Ramp for Underneath DME Bus

[clkelley]

I asked earlier about the ramp for loading the ECV underneath the DME Bus. The DME bus we rode on Friday night did have a ramp that they used to load the ECV and it stayed stored underneath the bus. I'm hoping this is standard equipment on all DME buses now, cause DHs new ECV is HEAVY!!!

This made it really easy to load and unload his ECV.

 

[love2fly]

I asked earlier about the ramp for loading the ECV underneath the DME Bus. The DME bus we rode on Friday night did have a ramp that they used to load the ECV and it stayed stored underneath the bus. I'm hoping this is standard equipment on all DME buses now, cause DHs new ECV is HEAVY!!!

This made it really easy to load and unload his ECV.

A ramp for all DME buses will never happen. They have handicapped accessible buses for the purpose of transporting wheelchairs & scooters (ECVs). The storage under the bus is generally not a good place to transport a scooter because luggage or what have you can shift during the ride and possibly cause damage to the scooter. It can not be secured underneath in the bay. If you really want to transport a scooter in the luggage bay it's best to disassemble it to reduce the size and weight but just be careful that it's packed safely to avoid damage. I don't know how many people realize this but MEARS owns and operates the DME buses under contract from Disney. They have guidelines they must follow but Disney does not have control over all aspects of the operation so things like the ramp issue will always be hit or miss.

 

[clkelley]

DME has been loading scooters and ECVs underneath the buses since Day 1.We have always loaded our old ECV under there no problem. For awhile there it was required that the passenger load the ECV themselves. I am the 2nd person in this group to report seeing the ramp and I have a picture of it. Our ECV has always been put in a compartment withonly our stuff, never even a scratch. The ramp exists and I will iterate again that I hope it is on all the buses!!

 

[HolidayScooter]

DME has been loading scooters and ECVs underneath the buses since Day 1.We have always loaded our old ECV under there no problem. For awhile there it was required that the passenger load the ECV themselves. I am the 2nd person in this group to report seeing the ramp and I have a picture of it. Our ECV has always been put in a compartment withonly our stuff, never even a scratch. The ramp exists and I will iterate again that I hope it is on all the buses!!

You are correct. DME has been loading them in the luggage bay since day one and if done correctly it poses no problems. Just use caution when doing so. The person above has some valid points. Hopefully MEARS will add ramps to all the buses

 

[peemagg]

On our last trip we had one DME bus that had that ramp and one that didn't I assume since we had to lift it into the bus. Either that or the driver didn't think to use it. It wasn't a problem anyways, because my scooter is small and pretty light weight for one, so the driver and I just lifted it into the bus. I actually think it was easier lifting it into the bus than using the ramp. The ramp was almost as heavy as my scooter and was more ackward. No problem with it under the bus either. I've put more dings on my scooter putting it in the car than it got on the bus.

 

[SueM in MN]

For those who had a ramp for the bus, had you let DME know ahead of time that you would have an ECV?

I would maybe not expect every bus to have one because they are expensive and would not be needed on every bus. If they had some to put on as needed, that would probably do the trick.

 

[peemagg]

I didn't tell them that I was bringing mine. It was just there.

 

[clkelley]

For those who had a ramp for the bus, had you let DME know ahead of time that you would have an ECV?

I would maybe not expect every bus to have one because they are expensive and would not be needed on every bus. If they had some to put on as needed, that would probably do the trick.

We also didn't tell them we were bringing the ECV.

FYI, when we left All-Stars yesterday, we loaded the ECV manually, but while we were all held captive on the bus while she unloaded luggage, she used the ramp to unload the ECV.