Disney Bus

[DisneyExplorer]

I have looked at the Disney transportation buses and wondered how you get on them if confined to a wheelchair. does anyone have any suggestions?

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[KPeveler]

almost every disney bus has a wheelchair lift, so you shouldnt have problems using disney transportation

 

[Michigan]

You either roll on the ramp or go on the lift and they tie the chair with you in it down and off you go. You will be the first one on the bus and the last one off.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Disney buses are great for wheelchairs. Every bus is equipped with a lift or ramp at the back entrance (though sometimes the mechanism in these is broken) and has 2 spaces for wheelchairs or ECVs. The seats in these areas flip up and your chair will be tied down, facing towards the front of the bus. Some people on this forum have suggested putting coloured tape on the safe tie-down points on your chair in order to save time loading.

When the bus arrives, make sure you get the driver's attention, especially at resort stops where there will be buses arriving for more than one destination. It is Disney policy to load wheelchairs on first (for ease and safety reasons), but when it's crowded (especially at park closing), some people here suggest either sending other members of your party through the queue, or picking someone joining the queue at the time you arrive, and not boarding until they will be getting on the next bus (it's not a Disney rule, just a courtesy many follow).

I hope that helps answer some of your questions. For more information see the 4th post on the FAQ ( http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713 ). If you have any more, please ask, we'll be happy to help as much as we can

 

[freemore]

Two years ago my husband and I both rented ecvs and learned quickly to ask the first bus driver that came along (if it wasn't a nova bus) to ask him to call a nova bus for us. We usually only had to wait 5 to 10 minutes. The nova buses sort of kneel down in the back and have a special ramp that you can easily get a wheel chair up or an ecv. The bus driver always helped us get the ecvs up and tied them down. We were the first to get on the bus and the last to get off. It was wonderfully convenient. We were anxious at first how this would work but it was so very easy. We are going again in two weeks and would not be able to go if it wasn't for the Disney Buses. The ecv and busses make it all so easy.
Freemore

 

[DisneyExplorer]

i'm a bit thick, what is a Nova bus?

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[SueM in MN]

i'm a bit thick, what is a Nova bus?

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There are several kinds of buses at WDW. The older ones have a lift to get a wheelchair onto the bus.

The newer ones have a ramp that either folds out or slides out of the back of the bus. Those buses are lower to the ground and they can also 'kneel down' and 'lean' toward the curb so that the bus is even closer to the ground for boarding. The Nova buses are that type of bus, so when people are talking about Nova buses, they are just talking about the newer buses that are lower to the ground and have ramps, instead of lifts. (There are actually several types of lowered floor ramp buses, but people usually call them all Nova buses).

There are a lot of the newer buses around and they are slowly replacing all the older lift buses with the newer lowered floor ramp buses.

 

[DisneyExplorer]

so do you think the newer ones are more spacious inside?

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[Talking Hands]

Acually the best ones are the Gilly buses. They kneel lower and the ramp can be manually extended if needed.

 

[Sarah W]

almost every disney bus has a wheelchair lift, so you shouldnt have problems using disney transportation

Yep! The drivers are great about buckling you in, too. My cousin has spina bifida and we had no problems the entire time we were there. Everyone was very accomodating.

 

[SueM in MN]

so do you think the newer ones are more spacious inside?

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The space is different, but there is more clear space for manouvering a wheelchair or ECV. The older buses have most of the seats facing the front. The newer buses have most of the seats along the side walls of the bus, facing each other. This makes more space for moving around.

 

[pugdog]

If you compare the old buses ,that had seats facing forward, with the new ones it looks like the new ones have fewer seats. It's just an optical illusion though. The number of people seated is the same. But like Sue said there is more room to use for WC/ECV users to get into place. and instead of the 16 inches of isle that people had to get a stroller down is now more like 40". So everyone wins but not getting knocked upside the head with a stroller .

 

[SueM in MN]

If you compare the old buses ,that had seats facing forward, with the new ones it looks like the new ones have fewer seats. It's just an optical illusion though. The number of people seated is the same. But like Sue said there is more room to use for WC/ECV users to get into place. and instead of the 16 inches of isle that people had to get a stroller down is now more like 40". So everyone wins but not getting knocked upside the head with a stroller .

You are right there.
There are more seats in the back in the newer buses than in the older buses.
The old buses had seats facing in toward the middle. In the newer buses, the seats in the rear are arranged in rows facing forward. They sort of moved the narrow aisle to the back of the bus where a wide aisle wasn't needed anyway.