bus question

[Captain_Hook]

I have a question about wheelchairs on busses.

First, let me say that I am not in a wheelchair and this question is meant only to educate me -- a genuinely honest question meaning no offense.

Last week while we were there I noticed that sometimes people using wheelchairs remained in their wheelchair while on the bus. Sometimes, he/she got out of the chair and sat in one of the bus seats. Aside from the obvious answer of some people are not able to leave their wheelchairs, I was wondering why some people do not remain in their wheelchair on the bus?

Please no flames, just curious.

 

[phillybeth]

It's a matter of safety I believe. Can anyone verify that?

 

[Captain_Hook]

Not to argue, because obviously I don't know, but the ones who stayed in their chairs, were not only hooked in to the buses by the chair, but also seemed to have a seatbelt that went around their waist and the chair to keep them secure.

 

[SteveMouse]

Safety is a major issue.

ECVs (scooters) generally don't have seatbelts, and wheelchairs ONLY do if they are specially ordered.

Sitting on an ECV on a bus is not especially secure- imagine the bus getting into an accident and people going flying-the bus seats are permanently mounted, the straps used to hold a WC/ECV in place aren't.

-steve

 

[Carnator]

I am not sure what laws if any this is under, if you have to take a seat or not. It seems it is left up to the driver. I use an ECV and when i board the bus I always ask the driver what he/she wants me to do. Most of them tell me it is my choice, to stay in the ECV or take a seat. A very few have asked me to take a seat. I would rather stay in the ECV(always wear my seat belt) and not take up any more seats. I would be interested in knowing what the correct regulations are.

Dec 06, going back

 

[Chuck S]

I do think it is the choice of the individual as far as regulations. Mom is in a wheelchair for the parks, since we drive we bring out own and when we use a bus, she stays in the chair. However, her chair seems very securely strapped down. If she were in an ECV, I think I would prefer her to be in a regular bus seat, ECVs and some power chairs, in my opinion would be more likely to tip and seriously hurt someone simply because of the additional mechanical weight as opposed to a standard wheelchair.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I don't have experience with wheelchairs at WDW, but I can tell you what the rules are for school buses in my area.

In order for a child to remain in their wheelchair on the school bus there needs to be support for the back of their head so that they don't get whiplash in a crash. Any kind of chair with a low back (e.g. shoulder height) is not approved. There are other rules as far as kind of seatbelts etc . . . as well.

 

[BillSears]

ECV seats tend to be abit higher then wheelchair seats and ECV seats sit on one pedestal so are more likely to tip. One other thing is ECV users are more likely to be able to walk a small amount to move to a seat. So you are going to see more ECV users sit in a regular bus seat.

It's interesting how our city buses handle wheelchair users. We enter in through the front door lift and the front bench is folded up. Then we just put on our breaks and hold onto the rail. No strapping in at all. But it works ok for me although I don't ride the buses very often.

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

Some wheelchair users transfer to a seat as a measure of curtousy. A wheelchair that is folded up will allow 2 other wheelchair users on board the bus. My son is in a wheelchair and is unable to transfer. There were users who transfered to allow us get on the bus when 3 wheelchair users where waiting.

 

[SueM in MN]

Sitting on an ECV on a bus is not especially secure- imagine the bus getting into an accident and people going flying-the bus seats are permanently mounted, the straps used to hold a WC/ECV in place aren't.

-steve

You are right that riding on an ECV on a bus is not especially secure. ECVs are not designed to be ridden on during transport, so they don't have any good secure places to attach the straps on the bus to. Because of that, they can't always be tied down very well and many people prefer to not ride in them on the bus. Because most people who use ECVs can walk at least a bit, they are more likely to get off and ride in a bus seat even if the driver can tie it down.

The straps used to tie down wheelchairs and ECVs actually are permanently mounted on the WDW buses. We have moveable ones on our van, but they are as securely attached as the van seats (they snap in and out of a track made for securing them that is mounted on the van floor).
The companies that make the tiedown straps actually crash test them to make sure they will hold a wheelchair in an accident. Most wheelchairs are not crash tested unless you are using the wheelchair seats that the manufacturer provides. My DD is getting a new power wheelchair soon and the one she is looking at was crash tested, but she will be using a different seating system that has not been crash tested.

Also, seat belts are usually an option on wheelchairs or ECVs, but the seatbelt on a wheelchair is not meant to secure the person riding the wheelchair while riding in a vehicle. There needs to be a seatbelt that is attached to the vehicle; that becomes part of the system that is securing the wheelchair and the occupant to the bus/van.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Pretty much every bus driver I asked preferred that I move to a seat.

The center of gravity on an ECV is higher than that of a wheelchair anyway; add a person and it becomes top-heavy. It's safer all-around if the ECV rider moves to a seat - yes, even with the seatbelt and the strapping.

I had to explain to a Guest recently who sat on my rental that no, it's not an extra seat on the bus that nobody took; and that if it was safe to ride in it, that's where I'd be

 

[kchar1]

I have work for a bus company for the last 7 yrs and I just wanted to address your question. Most of the reason why people get out of the scooter is, when you ride in a scooter. The scooter is top heavy and if you never done that before it is a very uncofortable ride. The securement system on the bus is usually secured to the bus wall by bolts with a way to adjust the width of the securement for bigger size chairs. We have shoulder straps in our buses but, we don't use them in 40 ft. buses, we only use them if you where in a small bus for multiple w/c users due to the faster swing of the bus when turning corners. The big bus sit lower and you don't get that much of a swing around the corner. The bus driver is always trained in using the securement system. Mostly it depends on the comfort of the passenger. Unless it is a safety related reason.