name to report him. They did seem to take the complaint very seriously so I’m hoping Fred is no longer driving Disney buses. While Tim and the guy were up complaining about Fred the bus driver from hell the kids and I grabbed some snacks at Springs. Then we all walked back to the room and sack around 11pm.


CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!?!?! I am absolutely appauled that Disney allowed him to drive at the age of 81 and with reports like ours. I am PRAYING that this accident today will finally show Disney they need to fire this horrible excuse for a Disney employee or these accidents will just keep occuring!
Lesley

this is horrendous. You really need to write this down and send it to EVERYONE. This guy can't be kept on the roads. Even the Orlando Sentinal - we love Disney, but someone dropped the ball on this. Fred needs to be fired - or generously - forced to retire.

 

[PBB]

This is just horrible. I can not believe there isn't an age limit with the State of Florida for bus drivers much less Disney. I am sure "Fred" has been driving buses for years and he probably drove them at Disney. BUT, to put everyone's safety at risk is crazy. An elderly person abilities and capacities can go so quickly versus someone at a lesser age. I don't believe in age discrimination at all but I don't believe diminished capacity is discriminatory. I am sure if Disney gave "Fred" more tests than a normal driver then they would be viewed as trying to fire the "Old Person".

Thank God No one appears hurt and a car took the punishment instead of a guest. I am sure Disney will take care of the car for insurance purposes and might give the guest and family a couple of bucks for their "inconvenience" and then it will go away.

I find it criminal though to put an 81 year old behind the wheel of the bus. Much less, after it was reported to Disney previously that this driver had "issues". I just don't see the driver or the Orange County and/or The State of Florida government going after Disney.

I am sure Fred needs his job to live and he has no incentive to tell Disney of any physical problems he might be having because he would be fired from his job. He is lucky he did not kill someone.

I used to trust Disney to do the right thing in all aspects of their decisions. There was a general view that Disney made "Quality Decisions" not just whatever is "Cheapest". Look at the recent suicides by 2 park employees at Euro Disney where the former employee felt under such pressure to do more with less money available. That management style comes from the top. It wasn't always that way.