Beware of Disney Driver

[grimley1968]

Load the buses like normal people and this would not happen.

FYI, you can not climb through the windows to get a seat either.

Unbelievable comment.

I believe it's been shown by posters above that there ARE cases where the back doors can be used to get ON the buses, in addition to getting off the buses, such as wheelchairs and ECV's. If this had occurred while the family was offloading the bus, rather than loading the bus, and the DD had still gotten her leg caught just the same (it is a risk), would you still have posted that sarcastic comment? They would have been offloading the bus like "normal people".

Why do people have to be this way toward other innocent DIS'ers just relating their experiences?

 

[Lewisc]

Obviously the penalty for entering the wrong door shouldn't be bodily injury BUT this thread should also serve to warn to guests to obey the sign and not enter through the back door unless specifically directed to do so by the driver. Guests that need to enter the back door should make sure to ask first.

It sounds like the driver can't always see guests entering through the back door.

The thread title is not very helpful, we can avoid entering through the back door but we really can't avoid the OP's driver.

 

[JimFitz]

It annoys me when people are looking to get some sort of free ride for something that was scary, but not life threatening or actually causing an injury.

Sorry, I read both threads and it justs seems that you want to get something "free" for what happened to you.

Oh, BTW.....drivers can not see peoples legs in the rear doors let alone a childs.

 

[paults]

sorry for what happened to your group.

We have been going to Disney since 2001 (about 9 trips) and I never saw a driver let people get on through the back door. Handicap only. Now we did see people getting on through the back door on our trip last May and so did the driver. He (the driver) quietly closed the front door and got up and went to the back and asked those who got on to please get back off and get in line. It's like jumping in line in front of someone at a ride. There was a line and I guess they couldn't wait like everyone else did so they ended up at the end on the line. And yes they made it on the bus but had only standing room left.

 

[jndmommy]

JimFitz,

I put this on both threads in response to your comment. That would be me to whom you are referring. And NO I am not trying to get any kind of "comp" out of this. I just want Disney to be aware of the situation so that they don't make it a practice of hiring negligent or insensitive people that work so closely with the general public, more importantly children. Had that been the case I would have carried on a whole lot more down in Disney. Don't assume to know my motive in this...

 

[kdtwiss]

there is no excuse for careless/reckless driving which is what that was. What if OP's dd had been with only one leg on the bus instead of her leg hanging outside the bus. There could have been serious if not possibly fatal injuries. Drivers should be certain there are no people in the doorway when closing doors and driving off. The OP's concern seems to me to be that this does not happen to anyone else. to your poor dd OP!

 

[kimatigger]

JNDMommy- Sorry that this has happened to your family. I hope your little girl is okay.

I can not believe that people are so rude. If this was your child you would feel different. I am fairly new to these boards and shocked how nasty people can get. Even if they did go through the back door obviously there were people telling the driver what was going on and he blamed a 4 year old for being in the wrong place. He could have at least checked to see how she was and said he was sorry. I think that would have been enough but he did not offer this.

 

[luvdzny]

I agree with the others who have stated that the girl should not have been going in the back door. People line up by the front door because that is the door that you enter through. What a madhouse it would be if people were allowed to enter through either door. I doubt that the driver was intentionally trying to injure the girl, I am sure he knows his job would have been on the line if he was. Your DD was breaking the rules plain & simple, it is too bad she was shaken up but I am not sure what you expect Disney to do.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I thought all strollers had to be folded up before you could bring them on the bus.

Also, if people were getting on the bus at the door that is used for entering the bus, the bus driver might not have seen anyone at the back door with the corridor full of people. Especially a smaller person who might be hidden by the door and other people on the bus.

Never, ever try to get on the bus by the back door unless the driver absolutely knows that you are there. Ask them if you can load by the back door after all the other guests have entered by the front door and keep eye contact with them at all times.

And, read signs. You are not supposed to load from the back of the bus without permission.

 

[manning]

As can be seen here, two wrongs don't make a right. Hopefully the driver got disciplined and the other party will think a looong time before boarding at the back!!!

 

[boomhauer]

As can be seen here, two wrongs don't make a right. Hopefully the driver got disciplined and the other party will think a looong time before boarding at the back!!!

Exactly.

I agree with the OP that the driver was rude and unprofessional. Again though, he may NOT have seen the child in the rear view.

However, this incident is EXACTLY why there are signs that read DO NOT ENTER on the back of the bus.

I may have missed it, but has the OP stated why they decided to get on the bus in the back, when it's so obvious they weren't supposed to? Not trying to sound rude, but I would be curious to know.

ADDITION TO LAST POST

OK, I just noticed where OP stated that all other drivers left the back door open for people with strollers. If this is in fact the case, one of 2 things has occured:

1.They have changed bus loading procedures since I was last there in May.
2.Every bus driver the OP had up until this one was not following procedure properly.

The back of the bus ALWAYS opens when first arriving at a bus stop. Not to let people on, but to let people off. The only people allowed to enter on the back of the bus are disabled people, and their parties. I have never seen a driver allow anyone to enter the back of the bus with a carriage.

Good lord - Can you imagine the chaos? How many parties have a carriage, probably 1 out of every 3, maybe 4?

 

[goofy4tink]

Even three weeks ago, the drivers were not letting people on through the back doors. Those with or without strollers were expected to board in the front, those with strollers had to fold them up. In fact, after the bus is empty, the driver closes the back door and then allows you to board. If that back door was open, the driver should have known about it and double-checked to make sure no one was in the process of mistakenly boarding through it. The driver was wrong on several counts...he didn't close the back door. He didn't prohibit passengers from boarding through the wrongfully open back door. And he started that bus up without double checking to see if all was clear.
I have never, in any of my numerous trips to WDW, seen a bus driver allow someone to board through the back door because they had a stroller. I like the example of the driver who closed the front door and went back to ask those who had boarded improperly to disembark and get in the line!!! Very nice job!!! Wish we saw more of that kind of quiet proceedure in WDW. Everyone should have to adhere to the same rules.

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's what I have seen in multiple years of using buses at resorts with more than one bus stop:

1. The driver stops at the bus stop and opens both doors.
2. The back door is open to let passengers off, not on. The driver may not know whether or not any passengers are getting off at that stop, so the door is usually opened.
3. The driver usually shuts the back door when it's clear no one is getting off at that stop. Sometimes people change their mind and want to get off before the bus leaves, so the door may re-open after it had already closed.
4. If there are lots of people getting on, the driver might not close the back door right away because people getting on are blocking the view and he/she can't see if people are still getting off.
5. The front door is open to let people on at the same time as the back door is open to let people off.
6. People are usually standing all over the area, but form into lines when they see the bus they want is pulling up. There are often people standing in the stop area near where the bus back door will be when the bus stops . The majority are waiting for another bus and move out of the way as they see people coming off the bus that pulls up (But sometimes they don't move and are blocking the path of the people exiting the bus).
7. This is the advice bus drivers have given for people traveling with wheelchairs who need to use the back door:
   You need to be where the driver can see you so that he/she knows you want to board the bus. Some bus stops have a wheelchair/handicapped symbol that you can wait by. For "unmarked" bus stops, have your group out in the open (but off the roadway) near where the back door of the bus will be when it stops. At stops with buses going to multiple destinations from the same stop (like at the resorts), let the driver know whether you want the bus or not by nodding or shaking your head.
   Never assume the driver has seen you unless you get eye contact with them and the driver makes some sign that they have acknowledged your presence.
8. For people with large strollers, we have seen:
   One member of the party has been in the line to get on the bus and asked the driver whether or not the back door can be opened to let them on. Sometimes the rear of the bus is already filled and the driver will not open the door. Other times, they will. It is a courtesy though, so plan on loading thru the front door even if you have a large stroller.
9. For wheelchair access, the older buses have a lift at the rear; the steps actually unfold and become a flat surface for the lift. The newer buses have a ramp that somes out from the bus; some push out from under the bus, some fold out.
   Whatever the accessibility, the bus has warning lights and bells/buzzes that are loud and annoying when the lift or ramp is being deployed. Despite that, on almost every trip, while we are waiting to board, we have to physically stop someone who is trying to go in the back door while the buzzers and lights are going off (a good reason why a simple Do not Enter sign doesn't work - people don't even pay attention to more "active" things).
10. Sometimes, when the back door is open, people do get on. Usually the driver will stop them. Sometimes the driver doesn't see them and so nothing is said. People assume (despite the signs) that if the door is open, they can get on.

There is a big difference between entering the bus thru the back door and being allowed to enter thru the back door.
Entering doesn't always mean the driver knows you are there. Yes, you are getting on, but it is dangerous and could have a bad outcome (as the OP found out).
If you are allowed to enter, that means the driver knows you are there and has agreed to board you there. The door being open is not enough. unless you know that the driver has agreed to board you there, you are taking a chance. People sometimes assume that if they are standing there and the door is opening, that it is opening for them. Unless you have had eye contact with the driver and he/she acknowledged your presence, that is a dangerous assumption to make.

 

[isyt]

I am sorry that this happened to you, and that the driver was not apologetic towards your family. It sounds like if he would have taken a different attitude, apologized and explained loading procedures this thread wouldn't exist. Some people need a little more magic training.

We always have a stroller and I have always gone through the front with the kids and asked for the back to open. Sometimes a driver would see my dh and open it before I could ask, but yes it always folded. We have a double stroller so it is bulky. I am counting the days until we don't need it, but my kids are really lazy and they'll be in it until they're 20 or so!!!

 

[Disney Daniel]

Okay folks, as it seems we have two threads discussing this exact topic, this one will be closed. Feel free to continue the discussion Here.

As always, be sure to be respectful to fellow DIS'ers!