Ever wonder what a MICKEY MOUSE bus is?

[bradk]

I have. For quite a few trips, so I finally decided to ask. And I learned way more than I ever hoped to.

For starters, I was told there are DONALD DUCK and MINNIE MOUSE buses as well, although I've never personally seen any.

I was going to save this for my trip report but I don't think I'm ever gonna write one, so now's my chance to document what I've learned before I forget it entirely, so here goes.

There are three models of buses used on WDW property. They are RTS, Nova and Gillig.

RTS is the original model of buses used on property, some as old as 20 years or so. They can be identified most easily by their rounded corners at the top of the bus

They also have the leveled seating across the entire bus (as opposed to the other models which have raised seats in the back, as well as two seats facing the driver in the front).

These are being phased out of the fleet. According to my 'tutor,' these buses are becoming increasingly more expensive to maintain as parts have to be found overseas.

The later models are the Nova, which make up a relatively small percentage of the fleet. These are basically buses that were tried out to replace the RTS. The Nova is most easily identified by the sharper corners at the top as well as the A/C unit (or whatever it is) on top of the bus:

reportedly, these are also the widest body (or at least provide the widest aisles).

finally, the Gilligs. Identified easily by the sharp corners at the top with no unit on the roof:

Now where MICKEY MOUSE comes in. This is essentially the default marquee display for the bus, used most often when a bus has no specific route/destination. Essentially being used when no other destination specific location applies (and when it's not being used to transport cast members, in which case the bus reads VIP CAST MEMBER).

The significance of MICKEY MOUSE? it will tell those who need to know the specific version of the software the bus has installed. MICKEY MOUSE means the original software is installed and the RTS's will pretty much all have this software as they're being phased out and it's not likely they'd be upgraded. DONALD DUCK means a newer version of the software is installed and MINNIE MOUSE means an even newer version still.

(hopefully i got that all right, my apologies for any inaccuracies i may be reporting)

 

[tinkerbell87512]

thats interesting! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Stew_Mouse]

Very cool! I did wonder what those busses were all about, thanks for sharing. We did see a number of Donald Duck and a bunch of Mickey Mouse, but no Minnie Mouse.

 

[DLBDS]

Yeah, thanks. All I knew was that those buses transported cast members. You gave much more info than I was able to get. I loved the visual aides!

 

[bradk]

actually, if it's transporting cast members, it should say VIP CAST MEMBER

it will say MICKEY MOUSE (or whatever) for any other reason. for example if they are transporting a specific guest for some specific reason to a specific place that wouldn't necessarily be covered by the normal routes and they will not be picking up anyone at said destination.

 

[mickeysaver]

I have seen the Mickey Mouse bus before, but I didn't know what it meant. Thanks for the info! I love learning new WDW stuff. Maggie

 

[ransom]

Thank you so much for researching and reporting all of that! I'd wondered about that every time I saw a "Mickey Mouse" bus.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Thanks for the neat info.

What type holds the most passengers and which has the most seats? Round, Square/AC, or Square/no AC? That way I can better guess my chances of making it on, verses having to wait for the next bus, or better judge my chances of getting to sit or having to stand.

 

[donaldtutter]

Very interesting. I have never seen any of those on the buses but I will look more carefully for them now.

 

[goofyernmost]

It is more than possible that the names are connected with software on the bus signs but a simpler explanation is that it is a substitute for "Out Of Service". Much softer and more with the theme of WDW. If the bus says Mickey Mouse no one is going to try and board it because they don't have a clue where it is going.

 

[bytheblood]

Gee - just when I tought that was Mickey's personal escort for the day.

 

[Diznotyzed]

On our stay at the CR the last week of Sept 06, one afternoon during the "quiet" time for bus use, one of the drivers was having some fun with the Mickey Mouse display. Before he first pulled up to the resort bus stop he'd switched it to Mickey Mouse so those on the bus could see the confusion on waiting riders faces, but then quickly switched it back to the correct destination. Once we boarded the bus and moved on to the next resort pick up, we were let in on the joke and got to share in the fun when he did it again. Sounds a little mean, but was actually quite fun, and made for a lot of "on the bus" camaraderie. Gotta love those bus drivers who make even riding the bus fun!

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Thanks for posting that because DH and I always wondered what those signs meant. We've only seen Mickey Mouse and VIP Cast Memeber. I'm going to keep my eyes open for the other two now.

 

[Talking Hands]

Have actually ridden on a Mickey Mouse bus a few times. It is interesting to be the only group on the bus.

 

[piglet50]

i love the buses. it thrills me to see them coming to my stop and it thrills me to see them on the roads. i don't know why. i even traded for bus pins the last time we were there.

 

[Evil Princess]

I've never seen a Minnie Mouse bus, and I was there for 5 months. I'm gonna be on the lookout next time during my trip to the world.

I had no idea about the types of busses though. I love this stupid Disney information, thanks

 

[Disney-Kim]

that is fun info....I have never seen MM in the marqee before...will have to look.
its funny though...I HAVE noticed the different versions of the buses and the newer ones seem to hold more people...so those are good in my book,

one improvement in the newest bus over the 2nd newest bus....the seats in the far back don't smell of exhaust....thats what I noticed about those in between buses....ick.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Disney has tried several bus makes.
2) They supposedly settled on the last model.

3) Now, if we only get them to use BioDiesel for fuel
. . . it is TRULY a "green" fuel
. . . it is made from soy beans or canola oil
. . . it burns 78% less CO2 than petroleum diesel fuel
. . . it has no diesel smell (school buses use it to eliminate diesel fumes)
. . . it is made from renewable sources IN THE USA
. . . it costs about the same as petroleum diesel fuel
. . . it is 100% non-toxic
. . . it is 100% biodegradable
. . . it just feeds the worms if you spill it
. . . it degrades faster than table sugar
. . . it takes 1-unit of energy to make 3.02-units of BioDiesel fuel !

4) Of course, WDW management dismissed the idea.
5) When suggested, it wasn't THEIR idea, so it was denied!


NOTE: It would also be nice if WDW recycled more. They put up recycle bins in public places, then completely ignore recycling in employee areas. Imagine the waste that could be recycled from 65,000 people.

 

[MelanieC]

Thanks - I've wondered what it meant.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

The RTS is a true workhorse. I've spoken to a few transit geeks that claim the RTS is the most rock-solid mass-transit bus ever produced. RTS busses were produced by General Motors from 1977 until 1987, when GM sold the design and patent to Transportation Manufacturing Company (TMC). Most of the Disney RTS busses were produced by TMC. The biggest problem with the RTS is that they are not a low-floor bus (translation: there are steps to get in), and the lift mechanism fitted onto the busses is kludgy at best.

The Nova LFS (Low Floor) busses are made by NovaBus, a Canadian company. In Disney's original testing, they fared ok, but apparently, some drivers complained about the reliability of the vehicles, leading Disney to pursue other alternatives. The Nova LFS is most easily identified by it's distinct single-pane arched front windshield.

The Gillig Advantage is made by the Gillig Corporation. Most easily identified by the fact that these busses have no rounded edges, even the wheel-wells are straight lines. These busses have reportedly received high marks from guests and drivers alike, and, at least based on my time spent on the WDW roads, are the most numerous in the fleet.

Interesting note about the displays on the busses. The display units are manufactured by Twinvision NA. One of the older versions of the software on the units used to be able to display mouse ears on the "Mickey Mouse". Unfortunately, this feature was removed in later versions of the software

(A lot of the information contained in this post came from posts by Tyler (Chip 'N Dale Express) on the Transportation board over the past few years)