- Joined
- Aug 23, 1999
- Messages
- 36,352
Hi -
My family is at WDW right now at SSR. We got here on Sunday and are in the middle of our vacation. I've got internet for the next 22 or so hours (unless I pay another $9.95 for another 24 hours).
So far, it's been rain, rain and more rain. We went to the 25th Anniversary of Epcot on Oct 1 and got a bit wet several times. About 20 minutes before Illuminations was due to begin, it started raining heavily and then it started to pour. We made it to the roofed area of the building where First Aid is and stayed there until the rain let up a little. We got to the bus just as Illuminations was starting.
We've had some rain every day since we got here. Most of the time when we've been out, it's been kind of heavy drizzle, so we managed to get under cover and avoid the heavy downpours.
Last night we were at Epcot again and decided to leave about 7pm when it was heavy drizzle.
We got to bus stop and luckily there was a bus waiting there.
DH and DD in her wheelchair parked near the back door and I went to the front to tell the driver we had a wheelchair to load. He was busy giving someone some bus cards, looked at me, but didn't respond until he was done with the man, I had said we had a wheelchair to board twice and I actually got on the bus and went up to his seat. His response then wasn't too encouraging; he didn't get up - I went toward the door again and he said "Lady, are you getting off or staying on?"
I said I was getting off to get the wheelchair on, but wanted to make sure he knew we had a wheelchair. He kind of sighed, but did get out of his seat and made his way to the back of the bus.
It was one of the buses with a ramp, so he really didn't have to do much to get the wheelchair on. When I parked DD's wheelchair into the spot, he began to attach one of the hooks to the back of DD's armest.
I said, "You don't want to attach there. That armrest just pulls right off," and pointed to 2 places further down on the frame that could be used and explained they were part of the frame.
His response was "It will OK. I like to attach as high as possible." I said that was fine as long as it was a part of the wheelchair frame, but
not an appropriate place for a removable part and demonstrated the armrest pulls right off.
He looked at me gave another sigh (at that point, his look reminded me of Jackie Gleason when he says "To the moon, Alice.")
He put one hook loosely around the area I had shown him and went to the front of the wheelchair. There should be 2 hooks attached on the back of the frame and they should be tightened down, but I figured I would handle that once he got done with the front.
There are supposed to be 2 hooks at the front of the wheelchair, one for each side. He took the hook that was supposed to go to the left wheel (the one farthest into the bus) and dragged it across the front of the wheelchair to the right wheel. I said he needed 2 hooks at the front and the rear. He said there was "only one working on the front and one on the back" and it would be "OK".
I said that was not enough and if the equipment was not working, we would get off the bus.
He said "It will be safe. I wouldn't do anything to put your DD at risk." I said if his equipment was not working, it should be reported and that bus should be out of service for wheelchairs until it was fixed.
He said we were lucky to get on his bus because he was ready to pull out when he arrived and that one hook front and back was enough because he was planning to put the seat belt around the wheelchair (instead of around like a seatbelt).
I said again that arrangement was not safe and that we would not ride like that. He repeated again that it would be "OK. I wouldn't do anything to put your DD at risk." I said we were getting off the bus because the wheelchair not being tied down correctly was not safe.
We got off the bus, took his name and the bus number. DH called to report a bus that had malfunctioning tiedown equipment that should be pulled out of service. As far as I could tell (and we have ridden LOTS of WDW buses), the equipment was working just fine; the bus driver just did not want to take the time to attach 2 hooks (and reach down further to get to the appropriate point).
A few minutes later, another bus came along and the bus driver (a lady named Rusty) did an excellent and professional job of tieing down the wheelchair.
Other than the guy the story was about, we have had drivers who did an excellent job of tieing down DD's wheelchair.
My family is at WDW right now at SSR. We got here on Sunday and are in the middle of our vacation. I've got internet for the next 22 or so hours (unless I pay another $9.95 for another 24 hours).
So far, it's been rain, rain and more rain. We went to the 25th Anniversary of Epcot on Oct 1 and got a bit wet several times. About 20 minutes before Illuminations was due to begin, it started raining heavily and then it started to pour. We made it to the roofed area of the building where First Aid is and stayed there until the rain let up a little. We got to the bus just as Illuminations was starting.
We've had some rain every day since we got here. Most of the time when we've been out, it's been kind of heavy drizzle, so we managed to get under cover and avoid the heavy downpours.
Last night we were at Epcot again and decided to leave about 7pm when it was heavy drizzle.
We got to bus stop and luckily there was a bus waiting there.
DH and DD in her wheelchair parked near the back door and I went to the front to tell the driver we had a wheelchair to load. He was busy giving someone some bus cards, looked at me, but didn't respond until he was done with the man, I had said we had a wheelchair to board twice and I actually got on the bus and went up to his seat. His response then wasn't too encouraging; he didn't get up - I went toward the door again and he said "Lady, are you getting off or staying on?"
I said I was getting off to get the wheelchair on, but wanted to make sure he knew we had a wheelchair. He kind of sighed, but did get out of his seat and made his way to the back of the bus.
It was one of the buses with a ramp, so he really didn't have to do much to get the wheelchair on. When I parked DD's wheelchair into the spot, he began to attach one of the hooks to the back of DD's armest.
I said, "You don't want to attach there. That armrest just pulls right off," and pointed to 2 places further down on the frame that could be used and explained they were part of the frame.
His response was "It will OK. I like to attach as high as possible." I said that was fine as long as it was a part of the wheelchair frame, but
not an appropriate place for a removable part and demonstrated the armrest pulls right off.
He looked at me gave another sigh (at that point, his look reminded me of Jackie Gleason when he says "To the moon, Alice.")
He put one hook loosely around the area I had shown him and went to the front of the wheelchair. There should be 2 hooks attached on the back of the frame and they should be tightened down, but I figured I would handle that once he got done with the front.
There are supposed to be 2 hooks at the front of the wheelchair, one for each side. He took the hook that was supposed to go to the left wheel (the one farthest into the bus) and dragged it across the front of the wheelchair to the right wheel. I said he needed 2 hooks at the front and the rear. He said there was "only one working on the front and one on the back" and it would be "OK".
I said that was not enough and if the equipment was not working, we would get off the bus.
He said "It will be safe. I wouldn't do anything to put your DD at risk." I said if his equipment was not working, it should be reported and that bus should be out of service for wheelchairs until it was fixed.
He said we were lucky to get on his bus because he was ready to pull out when he arrived and that one hook front and back was enough because he was planning to put the seat belt around the wheelchair (instead of around like a seatbelt).
I said again that arrangement was not safe and that we would not ride like that. He repeated again that it would be "OK. I wouldn't do anything to put your DD at risk." I said we were getting off the bus because the wheelchair not being tied down correctly was not safe.
We got off the bus, took his name and the bus number. DH called to report a bus that had malfunctioning tiedown equipment that should be pulled out of service. As far as I could tell (and we have ridden LOTS of WDW buses), the equipment was working just fine; the bus driver just did not want to take the time to attach 2 hooks (and reach down further to get to the appropriate point).
A few minutes later, another bus came along and the bus driver (a lady named Rusty) did an excellent and professional job of tieing down the wheelchair.
Other than the guy the story was about, we have had drivers who did an excellent job of tieing down DD's wheelchair.
Goodness me! No wonder you got off the bus! From all Disney-lovers on wheels, thank you for reporting him! Was the other wheelchair spaced filled, or was he claiming that the tie-downs for that one were 'broken' too?
