At WDW now: Rain and why we got off the bus in the rain

[thop529]

You have got to be kidding me. I had the same driver (George) I thought after I got done yelling at him, and then reporting him he would be gone by now. Sorry, but what an incompotent ***. He has a problem and it is called LAZINESS!!!!!!!!!!

He wanted me to come up the ramp backwards. I don't feel comfortable doing this because I feel like I am falling out of my chair. I told him I come on frontwards all the time. He yelled at me. I told him either get out of my way or I will run you over. I know, I'm sorry, but I don't have much patients with people who tell me how to work my chair when I am in it 24/7/365.

Sorry you had to deal with this Sue. The guy is an idiot plain and simple.

 

[alizesmom]

MonorailGuy and Cranbiz. Thank you both for posting. It's reassuring to hear your anger which I'm sure is shared by most of the drivers. I will have no hesitation taking my son on the bus. Karen

 

[Talking Hands]

Cranbiz and Monorail Guy, Thank you to all the bus drivers who are so wonderful and properly tie down my wheelchair and use the seatbelt to make sure I am secure.
The only problem I seem to get except for the one driver is the driver not wanting to drop the lift before I am turned around to get on it. Once I explain that I can't hear it drop and will turn around as soon as I see it down they are ok with it. And no one hassles me about going up the ramp forward anymore. It is the best way with my Jazzy.

 

[tacomaranch]

Cranbiz and monorail guy,

Thanks for being so kind to guests in need. I have seen so many mean and horrible drivers and I know of this driver because he did the same thing to lady on our way home last week. He just would not hook in her chair properly and we were all asking him to just do his job. He is overweight with thin combed back hair. He was just mean! We didn't even know the lady in the chair but I will be in her position one day and I am empathic.

I wish this driver would leave Disney if he is not happy with his job!

Sue, Kathy and everyone who has had a bad experience. I am so sorry this has happened to you and I wish all trips were perfect.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks to Cranbiz and Monorail Guy (and everyone else) who posted here.

Most of the drivers we have had experience with have been excellent and I am sorry that I haven't gotten all of their names to properly thank them. If anyone remembers a young lady with blonde hair riding a purple wheelchair with black foam on the front footrest bars (one side had bright pink tape, the other side was loose) and a mom who told them they could hook to either the purple cross bar low on the back of the chair or the black crossbar higher up, that was us.

I really appreciate the ones who listen because I know just where the 'safe' places to attach the wheelchair are and it can be difficult to tell on many wheelchairs. Most of the drivers have thanked me for showing them because it makes their jobs easier and faster. All of them have been nice if I showed them somewhere else to attach rather than the place they were going for.
I also appreciate the drivers who take the few extra seconds to carefully stow the straps after use because that will make the next time they are used easier.

 

[dclfun]

Thanks to the bus drivers who have posted. Since for myself, all my other interactions with bus drivers have been positive recently, this driver stood out like a sore thumb. The majority then are the ones we like to see- who smile instead of frown when they see us waiting in the w/c queue line and who we know do a tough, physical job by getting down to tie down each chair properly... which in my case means also maneuvering around a service dog. It's not an easy job but it's very important-not only for our safety but also a good attitude goes a long way. It can make or break the rest of our day in the parks or it means our last memory of the day is either positive or not so great. A bus driver may not realize just how important that interaction can be, so thanks to those who do a good job and give us the "Disney" attitude and care we are looking for. ---Kathy

 

[merryweather20]

I really appreciate Cranbiz and Monorail Guy posting too. The bus drivers have always been some of the most fun CM's on my trips to WDW and it was good to have a reminder that drivers like Ron/George are in the minority

 

[Laren]

Can I tell you that I also had an experience with my wheelchair not being properly secured this past trip and almost got injured?

It wasn't the driver named here, but another, healthy sized gentleman who groaned and griped from the moment he saw my chair. Then, he puts the hooks on but didn't turn them tightly (I didn't realize this until we starte moving because I heard a couple clicks and usually that's all it takes to keep my chair tight.)

Well he puts pedal to the metal, and I go flying sideways. The hook actually came OFF of the chair when he then jammed on the brakes at the first stop sign and my elderly, also disabled father dove out of his seat across from me, and began trying to secure the hook. I'm trying to get my husband's attention (the bus was noisy and he was half asleep) to help but dad managed not only to get the hook back on but to tighten it properly.

If a 66 year old stroke survivor can do it right, why couldn't the driver? I know there are many who try very hard. . .and I appreciate all the good drivers but there are definitely some folks that should consider transferring to another department because it is very apparent they do not like doing their jobs anymore.

Laren

p.s. thank you to all the magical bus drivers- the ones who still talk to their guests (the recorded stuff got old real fast!) and the ones who put our safety first. I think that every bus driver should as part of their training have to ride the DTD to monorail resort bus line at least once strapped into a wheelchair. Once you take those curves, strapped to something big and metal and heavy that could crush you if it topples. . .I think they would all be as careful about securing chairs as the two wonderful drivers who posted here. You guys rock, thanks for all you do every day to make our trips on busses a great memory as part of our trips.

Getting there is half the fun. . .I'll never forget one driver they call Mr. Pixie Dust. Best driver we ever had I wonder if he's still there? I think his 'real' name may have been Jeff but it's been awhile. . .

 

[SueM in MN]

I think that every bus driver should as part of their training have to ride the DTD to monorail resort bus line at least once strapped into a wheelchair. Once you take those curves, strapped to something big and metal and heavy that could crush you if it topples. . .I think they would all be as careful about securing chairs as the two wonderful drivers who posted here.

Sorry about your near-miss accident.
I think that is a good idea!!!
I think a lot of the drivers don't understand that every part of the wheelchair 'routine' is important. I think some of them just think "None of the other passengers are even seatbelted" and think they can take shortcuts for that reason. Riding around in a wheelchair on the bus for a while may help to convince them (especially if it is fastened down incorrectly to start with so they can feel the difference a little care can make.

We got back home last night about 7pm.
Our last bus trip was eventful, but not because of the driver.....
The bus was one of the old ones with a lift. I was on the lift with DD, getting ready to bring DD onto the bus. I leaned over to get my top half closer to DD so my purse would not hit the side and moved my foot.
As it went up, the lift caught the heel of my shoe and tried to 'eat' my heel. That was pretty scary, but I yelled "Stop, I'm caught" and the driver stopped the lift very quickly. I ended up with a scraped and bruised heel, but it could have been much worse, so I felt lucky. It looked much worse than it actullly turned out to be, especially since it was bleeding and also had black stuff from the door on it. The driver offered to send for first aid, get a bandaid for me or anything else I needed. I had a small bandaid and some tissues, so I made some temporary 'repairs'. When we got back to our resort, DH got off on our stop with DD. The driver felt really bad and gave DD a pin when she got off.
He made sure I would be taken care of and suggested calling the front desk. I got off at the main pool area and got some giant bandaids from a cute lifeguard named "Steve". Then I went back to our room and cleaned the area. Since we had a room with a roll in shower, I was able to sit there and spray the area with warm water (and clean it with baby shampoo) until it was quite clean. After fixing myself up, I walked from SSR to DD, so it was not too bad.

So, I do have a warning about the lift buses - watch out - they bite.

 

[Talking Hands]

p.s. thank you to all the magical bus drivers- the ones who still talk to their guests (the recorded stuff got old real fast!) and the ones who put our safety first. .

Sorry that the recorded announcement got old but they do serve a purpose as they are captioned for those of us who have a hearing loss. Now we actually see the information that is given to the hearing gusets. I applaud Disney for adding this to the buses.

 

[SueM in MN]

Sorry that the recorded announcement got old but they do serve a purpose as they are captioned for those of us who have a hearing loss. Now we actually see the information that is given to the hearing gusets. I applaud Disney for adding this to the buses.

We noticed the captioning on the buses during this trip.
Although I enjoyed the bus drivers talking to guests information, I thought it was a very good idea to switch to something that would be captioned.
Especially during the evening/night hours when it is dark, the captioning allows everyone to know what station the bus has gotten to on the routes with more than one stop.

 

[Damom]

MonorailGuy and Cranbiz thank you for treating all your guests with respect. We do truly appreciate it when things are done correctly. A few drivers even showed my children how to hook my EVC up, but they always then checked them when the children got done. They got stickers or even a pin for helping the driver.

I have a question for you though. Why do we have to back up the ramp to load on buses? I can't turn my neck and it makes it very hard to stay on the ramp when you can't see where you are going. Since most drivers load chairs first if we drive it on we can still back it in the spot right?

It has been mentioned about how harmful not being properly tied down is for the chair occupant. It is very dangerous for the other riders having some projectile coming at them too. That is a lesson in keeping your own private vehicles cleaned out of things that "could" become projectiles in a wreck.

Class dismissed.

 

[SueM in MN]

I have a question for you though. Why do we have to back up the ramp to load on buses? I can't turn my neck and it makes it very hard to stay on the ramp when you can't see where you are going. Since most drivers load chairs first if we drive it on we can still back it in the spot right?

There are some things in this old thread that should help answer your 'why' question.
There is a link to that thread and a lot of other information about boarding buses in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the thread list on this board.