Be patient with Bus Drivers!

[zumbergc]

Hi All,

Just back from the World, was there june 14-17th. We stayed over at the swan this time.

All I can say is they must be training some new bus drivers.
Be patient, as some of them must still be learning.

OK, were at the swan. On 1 occasions a bus driver either pulls in and stops the loading section in front of a 3-4 foot pilon, so once they come to the back of the bus they realize they have to move the bus. It was funny watching them manuver the bus, like a horrible person paralel parking.


Another occasion I was loaded, but some how the driver forgot to level the bus. This took like 20 min for them to figure it out. It was the end of the night at MK, so lots of standing and impatient people on board.
Amazingly it was the time I was thinking out loud to some passengers, saying, did they level the bus. We finally got out of MK, it took a while.

The same bus driver that had issues loadins, parked where the exit was in front of the pilon again at the swan. I couldn't believe it. The pilons are huge, go all the way up the ceiling part of the bus stop, they have 2 pilons right next to each other and they are huge and hard to miss.
I motored down, hopped off, husband had to pick up the back of the scooter, and turn it 90 degrees so I could get off the ramp. I mentioned to the bus driver they needed to move th bus so I could actually get off the bus and was ignored.
At the end of the ramp, there was 2 feet and the 3 foot wide pilon, just amazing what they expect ecv drivers to do.


One other questionable load. The ramp wouldn't come out all the way, and I didn't know how sturdy the thing was.
So, I got off the scooter, rolled it up the ramp (as I didn't want it to collapse on me, and fall to the ground).

We didn't ride the buses much since we spent most of our time over at MGM for star wars weekends, but we only had 1 good bus driver out of the 4.

They must be training some new bus drivers!!! So watch out!!

We did have one speedy bus driver, he was super fast and great about the whole loading process.

 

[JoyMouse]

We almost always have great luck with our drivers. Hope that your next trip will show that the drivers that you helped train have greatly improved!

 

[MulanMom]

We noticed during last year's trip the bus drivers would often stop and the rear ramp opened to a pylon. It was at Epcot. I was not under the impression that the drivers were new or training. Rather, the drivers were used to stopping at a certain point, the pylons were installed within the last few years, and there is perhaps no reference point for a driver to know if the ramp is in front of the pylon. I think we experienced the same problem at one of the waterparks and at the Poly. Whoever designed the new layouts obviously didn't anticipate the problems that would arise with practical application!!!

 

[Barbday62]

This is not a complaint but last Christmas when we boarded the buses I always helped secure my husbands wheel chair and then remove the straps when time to get off and one bus driver who was a supervisor gave me a card invititing me to be a bus driver for Disney,and he woudl refer me. lol. I told him you dont ever want me near the wheel backing a bus for you. lol

 

[KPeveler]

I am very glad to see that all of you, even though you had problems with drivers, are being so positive about it! i was afraid this would turn into one long complaint about stupid bus drivers, but you all seem incredibly patient!

i have also had problems with bus drivers before, and i always try to help them. i knew the routine better than they did. the biggest problem i had was they forgot to put on the E-brake. on most buses, you must have the emergency brake on to lower a ramp. so if you are sitting at the back and the ramp won't lower, try to find a friendly way of asking if the parking brake is on. (after all, you WANT the e-brake on - you dont want the bus rolling away with granny on it hanging out the side!)

 

[GroovyWheeler]

I've never had a problem with bus drivers when they were tying down my chair, and it took quite some time to do so. In fact, my DH (who likes to be very helpful) would help with the tie-downs. So would my mom, especially since she's a pro at it after having to secure my power chair in my wheelchair van.

Some of them can be characters when they tie down your wheelchair, and joke with you at the same time.

Samantha