New Bus on demand system maybe?

[SHELL]

I just got back and figured I would post this hear. I herd this rumor twice once from a bus driver and once from the front desk at the BWV. It appears people are complaining about bus service taking so long, (esp at the BWV) so I guess they are planning on implementing a new system, where you scan you key card at the bus stop and imput which bus you are waiting for. THat way at a central location they can see who is waiting for what bus where and hope this will help get buses to locations quicker? They said this will also help with people not staying on site parking at DTD and taking the buses to the resorts and then the parks. Several drivers said this is becomming a problem. WHo knows how true this is but I figured I would let you know what I found!!

 

[seashoreCM]

Scanning your rom keycard in a bus stop kiosk won't solve the problem of day guests parking at Downtown Disney and transferring at resorts.

Ways to fix that would be to charge a fee for parking at Downtown, or (difficult) boarding people with keycards first at resort stops.

The idea of scanning your keycard to request a bus has been around for awhile, but first they tried it using manual bus requesting by a cast member and so far it didn't work, probably because there weren't enough buses. Good thing they didn't invest in keycard scanning kiosks first and then find the system didn't work.

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

 

[SHELL]

You are correct. They are trying to solve both problems. They said that by using your key card to scan it at the bus stop the only way a bus would go there to pick you up would be if you scanned your card. Obvously people not staying on site could merge in with other people but I think it would cut down the problem.
THey did acknowledge that they tried to mannually have someone do this bus on demand system and it didn't work. THere was to much data for them to write down. Then they tried Palm Pilots and that didn't work. So who knows I just hope they improve it. Bus service from the BWV was terrible!!

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Ummm...I thought my day pass entitles me to use the bus system. Scanning keycards would tend to invalidate that aspect of the cards which was an element that was sold as part of the cards.

Having seen this myself I think the problem is that locals catch the busses to resorts...never mind to the parks....to crash the pools.

 

[suzanneb]

I posted a similar thought earlier...my AP used to say I had use of Disney transport. BUT it no longer says so...a CM (ChipnDale?) who posts says that passholders have use ONLY of transport to and from the Parks (e.g. monorail from TTC and Epcot, or bus from TTC to AK, etc.). theoretically, if not staying on property, AP do not have the right to use Disney transport to resorts or to DTD b/c your resort stay cost includes Disney transport. He did say that most of the time bus drivers don't check ID's so if we AP want to go to a resort (to trade pins or to eat for example)...it should not be a problem. He DID say that PI late...they often DO check resort ID's.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Sounds promising!
We have had GREAT (PERFECT!) bus service until last May at POR.
The bus service seems to be one of those things that guests have no problem with or have lots of problems.
Hopefully the recent bugs can be worked out.

 

[MHopkins2]

from a post on the Resorts board...

Basically there has to be enough people to justify a bus before it gets dispatched is what we were told. So if you are the only couple waiting to go to Epcot you WILL WAIT.

This could potentially be a big PITA, depending on how many cardswipes it takes to fill the "quota." I always go in the off season, so if there are 10 people waiting for the same bus I am, it's like a miracle. Could also be an issue for those who like to take the mid-day nap - you could easily be the only person who wants to go *to* Epcot at 5:00PM. I think the founding theory is great (send buses where and when they're needed), but the execution could be either wonderful or sucky....

 

[Testtrack321]

HAHAH! BUS ON DEMAND! AGAIN!

This little system was being worked on last March with CMs entering Bus destinations outside hotel exits while the guests headed towards the bus depot. They claimed it worked mericles, and then they commented that it would re-appear soon. Then the budget cuts, 9-11, and other things, and well, it just went to the way side. I think this thing will rear it's head out at a latter date, but not now.

 

[PKS44]

In the hospital where I used to work the main elevators are notoriously horribly slow...lots of waiting...in the new part of the hospital they installed new elevators that have some kind of program which instead of leaving the elevators where they are when empty sends them to various middle positions so an empty elevator is always near every floor, ..the darn things are amazing,,,never a wait of more than 30 seconds...

It seems to me that bus service could work similarly..instead of loops and buses sitting around waiting to fill they could work like elevators...get on, push your floor and go...with the buses then dispersed to wait in various positions so a bus is always not far from any resort....I would think a central computer could figure this out if they just treat the resorts like floors in a building and the buses like elevators...(I would have resort "banks" so you would not get stuck on a bus that stops at every resort-but some that always stop at groups of resorts...or something like that....

Paul

 

[Luv2Roam]

When we were at ASMo in January and POR in May, both places had CM's standing around with clipboards and/or what seemed to be a PDA.
So I took this to be the bus on demand system.
At ASMo they had it so well orchestrated it was amazing. And those CM's hussled and went well above their duties.
At POR it was the opposite. They stood and chatted among themselves and didn't appear to be doing a dang thing but be window dressing.
Example: The day after Memorial Day, we wanted to go to MK, as did hundreds others, as would be expected. Oh well. WDW are experts at this, right?
It was terrible bus service -- wait forever, only to still need more buses.
The BAD part of this was the service at the POR depot was unorganized and slow and bad as I have seen anywhere. And as we are leaving POR, there sit THREE empty busses waiting to be called in by those (%a-hem) CM's.
So maybe bus on demand isn't such a bad idea. I depends on if the CM's know how and decide to use it.

 

[seashoreCM]

But what is Bus On Demand (Magic On Demand) supposed to accomplish?

Is it supposed to prevent running nearly empty buses, or is it to reduce waiting time for guests? Can't do both.

If under the old system buses ran every twenty minutes, WDW could be fiendish and start the 20 minute wait when the first person swipes his card since the previous bus departed.

While drivers can radio ahead for more buses when their buses fill up, a computerized system can keep track of all five stops at POR and dispatch enough buses at the right times, if there were enough buses which is not always the case.
.