Need Ya'll to debunk transportation rumors

[isyne4u]

I'm currently at WDW (staying at OKW) and heard some transportation rumors from one of the bus drivers. Since they have been known to be wrong I wanted to come here and ask you all if you had heard anything about either of these.

The first one is that beginning in May the buses will only run every 30 minutes instead of the 20 minutes. He said they are cutting down on the work force.

The second one is that the DVC is in talks with a private company to contract out the buses on DVC properties and then the buses would only run every hour

Neither of these makes sense to me from a guest standpoint. Why stay on property with no car if the buses are only going to run twice an hour? That would give people more opportunity to get out of Disney's clutches!

The DVC one is the scary one. That would be a serious turn off to DVCers IMO if they took away our bus service too.

So please debunk these rumors for me!!

I'm headed to MGM now!! Oops I mean Disney Hollywood Studios! I'll come back and look for your responses tonight!!

thanks!
tara

 

[MJMcBride]

Since they have been known to be wrong

Thats an understatement.

They are almost always wrong

 

[Chuck S]

The second one is that the DVC is in talks with a private company to contract out the buses on DVC properties and then the buses would only run every hour

This one makes no sense at all, since WDW rents some DVC rooms to cash guests and markets them as Deluxe properties. Surely WDW would not allow a cash guest to receive less service at a Deluxe than they do at a Value.

And unless the agreement includes WDW turning over use of their busses to the outside operator, it is unlikely any outside firm would have enough equipment. Now they may be looking at contracting out the bus driver positions, but again, with boat operators and monorail drivers also falling under the "transportation" division umbrella, it is unlikely, IMO.

 

[doconeill]

Aren't bus times variable anyways, by time of day, etc.? I don't believe they are ALL 20 minutes anyways.

As for DVC, 4 of the 6 current resorts are shared with CRO resorts. How could they divide them? "No, sorry, you can't board this bus because you paid a lot of money X years ago. You have to wait longer..."

It would be easier to do at SSR and OKW, and I can see it being considered if DVC itself is paying for it, but it still doesn't make any sense. And especially ratcheting down the times...they can seem plenty long enough, and they are plenty crowded.

 

[DC7800]

While I have no reason to believe either of these rumors is - or is not - true, as much as I hate to say it, it does make perfect sense that Disney could be looking to make cutbacks in WDW transportation. It is completely concievable that they could be looking at reduced service levels (less frequent buses), or contracted-out services, as a cost savings measure. If nothing else, this could be a contingency plan if the economy really tanks and/or gas prices get really too high.

Most rumors are proven false, or just never happen, though there may be a kernel of truth to many of them. That may well be the case here, but again, I have no definitive reason to believe either way beyond mere speculation.

 

[DisFlan]

It's probably a rumor, but heck, we wait 30 minutes at BWV for MK and AK buses more times than I care to remember. (Not always, but too often.) So it wouldn't be a big difference. We often just give up and drive. It's my only real gripe with BW.

DisFlan

 

[isyne4u]

Thanks ya'll!!! I figured these weren't "real" rumors!!! LOL!

I didn't hear anything juicy today!!!

Oh well...I did hear a CM telling another guest that they were taking the top off of Space Mountain to replace the entire ride. But nothing else good!

thanks!!

tara

 

[KYMickey]

One interesting thought about these rumors. If there is any basis to the other thread that says Disney is considering making parking free at all the Parks then maybe they could justify reducing WDW transportation by telling people that them driving themselves is more convenient and they aren't being charged for it anymore!

Just a thought, but combining the rumors from the two threads could make it work and would also reduce Disney's costs considerably!

 

[mitros]

I have yet to find a bus drivers story to be true, in all of our 20 years of going to WDW.

 

[KidDurango]

WDW transportation is in the middle of installing a multi-million dollar system called Magic In Motion. The goal of which is to improve service levels and increase effeciency. The beginnings of the system came on line when the on-board audio started last summer. Each bus is now tracked by GPS and a computer system. They now know how many people are on each bus and where it is. This allows them to redirect empty busses midstream if they see there is a change in demand. The theory is they will be able to cut down on emty time for busses and maximize their guests carried. This system is scheduled tentatively to go into full effect around May. This may be where some of the rumor came from. The thought is if the system really does increase the effeciency of the system, they will need fewer busses, and therefore fewer drivers. Of course the heavily unionized drivers don't llike that idea so they are bad mouthing the system every chance they get. The goal of the system is not to increase wait times, but decrease.