Carrying passengers on rented scooters

[Toffeewoffy]

We have done 4 park days so far - and I have seen TWO people on Walker scooter CARRYING CHILDREN on their scooters! Funny how it's only the Walker scooter hirers who I've seen do this ...

I did consider taking a photo each time and e-mailing them to Walker but it wouldn't do any good.

I'm surprised no-one at Disney said anything about it!

 

[buffettgirl]

Why would you waste precious vacation time worrying about what other fools do? Do not let the actions of other people ruin your vacation.

 

[SMD]

I don't think that Disney has CMs who are going to chase them down and pull them over. Even if they had a checkpoint I think the guests would go right back to it as soon as they passed it. This happens daily at DLR. I saw a woman with a child standing between her legs pull right up to the CM who was scanning tickets (that's how they do wheel chair returns now). He scanned both tickets then she drove off without a word. Though I think in that instance the CM shouldn't have issued a return time until the child got off the ECV.

So far since last May I've had 3 ECVs make contact with me in the parks. Once I was standing still. Once was because a woman holding her baby with one hand and the baby grabbed the other side of the handle bar and she veered. And the baby did it again before she'd gone 30 yards past me. The most recent was a woman trying to take pictures with one hand outstretched while zig zagging around for the best views.

 

[lanejudy]

Even if they had a checkpoint I think the guests would go right back to it as soon as they passed it.

Unfortunately this is so true!

I have seen CMs stop a guest carrying a "rider" who made the child get off. Yet the party to stopped again a few feet down the path after the CM had continued the other direction. The child climbed back on. People who feel they are above safety rules will unfortunately continue to do so. CMs may or may not respond when alerted to such situations.

Enjoy your vacation, and try not to let other's actions negatively impact your fun.

 

[SueM in MN]

Unfortunately this is so true!

I have seen CMs stop a guest carrying a "rider" who made the child get off. Yet the party to stopped again a few feet down the path after the CM had continued the other direction. The child climbed back on. People who feel they are above safety rules will unfortunately continue to do so. CMs may or may not respond when alerted to such situations.

Enjoy your vacation, and try not to let other's actions negatively impact your fun.

Yes.
We have seen exactly that thing. The CMs stop people and tell them it is unsafe to have a rider, the child gets off and as soon as the CM is out of sight, the child gets back on.
All of the rental agreements say one person only is allowed on the ECV. If they get in an accident, the renter will have all the liability since they agreed to not have a passenger and then didn't follow what they agreed to do.

CMs can confiscate an ECV from people who rented from the parks; from what CMs have said, Security is more likely to get involved with talking to guests about rule violations since some guests can get quite angry.

 

[disney world dreamer]

why would you let it bother you enough to post a thread about it?

my thought is if it does not directly impact me i don't give two hoots.

when i see that or any other foolish behavior i just think about the fact that i would never do things like that and thats what makes me a better guest and CM's can see that.

 

[SMD]

CMs can confiscate an ECV from people who rented from the parks; from what CMs have said, Security is more likely to get involved with talking to guests about rule violations since some guests can get quite angry.

I think you can say this about lots of things. This is also why I don't expect CMs to confront line cutters. Many people are unpredictable and dangerous when confronted or caught in the own bad behavior.

why would you let it bother you enough to post a thread about it?

my thought is if it does not directly impact me i don't give two hoots.

when i see that or any other foolish behavior i just think about the fact that i would never do things like that and thats what makes me a better guest and CM's can see that.

I definitely don't think it's another guests job to teach someone a lesson. Like the people who say they make comments about another guest showing cleavage or saving spots in line. But then Disney will change a rule or close a loophole and the Disney message boards will light up with indignity and anger. And I mean, come on, we all see people taking advantage of things in the parks. The ECV riders I think are dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. But they probably don't directly impact other guests very often, and as of right now, not a lot Disney can do about it.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

Why would you waste precious vacation time worrying about what other fools do? Do not let the actions of other people ruin your vacation.

I'm not worrying about it. I didn't say I was. I'm just annoyed with them! As has been said, I know you can't police it, but this 'one rule for them and a different rule for everyone else' is very frustrating.

Oh, and I saw it again today - Walker again - and this time the child was standing between the rider's legs and was almost up to the rider's mouth. So, her vision must have been impaired. There's also a weight limit to these things, and I cannot believe that some of the people I've seen this week are under the recommended weight for the Victory 10 - especially when they're carrying a 40-50lb child as well!

... and the number of times I'd have loved to have given my own DD a lift to save her feet, but as I've got a rented scooter I wouldn't even dream of doing it. She'd take us over the maximum weight limit for the Victory 10 I've got, anyway.

 

[okeydokey]

People who double up on scooters make the parks less safe for others. Carrying passengers is distracting. It is everyone's business.

 

[buffettgirl]

So the real issue is that you're playing by the rules, but you're ticked that someone else isn't? Get over it, enjoy your vacation and forget about everyone else. You're allowing someone else to take away your enjoyment, because you feel like you need to be the scooter police. Stop paying attention to everyone else, enjoy your own vacation.

 

[minnie mum]

I'm not sure why you are fixating on Walker mobility. They are one of the more popular rental companies, with a good reputation. So its not surprising you would see large numbers of them in the parks. I highly doubt that their terms and conditions encourage renters to invite their friends and family to pile on the scooter and ride as passengers. I've seen the same situations in the parks for years. On every type of scooter, both rented and owned. Singling out Walker is irrelevant.

I think we all recognize this practice is dangerous. And in a perfect world no one would do this. In a slightly less perfect world, all Disney CMs or security would tell the scooter abusers to stop doing it, and the offenders would comply.

But this isn't a perfect world. CMs don't like to be confrontational, and any guest who allows passengers isn't going to obey directives longer than it takes to get out of sight of the CM. You can't control the actions of these fools. All you can do is control your reaction to them. Report the offenders to the nearest CM, if you feel you must; and move on with your vacation. Or, if you are feeling brave enough to risk possible unpleasant consequences, confront the individual yourself. I doubt that either action will solve the problem.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . I'm surprised no-one at Disney said anything about it!

1) We are not allowed to remark about this.
2) I did ONCE, and almost got a written reprimand!
3) Remember the mantra,
. . . "Your WDW vacation will be the BEST WDW vacation, ever!"
. . . this means, that we do not criticize or halt most activities, even if unsafe.
. . . I also stopped a kid on "Heelies" (those tennies with wheels), from skating in the expansive WL hotel lobby.
. . . the kid almost knocked over an elderly lady.
. . . I was sat on the carpet over this!
. . . can't do that.
. . . now, I was told, if the kid HAD taken the lady to the ground, I can complain. but not until !
. . . yes, sounds dumb, but that is the way WDW operates.
. . . make the guests feel welcome, and let them vacation any way they want to vacation.

 

[SMD]

. . . "Your WDW vacation will be the BEST WDW vacation, ever!"
. . . this means, that we do not criticize or halt most activities, even if unsafe.

CMs tell guests not to climb or sit on rails and chains all the time. Is the difference that it's unsafe for the rail?

 

[HopperFan]

My DD went through training last fall for a new position that basically "puts her on the streets" interacting and helping guests. Regarding the rules and issues she was to address with guests with mobility devices there were two main ones her trainers impressed (1) ECVs can not go at a speed faster than those walking around them (2) Only one passenger per mobility device. Both issues are in print on the Disney website https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/park-rules/.

 

[mamabunny]

Although prohibited at WDW, there are now "two seater" scooters, with a bench seat that are increasingly popular. Obviously, they are wider, larger, heavier - definitely would not fit onto the buses!

My scooter has this (see below) as an optional accessory. The passenger trailer accessory is also prohibited at WDW. (as it should be - can you imagine a whole bunch of these winding through the parks? Yikes!) Just like with the two-seater scooters, there is a place and a time where this is appropriate - but not at the parks!



Personally, I noticed more people having problems steering the double-wide strollers around (especially at quick serve locations and shops) during our last trip. In fact, we noticed that strollers far outnumbered scooters on this last trip, which made me happy - stroller kiddos almost always smile and wave back at me LOL.

Everyone can agree that this behavior of carrying children on scooters is dangerous - I personally would never allow someone in my family to engage in this; the likelyhood of injury is just too high.

My question is - what alternatives can be offered that *will* be safe, and will be useable in the parks without causing issues for other guests?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

My DD went through training last fall for a new position that basically "puts her on the streets" interacting and helping guests. Regarding the rules and issues she was to address with guests with mobility devices there were two main ones her trainers impressed (1) ECVs can not go at a speed faster than those walking around them (2) Only one passenger per mobility device. Both issues are in print on the Disney website https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/park-rules/.

1) Yes.
2) Now, I want to hear what she says when she tries to enforce it and the guests goes to a manager and complains.
3) Can we spell R-E-P-R-I-M-A-N-D ?

NOTE: Th secret in managers climbing the ladder is, "Don't complaints roll uphill (to the next higher manager level)."
Of course, the language is slightly more severe and vulgar than I have stated.

 

[ttintagel]

The reason it concerns me when I see something like that isn't that it annoys me or I resent someone else breaking the rules just because I like rules.

It's stressful for me to witness other people in danger.

On my last trip, we saw a man collapse and be carried away by paramedics at the hotel; his face was covered, so I assume he was dead. Of course it was worse for his family than it was for me, but it was still awful. I've also seen people fall or nearly fall off ECV's, and it would be a horrible thing to witness someone getting severely injured as a result.

On the same trip, I rode the train around the Magic Kingdom behind a family who ignored the instructions to put small children between two adults instead of at the end of the row, and put a little girl of no more than four on the far end. They proceeded to completely ignore her as she hung her arms and legs out of the train, reaching for tree branches as we went by. I didn't dare say anything to the adults, becuase they were yelling and screaming at each other, obviously in a terrible mood, and would probably have turned their anger on me if I'd interrupted them. However, I rode the entire way poised to spring up and grab the kid at the first sign of danger. I was even prepared to stay on the train if they didn't get off at my intended stop. My heart was in my throat, because I knew I was the only thing standing between that child and death or dismemberment. Sure, it was technically not my responsibility to worry, but what kind of human being would I be if I didn't care? I don't want some poor, innocent little kid dying in front of me because I wanted to just "get over it and not worry about other people's vacations." My mother watched a classmate die on the playground after a fall when she was little, and later had one of her own children die at a babysitter's while she was at work. Both incidents have haunted her all her life, and it's not because she's some busybody who wants to harsh other peoples' buzzes.

There's also the fact that an ECV accident could injure not just the driver/rider, but innocent bystanders, too - innocent bystanders like myself, who sometimes can't get out of the way very quickly.

So, no, there's not much you can do when you witness unsafe operation, but I hate to see people scolding the OP for even caring.

 

[buffettgirl]

The reason it concerns me when I see something like that isn't that it annoys me or I resent someone else breaking the rules just because I like rules.

It's stressful for me to witness other people in danger.

On my last trip, we saw a man collapse and be carried away by paramedics at the hotel; his face was covered, so I assume he was dead. Of course it was worse for his family than it was for me, but it was still awful. I've also seen people fall or nearly fall off ECV's, and it would be a horrible thing to witness someone getting severely injured as a result.

On the same trip, I rode the train around the Magic Kingdom behind a family who ignored the instructions to put small children between two adults instead of at the end of the row, and put a little girl of no more than four on the far end. They proceeded to completely ignore her as she hung her arms and legs out of the train, reaching for tree branches as we went by. I didn't dare say anything to the adults, becuase they were yelling and screaming at each other, obviously in a terrible mood, and would probably have turned their anger on me if I'd interrupted them. However, I rode the entire way poised to spring up and grab the kid at the first sign of danger. I was even prepared to stay on the train if they didn't get off at my intended stop. My heart was in my throat, because I knew I was the only thing standing between that child and death or dismemberment. Sure, it was technically not my responsibility to worry, but what kind of human being would I be if I didn't care? I don't want some poor, innocent little kid dying in front of me because I wanted to just "get over it and not worry about other people's vacations." My mother watched a classmate die on the playground after a fall when she was little, and later had one of her own children die at a babysitter's while she was at work. Both incidents have haunted her all her life, and it's not because she's some busybody who wants to harsh other peoples' buzzes.

There's also the fact that an ECV accident could injure not just the driver/rider, but innocent bystanders, too - innocent bystanders like myself, who sometimes can't get out of the way very quickly.

So, no, there's not much you can do when you witness unsafe operation, but I hate to see people scolding the OP for even caring.

I think most of us hate to see kids in danger. That's natural. However, nothing in the OPs two posts indicate that this was a concern for her. Read her posts again. In fact, she point blank says; "I'm not worrying about it. I didn't say I was. I'm just annoyed with them! "

 

[Toffeewoffy]

I decided not to come back to this thread again until I was home because I don't believe in reading things that make me angry when I'm supposed to be enjoying myself.

Buffettgirl, yes I was annoyed because I'm a bit regimental when it comes to rule breaking - probably because I work for solicitors (including a personal injury lawyer) and have family in the police force over here. I don't see why some people should be allowed to get away with things that are specifically prohibited when I try to follow the rules. Of course there's a certain element of concern in there, too, because you just know that someone could well get injured.

As for people telling me I shouldn't look out for people misbehaving; again, it's not something I have control over. People who have a particular type of car often notice other cars of the same type (yep); and people who rent scooters will often look out for other rentals, especially to see who they've rented them from - especially when they've had problems with certain scooters in the past (yes, definitely me).

At the end of the day, either you're someone who can totally disregard everyone and everything which goes on around you (and I saw a lot of this happening in the parks, with people just walking in front of my moving scooter or trying to push strollers in front of me), or you're someone like me who does notice everything and everyone. We've just enjoyed our 9th trip, so are not walking around with our heads in the cloud anymore. It doesn't make me wrong. It just makes me observant.

 

[aaarcher86]

I haven't seen much of this, although I don't look for it either.

The only time it was brought to my attention was when 2 teenish girls were whizzing around like race car drivers and darn near knocked me and my youngest over. And they knew. The parked and did the worried I'll get in trouble face at me until I was out of sight.

It did make me wonder what could be done. I guess I could've taken a picture, called the company, and let them know/send the picture. But really, I'm not wasting my time on this. Hitting me would have been an entirely different story.