Just back -weird Disney bus experience

[kmadams]

Just wanted to share this story and wondered if anyone else has had this happen-

We just returned from our trip 8/13-8/18 and my daughter (age 19) and son (age 17) had a very bad Disney bus experience. We were at MK on Tuesday night and my husband, mother and I decided not to stay for Wishes. My daughter and son chose to stay and catch the bus back to Pop Century after the 10:00 show. We have been to Disney many times and always used the bus so we thought this would be no problem.

When the kids finally arrived back to the room at 11:30 that night my daughter burst into tears and was completely freaked out. It seems that the bus driver got lost on the way back to Pop Century. They went all over, left Disney property, the bus driver made U-turns everywhere and at one point stopped in a dark lot by a hotel, got off the bus and went to talk to someone in a truck. He never once came on the radio to make any sort of annoucements. At the point when he got off the bus in the dark parking lot my daughter thought they were going to be killed. She was seriously upset!!

This was a packed bus with parents who were trying to confort their children and lots of people yelling at the driver telling him where to turn (he didn't listen and also turned into another resort by mistake). When they finally made it back to Pop there was a Disney Transportation manager there waiting to meet them. Lots and lots of angry people. By the time the kids told me this story and I got back to the bus stop everyone was gone. I tried to get help from the front desk to lodge a complaint, they took my name and told me someone from Disney Transportation would call me, but no one ever did.

All in all, very upsetting. I don't know who to complain to now, no one wanted to hear my complaint the night it happened. I trusted the Disney bus people to at least know their way around the resorts. Any advice or similar stories??

 

[eebuckeye]

Wow.. that is horrible! We were at MK on 8/15 but stayed for Wishes before taking a bus back to Pop Century.

 

[phisigprincess]

WHAT?!?!?! That is too weird!!!! I have never heard of anything like that! I can see why your daughter would be scared.

 

[Jen76b]

What a horrible experience! I've never had any problems myself with Disney buses but my friend did when we went last June. My DS and I were tired so we went to the hotel but my friend and her DD went to DTD. On the way back the driver was driving crazy. He was swerving in and out of lanes and hit the guard rail on the overpass. They were really scared b/c if he hit it any harder they could have gone over the overpass. He didn't apologize or anything. She called Disney Transportation, spoke to a supervisor and reported it. Not sure what happened after that though.

Jen

 

[Devil_Dog99]

Sounds like it was one of the driver's first (and hopefully it was his last) days on the job. I was on a bus once returning from AK to CBR when we actually left WDW property. I thought it odd and said so to DW. Sure enough, we turned around but the bus driver came on to say he had missed his turn and apologized. He had not made many runs from AK (he was somewhat new I think). Made it back with no problems. Sorry to hear of your kid's experiences.

 

[tmt martins]

We had a Driver on our trip in June that was higher then a kite ( or Just plain Goofy). Making coments that shouldn't have been made. Not really driving that safely We got off the first stop at SSR and just walked to our room . If it wasn't so late I would have reported it right then and there. But at 2am after being up from 6am we just shook our heads as we and many others got off brfore our normal stops.

Also got to ride with a couple of drivers together and boy where they letting Disney have it and complaining about the extra hours and messed up times they have to work, Mears drivers not being held to the same standard (fill-ins) and other things we should not have been hearing.

 

[disneyfan19712006]

I have had excellent drivers. They led sing-a-longs. Joked with the riders and put everyone in a good mood. HOWEVER, There are some out there that give bus drivers a bad name. Yelling at passengers, the comments about working conditions, just overall bad attitudes. These people need a back stage job and maybe there could be auditions for bus drivers. Make it a fun job so that it carries over to the guests. Maybe that is just wishful thinking. But wishes do come true.

 

[DiszyDean]

In that type of situation, I am not sure why dispatch could not have directed the driver back to the resort? I am not sure why he would have to stop off and ask directions from a truck driver. Weird. Disney should have compensated everyone on the bus somehow. Even something small, like a gift certificate or something for the trouble.

The only issue I have ever had with the buses was one night coming back from MK. We left just before Wishes thinking we would beat the rush back to the resort. Boy, were we wrong. We were staying at POR ( which shares bus service with French Quarter ) so the line when we got there was pretty long. We were told that many of the people had already been waiting 20 minutes for a bus to show up. Yet, there were 3 buses sitting idle for another resort. After about another 30 minutes, the line seemed to be backed up almost to the entrance of MK. Finally one bus showed up and about a third of the people got on but everyone else was still waiting. Fortunately, a couple of the buses for Animal Kingdom suddenly changed their signs to POR and came and picked up the remainder of us. All and all, we probably waited about 40 minutes to actually get on a bus back to our resort. All other bus trips during this trip were very good however.

 

[allicat]

We had a bus driver drive us all through Old Key West and another resort before taking us to DTD but she made no stops-she was just driving through! All the while she was making stupid comments and we just wanted to get to DTD.
The creepiest experince was when a male bus driver took too much of an interest in my DD. She was about 4 and he wanted her to stand next to him while he drove!?! He was trying to tickle her and pick her up. It made my hair stand on end and I quickly sat her down away from him.

 

[lizardqueen]

I have never heard anything like that happening with the bus system (at least not in WDW)!!! I too, would have been totally freaked out and extremely angry. Everyone makes mistakes, but it makes me wonder about hiring practices when a property bus driver can't make the simple trip from MK to Pop. Glad that your kids did FINALLY arrive back to you safe. Hope your trip otherwise was a good one.

 

[Kick Save]

We were on a bus once where the driver went in the front gate to the Boardwalk rather than the bus entrance. He did a perfect 16 point turnaround in the middle of the road to go back out onto the street and go in the right entrance. It was interesting...

 

[Robmom]

Boy, I would have been scared too. One night we were leaving DTD to go back to ASMo and the bus was full of kids from a baseball team or something. They were loud and my DD 9 at the time was scared. If my DH wasn't with me I would have been freaking out. There were no seats and we were standing right next to the coaches. You would think they would get up to offer their seats to me and DD. Of course not. They could see that my DD was scared. It was such a long ride because it stopped at their hotel (I can't remember which one). Finally after they got off, we got seats and were on our way. But I was so upset.

 

[terribm]

There is absolutely no excuse for the bus drivers mistake. One poster said it must have been his first day on the job I don't think Disney's policy is to put untrained drivers that don't know their way around the resort on a bus with guests, unsupervised. It sounds to me like he was making some kind of "exchange" with this truck driver. Unacceptable We had a magical express driver that couldn't seem to get us from the airport to our resort. We were staying at Saratoga Springs and I knew it was taking a long time. When I looked up were entering AK. Not resort, the park. He had to turn around. I mean, how do you make that mistake?

 

[cleo]

Sounds like his first day on the job, which isn't really a safety hazzard, just the result of a very confused driver. The bigger question is, why did your daughter feel like she was going to be killed? I'd address that one first. Sounds like a generalized fear worth talking about and something she might need some help from Mom and Dad in dealing with.

I say this with all compassion. It's a scary world. But just being on a bus that's got a confused driver shouldn't really make someone feel like death is the likely outcome. There's more to that fear than this incident might warrent, I think.

 

[bigthundermountain]

thats rediculous that they didnt do anything about it....disney seems better than that

but everyone has there bad days right?

 

[KristinU]

It sounds to me like he was making some kind of "exchange" with this truck driver.

Yeah, this was the impression I got from this story. I'd be creeped out as well.

 

[flortlebap]

I agree with everyone else - he must just have been inexperienced, perhaps the route looked much different at night!!

I'm not sure I would have been angry or scared... but I would have thought there was something very bizarre up. At least your kids got back safely!! and I daresay he won't be driving buses anymore...

 

[cleo]

Oh, come on! You really think a bus driver would take a hundred-plus people and drive around aimlessly, further generating anger and attention from everyone on board, just to make an 'exchange' he could easily make on his time off? Honestly!

If it sounds like hoofbeats it's probably a horse. In this case, it sounds like a confused driver....and it probably is. Not everything has a sinister twist, folks. Anyone can lose their way, even (god forbid!) a Disney employee.

 

[Judge Fudge]

At the point when he got off the bus in the dark parking lot my daughter thought they were going to be killed. She was seriously upset!!

A bus load full of people(about 40-50 people?) are going to be killed in or around Disney World?


I do think the driver was a moron not to simply call in on the radio and ask for directions if he was lost.

Oh, come on! You really think a bus driver would take a hundred-plus people and drive around aimlessly, further generating anger and attention from everyone on board, just to make an 'exchange' he could easily make on his time off? Honestly!

QFT

 

[disneydiva06]

Our bus driver got lost on his way back to POP from MK one night. Another one that didn't say a word, just left everyone wondering why it took almost 35 mins to get back!