The monorail has only 2 stops - the Tomorrowland Station and Downtown Disney (where you can easily get to the Paradise Pier and Disneyland Hotel and a little more of a walk to Grand Californian Hotel).
My kids and I recently road the monorail at DL. The front cab area was unoccupied and we asked a cast member if we could ride up front. We were told they no longer allow passengers in the front of the monorail with the driver. I assume this is part of the post 9-11 world.
We also asked about riding up front at DL,told no also. It may be because of 9/11, but I'm not sure taking over the controls of a monorail that goes nowhere are at the top of a terrorist hit list.