Beware of Disney Driver

[jndmommy]

We had an absolute great time at CBR, up until the second to last day. The day before we left, there was a MAJOR incident with one of the bus drivers. Here goes my long vent. Every other bus driver we had left the back door of the bus open to get the carriages on through the back. My sister- in- law (13) took my dd (4) by the hand to go on the bus (through the back door, we were behind them with the carriages). As my dd stepped onto the bus, the driver closed the door on her leg, and started to pull away from the stop. Everyone inside & outside the bus was screaming at him. Since he was going so slow, my dh ran up and starting prying the rubber seal on the door open. The bus driver stopped but didn't open the door right away. About a minute or two later he opened the door, Disney Security went flying on the bus yelling at the driver. My dd was shaken up and hurt her knee. She fell when her foot got caught. The driver never asked if she was ok or said sorry. As we got off our stop, other passengers said they heard him mumble "Oh well, she shouldn't have been there." What a jerk, and that's going easy. We went straight to the front desk with our complaint, I wanted to speak to everybody. The manager of CBR contacted the supposed shift manager of transportation & also took my report. They sent their EMT's to our room to check her out along with some other Disney staff to document our complaint again. I wanted to know what would be done. They told us, since she appeared fine, it was now an internal investigation. That's not enough for me. I want to write a letter to the head of DisneyWorld & the head of their transportation. I want to know what happened to this guy, and how their hire such callous people for the "happiest place on earth." I know the head of DisneyWorld's address & name is on this site somewhere, so I'll look. If any of you know it, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks so much for reading my long vent.

 

[hucifer]

I would have been FURIOUS at the bus driver!

I can't assist you, but I hope some justice is served here. I really hope that Disney folks do something about this driver.

 

[SnackyStacky]

The president of Walt Disney World is Al Weiss.

But if you start from the top, the letter will simply be put through down the levels. It will probably just be forwarded to the transportation department.

Start from the bottom and work your way up. As you progress, if you are not satisfied, go up another level.

Your situation is absolutely awful and I hope you get a resolution soon!

 

[tessqt]

I'm sorry your little one went through that trauma, something should be done, some kind of "punishment", go through safety training again, sensitivity training, something.

Reading this reminded me of a few years ago, probably my ds was around 4, we went to our local dairy, a store on a farm. Small store so normal pull doors. My ds got ahead of me and before I could get close enough to get the door from a man leaving, HE LET IT GO and my ds was hit on the side of his face! The only thing the "man" said was "I didn't see him". Did not ask if he was okay, just left. I just don't get people now adays.

 

[Kaycee]

What a scary thing to happen. Someone with an attitude like that should never be working with the public, especially in a position where guests can be hurt due to his carelessness.

I agree with Dan that it's best to start low and work your way up the ranks until you get a satisfactory resolution. I'd start with transportation management then work my way up.

Please keep us updated.

 

[Yardbird]

That is terrible! How traumatic that must have been for you and your daughter! The bus driver's comment alone, should have him removed from that position.

 

[betterlatethannever]

I am so sorry your child got hurt. The driver could have been more sympathetic.

FYI, the other drivers were breaking the rule. Nobody is supposed to enter through the back door.

As far a I know, every bus has the DO NOT ENTER sign on the steps. The reason for this is that the drivers cannot see if anybody is back there.

Unfortunately, the other drivers instilled a false belief that it was OK to go in the back.

Ed

 

[lvlurker]

Sorry to hear about your incident. I would start at the top, and let them forward it down. I highly doubt you will be told what the action taken against the driver is/was.

 

[Aalore]

I would have been furious. I hope that you get everything settled. The bus driver doesn't need to be driving in my opinion!

 

[JohnNJ]

How horrible! I hope she's OK now.

 

[Hannahsmom]

I am so sorry your child got hurt. The driver could have been more sympathetic.

FYI, the other drivers were breaking the rule. Nobody is supposed to enter through the back door.

As far a I know, every bus has the DO NOT ENTER sign on the steps. The reason for this is that the drivers cannot see if anybody is back there.

Unfortunately, the other drivers instilled a false belief that it was OK to go in the back.

Ed

This may be true Ed, but this driver broke a major rule, possibly the one most important rule for a bus driver. A driver ALWAYS checks all mirrors making sure the bus is clear before leaving the curb. I hold a CDL in the state of MI, and if something happened like this while driving for a school district or shuttle service this person would have been terminated immediately. Thank God this child is OK, it could have been so much worse.

 

[Alexander]

I hope your daughter is okay!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but there are signs posted on the back doors that say "Do Not Enter". The back doors are for exiting the busses only. I know if you have a stroller or wheelchair, they make exceptions. I just wanted to point out that there are signs that indicate you are not supposed to enter the back doors.

When we were getting on the bus at the BC last week, two young girls bolted for the back door and entered. The bus driver closed the front door, asked us to wait and went to the back of the bus and spoke to the two girls about what they had done.

 

[JerJan]

I would definately complain ....and LOUDLY! Don't expect to hear about what disciplinary action is taken on the driver though, that would be considered confidential information.

 

[Alexander]

This may be true Ed, but this driver broke a major rule, possibly the one most important rule for a bus driver. A driver ALWAYS checks all mirrors making sure the bus is clear before leaving the curb. I hold a CDL in the state of MI, and if something happened like this while driving for a school district or shuttle service this person would have been terminated immediately. Thank God this child is OK, it could have been so much worse.

Not defending the bus drivers reaction to the situation, but if the child was four years old and the lower part of her leg was stuck in the rubber between the doors, it is unlikely that he could have see any of her from the mirror. You just aren't supposed to enter those back doors for safety reasons just as this.

 

[taximomfor4]

I am so sorry your child got hurt. The driver could have been more sympathetic.

FYI, the other drivers were breaking the rule. Nobody is supposed to enter through the back door.

As far a I know, every bus has the DO NOT ENTER sign on the steps. The reason for this is that the drivers cannot see if anybody is back there.

Unfortunately, the other drivers instilled a false belief that it was OK to go in the back.

Ed

I was going to express the same thought, actually. In both trips, we had strollers and NEVER were allowed to board through a rear door, not a single time. We were, however, allowed to exit through them.

This story reminds me of the Great Movie Ride really rude CM, who lied about the ride to our faces as we got on it, then smirked as he shut the door on DHs leg. DH was FURIOUS but the ride started moving then.

HOPe your dd is fine now!
Beth

 

[JohnNJ]

This story reminds me of the Great Movie Ride really rude CM, who lied about the ride to our faces as we got on it, then smirked as he shut the door on DHs leg. DH was FURIOUS but the ride started moving then.

What did the CM on the Great Movie Ride lie about?

 

[SueM in MN]

Not defending the bus drivers reaction to the situation, but if the child was four years old and the lower part of her leg was stuck in the rubber between the doors, it is unlikely that he could have see any of her from the mirror. You just aren't supposed to enter those back doors for safety reasons just as this.

The driver should not have driven off or commented that way, but it's very possible that your child was not seen.

If you want to bring a stroller in thru the back doors, make sure you have the driver's attention before you do it (the most common way is to have some of your party enter thru the front door and ask the driver to open the back so you can get your stroller loaded).
The driver not being able to see you is one of the reasons that the doors are marked "Exit only" and the driver usually closes the door as soon as he/she can see that there is no one else on the bus waiting to exit thru that door.
It's also possible that some of the times the door is left open, it was not necessarily to let people load at the back, but because there were still people inside the bus heading for it to get off (or the driver was just slow closing it).

 

[DebbieB]

For legal reasons, I doubt you will find out what they did with the driver. If you want to pursue it futher, you'll probably need to file suit.

 

[seashoreCM]

To increase the chances that heads will roll upstairs, ask for compensation in your complaint letter.

The bus driver needs to be disciplined not for closing the door on your child's leg but for driving off before ensuring that nothing is against the side of the bus possibly partly inside, for not stopping immediately given the reaction of passengers inside the bus, and for cavalier attitude.

The Great Movie Ride CM needs to be disciplined not for lying but for slamming the door on someone's leg and for rudeness.

I would say complimentary dinner for the entire family would be appropriate.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

My ds got ahead of me and before I could get close enough to get the door from a man leaving, HE LET IT GO and my ds was hit on the side of his face! The only thing the "man" said was "I didn't see him". Did not ask if he was okay, just left. QUOTE]
Au contraire (or on the other hand) I do not consider it mandatory to turn around and look back every time when opening a door and walking through.

 

[SueM in MN]

There are 2 versions of this same thread. Here's a link to the other one.