Just returned, some ECV observations

[Nanajo1]

We just returned from our Feb 11th to March 2nd trip at BWV. I used an ECV as I have for the past 7 years. I saw many more ECVs in use this trip. I also saw a lot of alarming behavior. I could not count the number of times folks had small children standing between the ECV drivers legs and allowed them to steer. I saw a young woman holding an infant in one arm while trying to drive the ECV. I saw a girl about 11 standing on the floor board speeding down the Boardwalk while a younger boy was in the seat. These were off-site rentals and Disney ECVs at the parks.
These incidents upset me because it is so dangerous. I was almost hit by an ECV driven by young girl sitting in an older man's lap.
I did not see a CM speak to any of them.
I don't want to rain on anyone's trip but this behavior is worrisome to me.

 

[tarkus]

Maybe there is a need for some sort of "certification" to opperate them.

 

[MommytoMJM]

I have to admit to letting MJ ride (ride being the operative word) with me if she is having a hard day, but I would NEVER let her steer, ever. That being said, it is against the rules to let a child ride on a rented scooter whether rented from Disney or elsewhere (I own mine)

 

[3kidsmommy]

This is very worrisome indeed...if, because of people abusing these mobility devices, WDW cans them...my dh will not be able to go on vacation with us. As for letting the kids drive--WHY in the world would someone do that?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Sometimes when in the parks on my ECV (not when working and giving no indication that I am a CM) if I see people on Disney rentals doing stupid things I will (nicely, of course) warn them that the paper they signed prohibits what they are doing and they could be ejected from the park. I also explain why it is unsafe.

 

[SueM in MN]

Offenders with WDW park ECVs can get them confiscated just for allowing a child to ride, but (at least I think) they get a or several warnings before it's taken away. If they are putting others in danger, they can get ejected from the park.
The CMs can't really do anything to people with their own equipment or rented from off-site unless they are doing something that endangers others (just letting your child ride apparently isn't enough, although that is a very dangerous thing to do for many reasons).
I have seen CMs suggest it is not safe, but the person usually replies it is their equipment and their child and they don't think it is unsafe (and besides, they have not run into anyone.
I've seen CMs give people with WDW ECVs a warning for letting a child ride, the child gets off and then as soon as the CM is out of sight, the kids is back on again. In one situation at Epcot, that happened several times - each time the guy said to the CM that it was his first warning and they let him go. Since he was traveling thru different "countries" in Epcot, the CMs didn't know how many other CMs had seen him. We let the last CM know that we had seen the guy get about 6 "first warnings". I don't know what happened after that, since the CM was back talking to him when we left the area.

The strangest we saw was an elderly man with about a 3 year old boy on his lap on the ECV. The little boy was doing most of the steering and they repeatedly came up to the same elderly woman really fast and then stopped right before hitting her (sometimes less than 6 inches before hitting her). The little boy and the old man would laugh, the elderly woman laughed and they would do it again. They were on a sidewalked area at MK and one time, the older woman stepped back off the curb and would have fallen except that she bumped into someone going by, who caught her. A CM came and talked to them, but after he left, they started up again. A man (who I think was the boy's dad) came up and I figured he would stop them, but he just watched with a sort of bored look on his face. The ECV wasn't a rental one.

 

[philaround]

I learned my lesson about having a child in my lap while driving an ECV at a local supermarket. My wife and I were shopping and had our 4yo grandson with us. I was stopped at the deli counter waiting for my turn when my grandson climbed into my lap. Since the ECV was not in motion I let him stay on my lap. I did not consider that the ECV was on even though I was not moving. Well my grandson reached out and grabbed the handlebar and the ECV started forward and almost hit a little girl a few feet in front of us. I managed to get the ECV stopped without incident but I no longer allow my grandson to sit on my lap while I am in an ECV and I always make sure the ECV is turned off when I am not in motion.

 

[tarkus]

Part of what happens is that sometimes, when people are on vacation they let their guard down and do things without much thought.

This seems to be some of the same. Those that use their mobility device eveyday see it as a tool, while those who only use them at theme parks and the like may see them as part of the party.

If it's people who own them and do these things thats disturbing.

My bet is that Disney will make plans to have the CM's keep a look out and remind people of the need to keep the parks safe and eject repeat offenders.


Regards,
Alan

 

[bumpysheep]

Offenders with WDW park ECVs can get them confiscated just for allowing a child to ride, but (at least I think) they get a or several warnings before it's taken away. If they are putting others in danger, they can get ejected from the park.
The CMs can't really do anything to people with their own equipment or rented from off-site unless they are doing something that endangers others (just letting your child ride apparently isn't enough, although that is a very dangerous thing to do for many reasons).
I have seen CMs suggest it is not safe, but the person usually replies it is their equipment and their child and they don't think it is unsafe (and besides, they have not run into anyone.
I've seen CMs give people with WDW ECVs a warning for letting a child ride, the child gets off and then as soon as the CM is out of sight, the kids is back on again. In one situation at Epcot, that happened several times - each time the guy said to the CM that it was his first warning and they let him go. Since he was traveling thru different "countries" in Epcot, the CMs didn't know how many other CMs had seen him. We let the last CM know that we had seen the guy get about 6 "first warnings". I don't know what happened after that, since the CM was back talking to him when we left the area.

The strangest we saw was an elderly man with about a 3 year old boy on his lap on the ECV. The little boy was doing most of the steering and they repeatedly came up to the same elderly woman really fast and then stopped right before hitting her (sometimes less than 6 inches before hitting her). The little boy and the old man would laugh, the elderly woman laughed and they would do it again. They were on a sidewalked area at MK and one time, the older woman stepped back off the curb and would have fallen except that she bumped into someone going by, who caught her. A CM came and talked to them, but after he left, they started up again. A man (who I think was the boy's dad) came up and I figured he would stop them, but he just watched with a sort of bored look on his face. The ECV wasn't a rental one.

I have let my serverely autistic nephew ride in my lap on MY scooter (evc, i never understood why disney calls mobility scooters EVCs) at WL from the pool one day because he was having a MAJOR meltdown and a CM told me that it was probably agaisnt my rental policy with the company I rented from. My sister who has MS among other things and uses a powerchair said to the CM, NO not if I own it. She would have put him on her lap but she doesnt have enought upper body strenght to keep him on the way he was acting. I'm HFA and won't talk to people that don't understand my verbal commucation style and just kept going anyway, so she explained the situation and everything was fine. Personally it would have been less safe not to have him on my lap and get him to our room ASAP.

I'm not saying its not an issue in the parks but I would not hesitate to repeat what I did. Heck one time in MK I forgot my services dogs boots for the hot pavement and we were going over some really hot grating and I had my 80lb Golden sit down on the foot board until we could get over that extremely hot area. I rather do that that risk him burning his feet.

I think the biggest problem is the rental EVCs at the parks, they should get rid of those. If you need one, you'd already own one or rent one from an outside company. OVER Half the time I see old people who can't even drive it or manuver properly causing the bulk of the problems.

 

[waltfan1957]

Maybe there is a need for some sort of "certification" to opperate them.

I agree with that at xmas a WDW rental ecv caused over £100 pounds worth of damage to my wife's power chair when i tried to to claim I was given a WDW insurance nimber to call after several e-mails to them we gave up, they kept asking for details we kept sending them so far nothing, so we are out of pocket due to Disney renting out ecv's to people who have no idea how to ride them

 

[bumpysheep]

I agree with that at xmas a WDW rental ecv caused over £100 pounds worth of damage to my wife's power chair when i tried to to claim I was given a WDW insurance nimber to call after several e-mails to them we gave up, they kept asking for details we kept sending them so far nothing, so we are out of pocket due to Disney renting out ecv's to people who have no idea how to ride them

What I don't understand is if you need a mobility device you probably have one or will rent one from an outside company, so why does DISNEY rent out EVCs? Many of us have seen their usage abused. CMs see the usage abused. So it seems to me, the easiest way to solve this is to not provide them, because if you really need one you'll make sure and have one. I think it would be best if they just got rid of them.

I haven't been hit by an EVC but my service dog has quite a few times. He has never been seriously hurt, fourtunately. But the offenders quickly apologised, since its really difficult to pretend you did nothing wrong when you run into/over part of and 80lb dog that is yelping/screaming and so now everyone is looking and asking if the dog is okay. All of these times but one we were just waiting in a que, and easily visible from behind, but the renters had bad driving skills.

 

[Chuck S]

What difference would it make if Disney rents them or the untrained driver gets them from an offsite company? Same results. Disney can at least try to control abuse on their own units, they can't enforce anything for off-site rentals.

 

[bumpysheep]

What difference would it make if Disney rents them or the untrained driver gets them from an offsite company? Same results. Disney can at least try to control abuse on their own units, they can't enforce anything for off-site rentals.

Well my thinking is there would be less scooters/evcs on the whole, and people who don't need one but rent one anyway might be less likely to go through the touble of doing an offsite rental. Cutting down on the number of them and some of the fakers.

 

[Chuck S]

Well my thinking is there would be less scooters/evcs on the whole, and people who don't need one but rent one anyway might be less likely to go through the touble of doing an offsite rental. Cutting down on the number of them and some of the fakers.

Possibly, but then you have the issue of hard headed folks that need one, resist using one until they get to the park, walk for 1/2 hour, and realize they NEED an ECV. There's also those folks that sustain injuries while visiting Disney. There may be a few less in the parks, but I think once folks saw the rental ones prominently displaying the rental company phone number it would be about even...just increase the business for the offsite companies.

 

[tarkus]

Possibly, but then you have the issue of hard headed folks that need one, resist using one until they get to the park, walk for 1/2 hour, and realize they NEED an ECV. There's also those folks that sustain injuries while visiting Disney. There may be a few less in the parks, but I think once folks saw the rental ones prominently displaying the rental company phone number it would be about even...just increase the business for the offsite companies.

Chuck I agree.

WDW is not the problem here it is the user of the device.

All Disney can do is try to keep an eye out for problem opperators and remove them.

I'll agree that WDW is caught between "a rock and a hard place" on this, as we have learned in other threads.

Disney rents as a service to those who care not, or may not, be able to travel with their own device.

It would be a sad day if that service went away. As Chuck has pointed out they can't control off site rentals.

The real problem is a growing lack of care about the other guy in our world.

Regards,
Alan

 

[SueM in MN]

Possibly, but then you have the issue of hard headed folks that need one, resist using one until they get to the park, walk for 1/2 hour, and realize they NEED an ECV.

That's my FIL.
He has really needed one for about the last 10-12 years (even his doctor told him), but he would not rent one. Even though, that meant in many of the parks that he basically didn't go very far into the park. He sat on a bench fairly near the entrance while the rest of us went on rides (or my MIL went shopping).
Two years ago, he finally rented one from the parks and was really happy he did. We've been trying for years to get him to rent from one of the off-site places, but he is concerned about riding the buses (and, he has observed ECVs and wheelchairs loaded for a long time). So, unless we can convince him to rent from off site (which I don't think he will do), he would not have one if you can't rent from the parks.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have several comments related to this thread.

My personal ECV is a Ranger Solo which can do 4.5 mph. When I am in a park by myeself, or if I am running errands while with a group, I will zip around the park at "full rabbit", or very close. However - I am an experienced ECV driver, I know the parks very well, and have excellent peripheral vision. I also know when to slow down and to stop.

On my ECV just a hair above "turtle" is what is full rabbit on the Disney rentals (about 2.0 mph).

Last month my 91 year old mother visited. I took her to Epcot one day, and she used the ECV that had been Judy's, a Pride Go-Go. My mother does still drive, but not often, and I would almost say she is healther than me. The Go-Go can also do about 4.5 mph. However, since my mother was not experienced on an ECV and did not know the parks, I had both of us using the speed equal to the Disney ECVs. Because of her inexperience she almost got into several accidents, and did run into a few walls or curbs. One of her problems was she kept trying to find the brake pedal.

Anyway, a lot depends on the user and all people with private ones are not experts. Also, as others have said, some people with private ones don't rerally pay attention to safety.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Maybe there is a need for some sort of "certification" to opperate them.

Well, you sign a rental contract which, if I recall correctly, includes bans on more than one person on an ECV, people under 18 using them, etc. While Disney can enforce the rules on the ECVs they rent, generally there's nobody from the offsite companies monitoring the (mis)behavior of dozens of customers.

I have let my serverely autistic nephew ride in my lap on MY scooter (evc, i never understood why disney calls mobility scooters EVCs)

They don't. Disney calls them ECVs which is the abbreviation for Electric Convenience Vehicle - which is what they ARE. Scooters are more often seatless vehicles powered by either one's foot/feet, or by some type of engine. At dictionary.com, NO definition of the word 'scooter' indicates any type of transportation for otherly-abled persons.

What I don't understand is if you need a mobility device you probably have one or will rent one from an outside company, so why does DISNEY rent out EVCs?

Well, not everybody needs one all the time. My daily life is set up so that I can walk the short distances I need to, without vehicular assistance. And many Disney Guests only need the use of the ECV (not EVC) or wheelchair in the parks, not all over Walt Disney World... these Guests may not be aware of the availability of offsite rentals, or may even just not want the hassle of maneuvering on and off Disney transportation. You all know it ain't easy

 

[SueM in MN]

ECVs are called by various other names. I don't know how it started, but some companies that rent, sell or manufacture them call them Scooters or mobility scooters. Some people call them electric carts. If you google the word scooter, you will find everything from children's 2 wheel scooters (with and without motors) to ECVs.
Basically, whether you call it an ECV, an electric cart, or a mobility scooter, people will understand what you mean.

 

[waltfan1957]

Anyway, a lot depends on the user and all people with private ones are not experts. Also, as others have said, some people with private ones don't rerally pay attention to safety.

That can sometimes be the case but as a rule people usually take more care with their own equipment than they do with rented ones, also you dont see cow pushers on private ones like they have on the WDW ecv's