Bus service isn't THAT bad..or is it....?

[Jennasis]

So I've been reading horror stories about how terrible the bus service has gotten. Truthfully I have never ever had a problem with the bus service. Sure I've been stuck standing on the bus back to my resort at park closing, or waiting in lines just to get ON the bus at closing, but I've never had a crazy wait to get anywhere. The drivers are prompt and curteous in my experience.

For those who think the the service has gotten bad, what do you propose to fix the situation? What other means of transportation could Disney legitimately utilize to fulfill it's future transportation needs (quit dreaming, they'll never expand the monorail.)

 

[TCwest]

We were there in February, and our only problems were that the drivers sometimes seemed cranky...for instance we were all standing outside ASMo, witing for the bus when we saw the Space Shuttle take off...needless to say, we were all mesmerized...well, he pulled up and yelled at us to get in (we were all headed to Fantasmic) well, we did get there late, but we didn't care--but he *****ed the entire way about how late we were going to be, etc...well, we weren't blaming him!
My husband kept joking about how he wants to retire to become a craking bus driver at WDW...we had other incidents, too. then you would run into one that would tell you funny jokes...I'd still do the buses again, though.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

I've never experienced bus problems at WDW. The waits during non-closing times have always been less than 15 minutes, and usually just 5 or 10. At closing time, my longest wait was 45 minutes, which I didn't think excessive due to the huge amount of people leaving at once.

I was at Riverside last week, and there were ALWAYS people waiting with us moaning about the horrible bus service. I honestly didn't know what they were talking about! I think some people expect a bus to always be waiting.

 

[Disney Doll]

I haven't ever had really bad bus service either. I mean, at EPCOT at closing time, if you think that when the other 10 million people are leaving along with you that you're going to have a bus there waiting and everyone is going to be out of the park within 10 minutes, well the problem is more with your expectation than with the bus service. I think for the amount of people WDW moves on a daily basis, the bus service is good. I have encountered one or two cranky drivers in my times there, but that's the exception, not the rule. I think as long as most people are reasonably courteous to the driver, you'll get the same in return. I think Disney, like anywhere else, is ruined at times by people who have no manners or sense of propriety, and are looking out only for themselves, pushing and shoving etc. That's probably the kind of thing that annoys bus drivers.

 

[BobBrazeal]

I've used the bus service exclusively for every visit over the last 4 years. I have averaged 2 to 2 1/2 trips a year each for 6-10 days. That is a lot of bus trips and I've had very few problems.

Usually when I think it is taking "forever" to get a bus, I check my watch and it really hasn't been that long. I believe that the stated time is every 20 minutes for most of the bus routes. I can only recall a few (3-4) times that the wait was longer than that. Most have been trying to get back to my resort from DD West Side. That is one bus stop that I avoid now. Seems to me that the buses get filled up at Market Place and PI stops and just don't even pull into West Side.

Other than that I've been very pleased. I'll continue to utilize the bus system and save the $$ that I would have spent on a rental car.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

We have met many drivers while at DW. We met one last year who suggested eating at 'Shula's'. Just how much do these drivers earn? LOL

This year we met "Linda" who spent quite a bit of time talking to us. We were the only people on the bus and she was so chatty and nice. The people we meet at DW are what make our trip special - guests and CM. I find that if you greet people with a smile you usually get one back and on the rare occasion when that does not work I give the smile anyway. Everyone has a rough day sometimes (the job or home) so maybe they NEED a smile more than when they are happy.

SlightlyGoofy

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

We were at CSR last week, and had excellent bus service. I commented several times to my DH, that renting a car would have been a complete waste.

We never waited more than 10 minutes or so, going to or from, and we were on the busses alot. We always came back to our room in the afternoon. We only stood once, and that was from Blizzard Beach. Once we stopped at MGM, we had a seat to CSR.

The bus drivers were nice. We did not speak with them too much. My DD liked sitting in the back.

It was much nicer getting on an air-conditioned bus, than a hot sticky car would have been.

They were taking polls at our resort every morning, asking us where we were heading. I guess they were trying to develop trends.

Hope this helps

 

[Kermit]

I love Disney buses. You do have to wait a few minutes sometimes, and you can't always get onto the first bus when you leave at closing time, but it's infinitely better than piling into a hot car, fidgeting with maps trying to get where you're going, writing down the parking section so you can get back, and then waiting for a tram to take you to the park. Take it easy; you're on vacation. If you have to sit around 10 or 15 minutes waiting for a bus, spend some time taking in the scenery.

I haven't ever had any big bus problems. Once this last trip there was one bus that couldn't get the lift back in after an ECV was loaded. He immediately called for another bus, but he kept trying to fix the ramp and jumped on it a few times and got it to close right as the backup bus got there. I did notice that the there didn't seem to be as many PO buses at night when the parks close, but it may have just looked that way from where we were standing. You know, the grass is always greener at the Boardwalk.

 

[SeaSpray]

Went to Disney World in early May and had almost no wait for the busses from CBR! Only had about a 20-minute wait to go to AK. Other than that, had about 10 minutes or less to the other parks. Only had to stand once, on a night-time bus out of MK. It might depend on the crowds. We were there at a great time of year and didn't have any problems with Disney busses.

 

[Patio]

I've never had any problems with buses. I always have a car but my family enjoys taking the buses. We have never minded waiting for a bus. It's fun being on a Disney bus.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

We just returned from Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the buses there were great!! We never had a problem with crowded buses. Animal Kingdom Lodge is somewhat unique since there is only one bus stop out front of the resort, and the resort does not share routes with other resorts (I hope it stays that way!). So therefore the buses were never already filled when they came, so there always seemed to be room. The only bus that I was a bit frustrated with was the bus to Typhoon Lagoon, which took almost an hour from Animal Kingdom Lodge. That bus had to make all the stops at Downtown Disney, and switch bus drivers, before arriving at Typhoon Lagoon. Besides that, we were very pleased!

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[MinnieMe2]

This thread is a breath of fresh air!!! We, too, use the bus system during our stay, and no matter what time of year or the resort, we've been very happy with it. In Feb., we had to wait around 45 min. one night at MK closing, but we figured that was to be expected. We'll have a car available in July, but I'm sure we'll only use it to go off-site for the occasional meal.