Beware of Disney Bus Drivers

[wdwcrazy]

I am just so angry right now I could spit. I am disabled and own my own ecv. I went to Disney World a few months back and had a problem getting off a Disney bus. The driver didn't put the lift all the way down and when I went to get off the bus my scooter was damaged. I reported it to a manager at the Boardwalk who in turn handed me a card and told me to call Disney claims. Well, $550.00 in repairs, numerous faxes and calls to Disney and now they are saying they have no way of proving that my scooter was damaged on their bus. I reported it to a manager but evidently the bus driver didn't make a report so I can't prove it happened. This is what I have been told after sending them the bills for the repairs and waiting to be reimbursed.

How's that for the Disney way? Ask for the bills and then decide you don't want to pay them.

I now have to call an attorney to have them contact Disney. How sad. So beware of your scooters and wheelchairs and if you are unfortunate enough to have an accident on Disney property make sure you get photos, statements etc. as Disney will not believe you.

 

[kaytieeldr]

While it's regrettable that your property was damaged, and there's absolutely no reason NOT to believe you, and I'm not defending Walt Disney World in any way, try to look at it impartially. There's no actual proof that your ECV was damaged due to something WDW or its employee or equipment did or didn't do - except your word and that of the bus driver.

If you were on an older bus with the actual lift, the lip on that should not have opened unless/until the base of the lift was securely on a flat surface (i.e. the pavement). If it did open, and you don't have the bus driver or some other witness/es to support that it malfunctioned and you were able to, effectively, fall some inches off the lift, there's not a lot you can do. How far from the ground were you when you rode off the lift?

If it was a newer bus with the ramp that slides or folds out of the bus floor, I honestly can't see how it could have malfunctioned and caused damage - could you provide more detail?

 

[wdwcrazy]

It was the old lift and no, it didn't touch the ground. So I actually drove off the end of the lift. The scooter was hanging over the edge and my husband had to help me off the scooter and then remove it from the bus. After he got it off the lift, it wouldn't start. He took it apart with the bus driver watching and checked all the connections etc and eventually got it to work. Once I got on it, it kept on stopping on its own and making an awful noise. I reported it to a Boardwalk manager but that was not enough. He gave me a claims card and told me to call, which I did. I was told there should have been an incident report. How should I know this?

Now after having the scooter repaired and being told to submit the bills, I was told that the driver didn't make a report so that there is no record of the accident. If they weren't going to pay the bills, why ask for them? Were they just checking to see how much it was going to cost and then refuse?

I have always loved all things Disney and I am a DVC member but this has left a very bad taste in my mouth and I don't know if Disney will ever be the same for me. I have just placed a call to my attorney and they will be getting a letter from her.

 

[SueM in MN]

It was the old lift and no, it didn't touch the ground. So I actually drove off the end of the lift. The scooter was hanging over the edge and my husband had to help me off the scooter and then remove it from the bus. After he got it off the lift, it wouldn't start. He took it apart with the bus driver watching and checked all the connections etc and eventually got it to work. Once I got on it, it kept on stopping on its own and making an awful noise. I reported it to a Boardwalk manager but that was not enough. He gave me a claims card and told me to call, which I did. I was told there should have been an incident report. How should I know this?

Now after having the scooter repaired and being told to submit the bills, I was told that the driver didn't make a report so that there is no record of the accident. If they weren't going to pay the bills, why ask for them? Were they just checking to see how much it was going to cost and then refuse?

I have always loved all things Disney and I am a DVC member but this has left a very bad taste in my mouth and I don't know if Disney will ever be the same for me. I have just placed a call to my attorney and they will be getting a letter from her.

I still don’t understand.
The little hinged lip on the end of the end of the lift stays up until the floor of the lift is actually level all the way on the ground. We’ve actually been trapped on the bus because the lip stayed up so we could not get out. The end of the lip platform touching the ground is what triggers the lip to be released so the guest can get out.
We’ve had the drivers have to do a lot of futzing with it to get it to come down.
Did you go over the lip? Or was the bus somewhere uneven and one side was down and the other not?

For other readers - if you have a problem with a bus or a driver, report it to Transportation. There is information in the disABILITIES FAQs thread about how to report it.
Not saying the driver was correct in not reporting it, but since you did eventually did get the ECV to work, he probably decided not to report it. When someone calls the Tranportation office ASAP afterwards, they will make sure an incident report is filled out.

Hope you get it resolved.

 

[wdwcrazy]

The lip on the lift went down but it wasn't on the ground. It was not evenly placed on the ground at all. I could not see that from where I was sitting. When the lift went down the lip dropped but I drove off the end of the lift and was dangling kind of off kilter. My husband helped me get off the scooter as he was afraid it was going to tip over with me on it. It was amazing that I didn't get hurt. The bus driver just stood there and watched.

I reported it to a manager as soon as I got into the Boardwalk. He told me that he was going to report it or make note of it in a report. I thought that this was sufficient. I was handed a claims dept card and was told that all I needed to do was call them. I then was told by the claims dept and asked if they had a company who repaired scooters that they didn't and that I should just get it repaired and submit the bills. Well I got it repaired and submitted the bills and then was told they didn't believe me.

I will never trust a cast member again. If ever I run into problems I will demand something written. I truly thought that the manager at the Boardwalk was going to report it to the necessary people but I certainly know better now. But I still can't get the bad taste out of my mouth being that I am out $550.00 for repair bills. How sad that this has happened, it makes me ill.

 

[SueM in MN]

]The lip on the lift went down but it wasn't on the ground. It was not evenly placed on the ground at all. I could not see that from where I was sitting. When the lift went down the lip dropped but I drove off the end of the lift and was dangling kind of off kilter.[/B] My husband helped me get off the scooter as he was afraid it was going to tip over with me on it. It was amazing that I didn't get hurt. The bus driver just stood there and watched.

I reported it to a manager as soon as I got into the Boardwalk. He told me that he was going to report it or make note of it in a report. I thought that this was sufficient. I was handed a claims dept card and was told that all I needed to do was call them. I then was told by the claims dept and asked if they had a company who repaired scooters that they didn't and that I should just get it repaired and submit the bills. Well I got it repaired and submitted the bills and then was told they didn't believe me.

I will never trust a cast member again. If ever I run into problems I will demand something written. I truly thought that the manager at the Boardwalk was going to report it to the necessary people but I certainly know better now. But I still can't get the bad taste out of my mouth being that I am out $550.00 for repair bills. How sad that this has happened, it makes me ill.

Thanks for the explanation. I have not looked at the ground at the bus stop at the Boardwalk, but one problem I have noticed at some of the bus stops is that they have a curb cut that the driver needs to line up with. If they line up squarely with it, all is well. If they don’t the door might be partly lined up with the flat part of the curb cut and part with the cut out ramped part of the curb cut. That sounds like what might have happened to you.
Usually, the lip on the lift won’t pop open unless the whole platform is flat, but there may have been a malfunction or maybe it was flat enough to open.

 

[wdwcrazy]

I am happy to report that I just received a phone call and Disney claims has decided to pay the claim. I think it may have been because I emailed an executive at Disney. I was told that the email had been received by them and forwarded on to claims. So at least some of my faith in Disney has been restored. Not all but some.

 

[disney david]

I am happy to report that I just received a phone call and Disney claims has decided to pay the claim. I think it may have been because I emailed an executive at Disney. I was told that the email had been received by them and forwarded on to claims. So at least some of my faith in Disney has been restored. Not all but some.

thats good i think they came to their sense and relized they was in the wrong and all you was asking was for the money that it took to repair it. I am glad to hear they are going to do the right thing and take care of it and you didn't have to take them to court to get them to pay.

 

[ratlenhum]

Sorry you are dealing with this. I can't help but ask though, how much is the lawyer going to cost you? Is it worth paying a lawyer to recover $550?

 

[wdwcrazy]

Not that it matters but you can often have an attorney write a letter on your behalf for as little as $150.00. But I am fortunate enough to have an attorney in my family.

 

[seashoreCM]

(rewinding a bit)

Now what do you think would have happened if you had told the driver that the ramp was not down correctly and not exited the bus until he retried the ramp and got it down?

 

[wdwcrazy]

If I could have seen that the ramp was not down correctly I would have said something. But from where I was sitting I couldn't tell that there was a problem.

 

[disney david]

If I could have seen that the ramp was not down correctly I would have said something. But from where I was sitting I couldn't tell that there was a problem.

the driver proberly wasnt able to see it wasnt lowered right since it was the older bus and he would of been higher up. So i am sure if the driver seen it he would of said not to get off or try to lower it more.

 

[I Love Pluto]

I'm sorry that you are dealing with this issue. I know that our scooters are important in getting around, so any problems with the scooter are immediate and important.

I'm glad that Disney is helping you with your repair bills.

I also want to thank you for making us all aware of a potential problem. This way, we can be educated in what to do. I'm with the poster who suggested that we not exit at all if the lift and lip are not fully down onto the pavement.

 

[brat]

Sorry it took so much to get help with your repair.

As for lifts on buses we have had issues of many types with both city buses and school buses at home.
I do not know if our trick will help with a ecv since we use manual/powerchairs but it might give you an idea that will work for you.
We keep a folding reacher on each of our chairs which I put measureing tape-tape on. You touch the ground off the edge of the ramp and know how far the drop is if the ground is flat.I normally ask drivers to put me or my kids down on the flatest spot of the stop he can.Most drivers do not realize that you do see if you are about to drop off the ramp.

BTW if your tires are to close to the fold down lip of some lifts the will open when the lift stops even if it has not reached the ground.DS thinks this is cool and likes to do a drop. His powerchair is built to handle playing outside so as long as he does not go extreme or tip he is ok.Mind you I worry.

I hope more of the magic finds its way back to you.Sorry you had such a hard time getting what they promissed.