Greyhound Bus crash in New York

[Edd]

My thoughts and prayers go out to those families of the five, and possibly more individuals killed and those injured in the Greyhound Tour bus accident in New York this morning.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Mine go out to the DOZENS of people killed DAILY in automobile - including SUV, with their higher center of gravity - accidents (yes, as well as this incident, and Sunday's plane crash).

 

[Edd]

Another bus crash in Auburn, Ma. 33 out of 57 passengers injured. Most with minor injuries. Evidently the bus was doing an excessive rate of speed. Today in Disney I came up on a Disney bus hit by a Disney truck over by Epcot. The impact was on the front right side of the bus which may have limited any injuries, hopefully.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> Disney bus hit by a Disney truck...
Shame, shame! CM morale problem?

>>> Auburn, MA
This was one of the "cheap fare" intercity buses that usually loads and unloads at an ordinary city bus stop, usually in or near "Chinatown". There is a high student clientele. The scene at the bus stop near departure time looks much that like outside a Disney resort in the morning except passengers have backpacks and other luggage. I haven't ridden any of these buses but I am told that the drivers tend to "go fast".

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[goofy4tink]

>>> Disney bus hit by a Disney truck...
Shame, shame! CM morale problem?

>>> Auburn, MA
This was one of the "cheap fare" intercity buses that usually loads and unloads at an ordinary city bus stop, usually in or near "Chinatown". I haven't ridden any of these but I am told that the drivers tend to "go fast".

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

Those stupid buses....every time my dh sees one whipping down the Mass Pike, he screams 'Fung Wha!!!!!'...not abolutely sure why, but it scares the beejeebers out of me every time. This bus company has had a large number of offenses in the past..mostly driving too fast, unsafe buses. One caught fire not too long ago.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> Fung Wha
The name of one of the companies.

>>> caught fire
The most spectacular bus fire I remember reading about recently was on an MBTA bus (regular Boston city bus) on the Mass. Turnpike near downtown. The turnpike inbound lanes were shut down and traffic backed up over ten miles, past the first circumferential highway (128/I-95). Fortunately the few passengers got out unharmed. The bus was a charred skeleton when all was said and done. How many people missed planes to Disney I don't know. Shortly thereafter two other MBTA buses caught fire in suspiciously similar mechanical malfunctions.

 

[Edd]

Another bus crash in Alabama two weeks ago. 4 teenagers were killed and 19 injured. Talked with an attorny from Alabama this week and now there has been legislation initiated that will require all newly purchased school buses to be equipped with seat belts. I guess they were kind of late on that.

HEADLINE:

Sanford--During a recent hot and humid fall day, bus driver Charlie Petrovich sat in his seat, wiping sweat from his brow. Just a few buses back in the line waiting to pick up students at Wicklow Elementary School. Grace Tincher was the picture of coolness.

Tincher is one of the lucky few who have received new wheels to usher students to and from county schools.

The 45 new buses in Seminole County Public Schools' fleet of about 460 feature lower emissions and better gas mileage, and, more important for parents, all of them have seat belts.

They are actually Thomas-built buses with Mercedes engines.

The district paid $65,000.00 for each base model and added air conditioning, radios, video camaras and extended warranties on the transmission for a grand total of $69,100.00 apiece.


There is still no law in Florida requiring seat belts, but evidently someone sees the benefits of seat belts aboard buses.

 

[CleveRocks]

My thoughts and prayers go out to those families of the five, and possibly more individuals killed and those injured in the Greyhound Tour bus accident in New York this morning.

About 2 years ago, my fraternity brother's sister, mother and grandmother were driving home to Philadelphia from Disney, after enjoying an all-girls week at Disney World.

Somewhere in South Carolina, an accident occurred in front of them, and their 2004 Chevrolet Suburban veered onto the grass, and flipped over several times. His sister and his grandmother were killed, and his mother was badly injured but survived. It was a terrbily sad viewing, the line stretched way out the door of the funeral home.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those families riding in 2004 Chevrolet Suburbans.

In 2004, 43,443 people died in motor vehicle accidents in the USA. Fatal bus crashes make the national news because they are rare. Fatal SUV crashes don't make the national news because, sadly, they are much more common.

When an SUV crashes and 2 people are killed, it's just not national news. It's just another day.

 

[CarolA]

Eric makes a VERY good point. Statisitics show that public transport is much safer overall then a driver. However, the car accident doesn't get posted on the DIS, plane, trains and buses are...

I have never lost a friend to an accident on a plane or a bus. I have lost two friends in car accidents.

 

[Edd]

A few months ago Both of you said there were never any bus accidents because they were so safe. I have pointed out several of them because I feel that the buses should have seat belts also. Now the school bus group has suffered death and casualties. There are seat belts available for school buses. One county is getting smart and protecting their children on buses.

The smoke screen Eric puts up doesn't bother me. At least in one SUV everybody wears a seat belt and a safe driver tries to protect his passengers from serious injury in the event that an accident should occur.

When do you suppose Mears/Disney will begin to install seat belts aboard the ME and DCL buses? Is there going to have to be deaths before they install seat belts? How long is everybody going to be laughing off the necessity of seats belts as an injury prevention device in the nuses. Of course Mears/Disney are not the only ones. The bus industry as a whole has to wake up.

 

[CarolA]

A few months ago Both of you said there were never any bus accidents because they were so safe. I have pointed out several of them because I feel that the buses should have seat belts also. Now the school bus group has suffered death and casualties. There are seat belts available for school buses. One county is getting smart and protecting their children on buses.

The smoke screen Eric puts up doesn't bother me. At least in one SUV everybody wears a seat belt and a safe driver tries to protect his passengers from serious injury in the event that an accident should occur.

When do you suppose Mears/Disney will begin to install seat belts aboard the ME and DCL buses? Is there going to have to be deaths before they install seat belts? How long is everybody going to be laughing off the necessity of seats belts as an injury prevention device in the nuses. Of course Mears/Disney are not the only ones. The bus industry as a whole has to wake up.

We did not say there were NEVER any bus accidents. We however do not automatically assume that your car service is safer then the bus!

I hope you are getting business from your scare tactics becasue you have cost your fellow car services my business forever. I am not at all convinced that a car service is any safer and to be honest I have some concerns that it may be more dangerous. Statistics don't lie. Public transport is statistically SAFER then a private car. And with a company like Mears I have some assurance of liablity insurance etc. I don't really have that with a town car service. Yes, you have to have it to get licensed. However, it's kind of like car insurance here in GA. You have to have it to get your car licensed, but most places don't check to make sure you keep paying. (I have no idea what Orlando does, but I know in GA they don't check on anyone!)

There was a HORRID bus accident a few weeks ago here in Alabama where I am working. The sad truth is that seat belts would not have helped. The driver who WAS wearing a seat belt was evicted from the bus, the bus went off the side of an overpass. In spite of that I see kids every day getting on school buses and I dare say that even with the four deaths in Alabama it's still a fairly safe way to get to school.

 

[dudspizza]

I hope you are getting business from your scare tactics....

Why is that whenever Edd posts something it always appears to have an alternative motive????? Interesting....

duds

 

[CleveRocks]

A few months ago Both of you said there were never any bus accidents because they were so safe.

I can't figure out if this statement is a lie or evidence of very poor reasoning.

I never said "there were never any bus accidents because they are so safe." For that ridiculous statement to be true, buses would have to have magical powers to be able to never be involved in an accident. Not even Disney's Magical Express is that kind of magical.

Looks like Edd is back to his old tricks. Ashame ... I thought I'd taught him well about working and playing with others.

And Edd, as far as a "smoke screen" ... how dare you! Do a seach of the obituaries of the Philadelphia Inquirer for Kathryn Blodgett and Kaitlynn Blodgett from 2004. Should I fax you the mass cards?

 

[Edd]

I sat in a planning meeting for three hours Wednesday morning (1000 - 1300) talking about how we could make it much more efficient for the ME buses to unload at MCO. My ideas were put forth to the Airport Transportation Planning Manager, The Ground Transportation Manager and another fellow I did not get his job title. I was grilled by those guys on how it could be done, what had to be done, how much it cost to do what I put forth. Many of my ideas were new to them. We will be meeting again in another 3 weeks on setting up a dedicated unloading spot for the ME and other bus companies. A dedicated loading spot would make it a lot easier for passengers of ME to find their airline and maybe put them closer to ther airlines. It would put more skycaps on the commercial lane to serve the passengers, it would make a Disney official, I hope, available to help passengers returning to the airport and it would make it more efficient for the buses to unload their passengers.

I look at it this way. We are trying to help the passengers returning to the airport. Disney and its bus concept isn't doing one thing to make those buses any safer for the people to ride them. You know why? Because they don't want to spend the money to make them safer. You put your baby in a baby seat on a train, plane and in your personal car, but for some reason that baby is safer riding a bus, in your lap, than he is on any one of those other vehicles. How can you be so stupid, that baby is not safe riding on your lap in a bus. As a matter of fact you are not as safe as you could be riding in a bus with no seat belt. Can anyone come back and tell me your baby is safer riding in your lap than in a baby seat aboard a bus. Disney tells you to hold your small children because it gives them one more seat to fill up.

I pointed out to you a county that is getting seat belts for buses without a law requiring it. Someone there must be thinking about safety. Evidently seat belts can be purchased on school buses and probably commercial buses if someone wants to spend the money for the safety factor. I don't have any alternative motive when I speak out for installation of seat belts. Let's face it, you who turn your noses up against safety for your children and yourself, are the ones who have an alternative motive, money.

And Eric, that was a smoke screen because I am sure there are plenty of 2004 Suburbans that get into an accident every day. Guess what, every single one of them are equipped with safety belts for every passenger in the vehicle.

As far as me being a team player, I have helped out many OP's on these boards. Guess what I didn't have to spend a second of my time if I didn't care to help you guys navigate around Central Florida or pass out knowledge I have acquired by being around here and working with people to get the job done.

 

[Edd]

Carol, first off let me be the first to tell you. Mears Transportation is self-insured. Yes, they are so big they provide their own insurance, a bond with the state of Florida. Second off you don't know that seat belts would not have saved those 4 teenagers in the Alabama accident. There were no seat belts in the vehicle. The report did not say the bus driver was wearing a seat belt or not. I read three reports on the accident and there was nothing said about the driver wearing a seat belt. I am open to you sending me a clip that says the driver was wearing a seatbelt.

I am sure the girls may have fared better if they were seat belted to their seats. Statistics bear that out. They probably bounced around in that bus like a bebe in a tumbling barrel. I am surprised more kids weren't killed.

 

[CleveRocks]

You put your baby in a baby seat on a train, plane and in your personal car, but for some reason that baby is safer riding a bus, in your lap, than he is on any one of those other vehicles. How can you be so stupid, that baby is not safe riding on your lap in a bus. As a matter of fact you are not as safe as you could be riding in a bus with no seat belt. Can anyone come back and tell me your baby is safer riding in your lap than in a baby seat aboard a bus. Disney tells you to hold your small children because it gives them one more seat to fill up.

This is a good argument for people to rent cars at the airport, and using them not only to get to and from the airport, but to and from the parks, as well. They can use their own car seats for their kids. By your own argument, this would be the safest way to go.

If buses are more dangerous than private vehicles with seat belts, then you, Edd, are complicit in endangering parents and their kids, by knowingly delivering them to WDW resorts, from which they will use Disney Transport buses. How can you argue that buses are so dangerous, but then earn a living delivering people to places where they have no choice but to use those buses? Pick a side -- are buses OK, or must buses be avoided?

[And please ... the 1% or 2% of people who stay at monorail resorts and only go to MK and Epcot, or the people who go to parks only via cab or car service every time -- these people are the exception, not the rule, and we all know this to be true]

But fair is fair, your self-reported work to make the DME process better for DME passengers is commendable. It shows your commitment to helping people regardless of your own bottom line.

 

[Edd]

Eric,

I have already picked a side. I say Disney, and all bus companies, ought to start installing seat belts on their vehicles. It is now up to you guys to tell Disney you want seat belts on their vehicles. I don't care whether people rent a car, ride a car service or take a bus to the parks after they arrive Orlando. I want everyone to come to Orlando, have a good time, spend money and know that their transfers are made in a safe and efficient manner.

It appalls me to think that 150,000 passengers each month think, this transportation is very safe even though there are no seat belts aboard. If you got into my vehicle with a 3 year old you would demand a seat for that 3 year old. Actually you wouldn't have to demand it, it would already be there. I do take passengers to the parks, but it is their choice what they do when they leave my vehicle. I have no guilt over that.

This is like a young warrier going into a battle zone thinking he will come out unscathed, so he drops his guard. We have a habit of not doing or saying anything until something bad happens and I hope nothing happens, but in the same breathe I fear that maybe someday something will happen.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Another bus crash in Alabama two weeks ago. 4 teenagers were killed and 19 injured. Talked with an attorny from Alabama this week and now there has been legislation initiated that will require all newly purchased school buses to be equipped with seat belts. I guess they were kind of late on that.

THIS bus "crash"? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15816872/ "...a school bus nose-dived off an interstate overpass, the police chief said Tuesday."


And on an ENTIRELY separate note, and completely serious: Thank you VERY much, Edd, for your work with the airport authorities. It's a little unsettling to think that your ideas were new to these supposedly experienced personnel. Have you ever thought of applying for a position there, or at least getting a consulting contract?

 

[Edd]

Ronda,

I think I was offered a job by the deputy airport director, but maybe again he might have been just kidding. I actually told him I couldn't work on a clock and I was satisfied with what I am doing now and being retired. It is satisfying to know that when I take ideas into their world I am seriously listened to.

Evidence of that is the listing of vehicle-for-hire companies on the airport website, there is more work to do as I think you guys should be able to click into each companies web site to determine your needs, and the enforcment of the ground transportation regulations, making it hard for gypsies to steal rides in and around the terminal. What I gave them for DME was unique and that is why they have so many questions. The next meeting is so each manager can bring their "staffs" to get up to date.

 

[Lewisc]

I wonder if all the studies that show that buses don't need seat belts are based on facts or based on industry propaganda. I hope we don't have seat belts in buses because they're not needed BUT

I don't think Disney can even order buses with seat belts. Seat belts in cars is a federal requirement and state laws requiring seat belt use were strong armed by the federal government. We're not going to see seat belts in buses unless the Federal Government requires them. Writing to Disney is a waste of time.

Everyone is seated in a DME bus. The drivers observe the speed limit. I think passengers in the park buses, with guests standing, are much more likely to get banged up in an accident.


Bus accidents are sufficiently rare to be newsworthy.

I know you're concerned about safety. Many passengers don't use seat belts when riding in a towncar. Many towncar drivers going from MCO to WDW speed. Many parents take advantage of "lap baby" rules.

Look at the thread regarding the "speed trap" at Western Way. It's amazing how many posters object to a speed limit that was set to allow cars and trucks to safely make legal turns.

Eric,

I have already picked a side. I say Disney, and all bus companies, ought to start installing seat belts on their vehicles. It is now up to you guys to tell Disney you want seat belts on their vehicles. I don't care whether people rent a car, ride a car service or take a bus to the parks after they arrive Orlando. I want everyone to come to Orlando, have a good time, spend money and know that their transfers are made in a safe and efficient manner.

It appalls me to think that 150,000 passengers each month think, this transportation is very safe even though there are no seat belts aboard. If you got into my vehicle with a 3 year old you would demand a seat for that 3 year old. Actually you wouldn't have to demand it, it would already be there. I do take passengers to the parks, but it is their choice what they do when they leave my vehicle. I have no guilt over that.

This is like a young warrier going into a battle zone thinking he will come out unscathed, so he drops his guard. We have a habit of not doing or saying anything until something bad happens and I hope nothing happens, but in the same breathe I fear that maybe someday something will happen.