Bus Driver Crashed Into Contemporary Gate House

[StraightToDumbo]

I don't know if this has ever happened to anyone else, but in 2013 our bus driver crashed into the gate house at the Contemporary. Worst part was that we were staying at the Polynesian, so we had to either wait for another bus or get off and just use the monorail to get "home".

We had taken the bus to Blizzard Beach for mini-golf, took the first bus back (to HS), then to the MK Resort Bus. My daughter felt bad for having chosen the HS bus, and still talks about it today.

We had to wait for investigators to interview us before we were allowed to leave.

The day after this incident, that same driver was directing foot traffic at AK.

Anyone else have any crazy bus stories?

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

yup i have a crazy bus story

Years ago we took Magic Express from the airport to Port Orleans. The bus took 3 hours. The bus driver was lost and at one point was doing a k turn that almost took us into a retention pond. Nobody spoke to the driver to ask if he was lost though. Dads were making phone calls-not sure to who. When we finally got off i asked to see the map Disney had given him. It looked like it was written with a big sharpie. I gave him my good map of the Disney roads, the one given out by the hotels at the Valet stand.

 

[cherylnj]

yup i have a crazy bus story

Years ago we took Magic Express from the airport to Port Orleans. The bus took 3 hours. The bus driver was lost and at one point was doing a k turn that almost took us into a retention pond. Nobody spoke to the driver to ask if he was lost though. Dads were making phone calls-not sure to who. When we finally got off i asked to see the map Disney had given him. It looked like it was written with a big sharpie. I gave him my good map of the Disney roads, the one given out by the hotels at the Valet stand.

Magic Express drivers don't work for Disney. They work for Mears. They're a hot mess.

 

[greentea]

I was waiting for a bus at the same time as a man in an ECV. The bus pulls up and the driver extends the ramp -- but hadn't pulled up far enough so the ramp caught the edge of some bushes. Instead of getting back in the bus and pulling up a little more, the driver started pressing the ramp down as though crushing the bushes with the ramp would work and allow the ECV on. They just kept trying to press it flat and the bush kept on not cooperating -- I'm still not sure how the driver expected someone to safely get on that ramp by driving over a bush. A second bus pulled up shortly after, and I ended up on that one instead. Not too crazy, but definitely weird.

 

[AngiTN]

Two Thanksgiving's ago we were going from MCO to BWI (on ME), rather late in the evening. There was road construction combined with heavy traffic due to final year of Osborne lights at HS. So there were Traffic cops and orange cones everywhere. It was a mess. You couldn't get to BWI in the way the driver was used to. He didn't want to go the way he was directed so he went straight even though the policeman was directing him to turn. He ran over cones. The police car stopped him at the entrance to BWI and boarded the bus. We were seated near the front and heard the entire conversation. The driver tried to say he was directed to go straight. We know he wasn't, as did the officer. He told the driver to drop the passengers and return to the intersection to continue the discussion. No idea what happened, was just glad to get to our room.

 

[BigAlsGal]

As we were leaving to get on the Magic Express to go back home a stupid Mears bus pulled up instead. I was so miffed about not getting to take the Magic Express back to the airport. Getting a proper send off if you will.

Well...

The Mears bus broke down on the side of the road. We were stuck there for probably 30 minutes (glad for the 3 hour early pick up). My beloved Magic Express comes to the rescue!!! I got to watch the goodbye video. DH said "Well you got what you wanted."

Yes I did.

 

[supersnoop]

Two stories:

Our bus from the Magic Kingdom back to Animal Kingdom Lodge missed the turn to Osceola Pkwy. Instead, he turned onto 192. Most folks were shocked to be outside the magical gates. Then he tried to turn around in a gas station parking lot. It was about a 9-point turn, narrowly missing the folks walking around the parking lot.

My wife and I flew separately a few hours apart. I was waiting for her in our room at the boardwalk. It was about 1AM when DME pulled into the resort. But the driver didn't turn on any lights or open the doors. And then drove off. When questioned, she never got a straight answer to the question, "why didn't you let us off?" And the driver made all other stops before returning to drop her off.

 

[joelkfla]

Our bus from the Magic Kingdom back to Animal Kingdom Lodge missed the turn to Osceola Pkwy. Instead, he turned onto 192. Most folks were shocked to be outside the magical gates. Then he tried to turn around in a gas station parking lot. It was about a 9-point turn, narrowly missing the folks walking around the parking lot.

Bad driver! Bad! Bad!

Every driver misses a turn occasionally, but there are procedures and approved return routes to follow when a bus inadvertently goes off property. This driver either forgot his training or chose to ignore it.

 

[ParrotBill]

Some years ago our bus arriving at the Magic Kingdom clipped a sign with the mirror. The slightest of damage to the mirror. But this required moving the bus to the curb, and sitting waiting for Disney Transport Management, Security and Accident Investigators all to arrive. Then as stated above, every passenger had to be identified, and interviewed, and only then, would they move the bus back to a drop off. Over an hour sitting with the gates in sight!

 

[joelkfla]

I confess I had a few mirror "incidents" while I was a driver. They're not that big of a deal for the driver; they roll off the record card after a year. But I always felt so bad for the Guests on the bus, knowing that I was taking time away from their vacation, and maybe causing them to miss a highly anticipated ADR.

 

[DerEchte]

A couple of weeks ago I was on the bus from Thypoon Lagoon to Disney Springs. The bus driver was driving at a snail's speed but I thought they may be required to do so as long as they are not on a real road...

Well a couple of minutes later we we're out on the 'real' road and we continued the entire drive at what felt like 10mph.

I still don't know why.

 

[joelkfla]

A couple of weeks ago I was on the bus from Thypoon Lagoon to Disney Springs. The bus driver was driving at a snail's speed but I thought they may be required to do so as long as they are not on a real road...

Well a couple of minutes later we we're out on the 'real' road and we continued the entire drive at what felt like 10mph.

I still don't know why.

It could have been a Check Engine or Check Transmission light. If they come on during a trip, the usual procedure is to try to get the bus to it's destination, where the Guests can be offloaded and Maintenance called. The bus' engine computer may limit the speed to the around 10mph under these conditions.

If it degrades to a Stop Engine or Do Not Shift light, the bus will shut down in a minute or so, and has to be pulled over at a safe location and the Guests transferred to a relief bus.