Should buses be modified to take >2 scooters?

[Simba's Mom]

I've noticed in the last year that there are more scooters on buses than before (at least on the buses I'm on). On my last trip, I had to wait through 2 buses in order to get to AK, because the buses already had their allowance of two scooters. And the lady in back of me (also on a scooter) had to wait through 3 buses, since there was already one scooter on when I get on, so she had to wait for yet another bus. So it took me 1 1/2 hours to get to AK, and it took her even more time-I missed my tour and she missed her Tusker House reservation. Almost every bus I was on had both scooter-spots taken. Since it appears that more and more people use scooters, should perhaps Disney buses be modified to take 3 or more scooters?
No, I definitely don't want this post to degenerate into a should they/shouldn't they use a scooter.

 

[gap2368]

I would send an email to Disney about this if they do not know already ( like a CM was standing out at the bus stop). I know when my friend had to wait for another bus at the MK they called as soon as the saw there were about6-7 people and 3 of them were in ECV the second bus got there before the first person was loaded in the first bus and we left before the first bus

Sorry you had to miss your tour.

 

[SueM in MN]

There were some buses that could take 3 ECVs or wheelchairs. On our last trip, I was talking to a transportation supervisor who indicated there are no longer ‘regular’ buses that take more than 2.
There had been only a couple that could take 3. My understanding is that it was too difficult to maneuver a 3rd mobility device onto the bus. Guests seem to be able to get into the farthest back space fairly well, but most have quite a bit of difficulty getting into the spot in front of that one.

There is a dedicated bus that group with multiple wheelchairs/ECVs can use by request. I don’t remember how many it holds, but it was for groups traveling together with 3 or more mobility devices.

 

[DisneyOma]

Also, besides trying to maneuver 3 large, heavy scooters into place, they also take up a lot of room on the bus. I've seen scooters take up the spot of 3 seats, plus standing room for 2-4 people, and the the rider should be in a seat as well as it is not safe to sit on the scooter. And I'm not saying scooters shouldn't be on buses, of course people should have their mobility devices with them. Just stating they take up a lot of space, and Disney is all about trying to move as many people as possible as quickly as possible.

SueM, is the dedicated bus also allowing others to ride along with the 3+ mobility group?

 

[cobright]

If we're just memorializing our hopes and dreams here then I would say Disney could do a lot to modernize the transportation system with respect to the mobility challenged. Automating ecv/wheelie lockdowns on the buses is doable and would speed up loading and unloading. Another ecv worth of mixed use (flip up) seats doesn't seem like too much to ask.

Some of the better power chairs are much smaller and without sacrificing performance or stability. Eventually that technology will migrate downwards and allow greater numbers of mobility challenged to occupy the same space on each bus. I suspect this will be a long time coming. Hopefully expanding other transportation options like the gondola system will take so e pressure off the buss system overall.

 

[RaySharpton]

I remember riding those new buses about four years ago. At the time one driver said that they had been using them mainly at Disney Fort Wilderness Campground.

I didn't see any this past June 2018.

I wonder what they did with them? I guess they could have the seats back to them.

When going to a park from the resort, I always plan a minimum of two hours. But when going back to my resort room with no other plans, I just wait until it is my turn.

I think those guests that have never had to use buses as a transport every day at home, and also those guests renting a mobility scooter just for the parks and not at home should probably somehow be told about the possibility of how long to wait. As Hoodie mentioned, ..."adjust their expectations " Especially at park closing going back to their resorts. There are so many folks using wheelchairs and mobility scooter now in the parks and resorts.

 

[Hoodie]

I don't think they'll ever move to more than 2 mainly due to the space they occupy, but I think they need to start letting people adjust their expectations. They tell people to allow at least an hour to get from a resort to a park for a reservation. They probably need to add language that if you have specific transportation needs (ECV, needing a seat, etc.) to allow at least 90 minutes. We did not do Disney transportation when we went a year ago because our experience with it when we had gone 9 months earlier was so bad. I think the shortest trip we had between park/resort was 45 minutes.

 

[Staren]

Those of us with experience maneuvering our mobility device of choice / need could probably handle the placement of a 3rd tie-down location, but I'd expect getting 3 part-time ECV users on board is a lot of trouble, and probably slows everyone down more than Disney is willing to accept. That would be my guess if they experimented with the idea.

I'm sure there isn't a simple solution to improve speed. Loading may not even be the problem. I'm no expert, but I could imagine that 3 ECVs rather than 2 might mess with the weight balance of a bus somehow that needs a solution that hasn't been thought of yet. Something that a specially trained driver can deal with, but that is difficult or dangerous for the regular drivers. I would love to see Disney push out more buses during peak times, but I'm sure that too is a logistics problem that needs a creative answer.

Adjusting rider expectations may be the best solution for now.

 

[DisneyOma]

If we're just memorializing our hopes and dreams here then I would say Disney could do a lot to modernize the transportation system with respect to the mobility challenged. Automating ecv/wheelie lockdowns on the buses is doable and would speed up loading and unloading. Another ecv worth of mixed use (flip up) seats doesn't seem like too much to ask.

Some of the better power chairs are much smaller and without sacrificing performance or stability. Eventually that technology will migrate downwards and allow greater numbers of mobility challenged to occupy the same space on each bus. I suspect this will be a long time coming. Hopefully expanding other transportation options like the gondola system will take so e pressure off the buss system overall.

Taking another 3 seats, plus the standing room is a lot to ask, IMO. That's 6-7 people who could have gotten on. Of course Disney is going to make sure everyone who needs a bus eventually gets on a bus, but 3 ECVs, with family members (say the average family of 3-5 people) would take up more than half the bus. Of course, if they do all the loading like they do at MK at the end of the night, having the mobility vehicles in the queues until a certain point, then it's first come, first served, and if there are 3 in a row, then load them on up! I'd really like to see some kind of bus that just lowers to the edge, and the side raises up and people can roll right in, like a more open, elongated monorail. One long bench along the far side, plenty of space for ECVs to roll in. No tiedowns, but a bus with a lower center of gravity so a rollover wouldn't be as easy.

 

[ttintagel]

Personally, I think a better solution would be to have more regular busses come more frequently. If there wasn't enough room on the first bus, the next one would only be a couple of minutes later.

(As long as I'm blue-skying, an even better solution would be to have more non-bus forms of transportation so road traffic wouldn't interfere with transport time. But I know the company's not going to make infrastructure investments that big.)

 

[maxiesmom]

I've noticed in the last year that there are more scooters on buses than before (at least on the buses I'm on). On my last trip, I had to wait through 2 buses in order to get to AK, because the buses already had their allowance of two scooters. And the lady in back of me (also on a scooter) had to wait through 3 buses, since there was already one scooter on when I get on, so she had to wait for yet another bus. So it took me 1 1/2 hours to get to AK, and it took her even more time-I missed my tour and she missed her Tusker House reservation. Almost every bus I was on had both scooter-spots taken. Since it appears that more and more people use scooters, should perhaps Disney buses be modified to take 3 or more scooters?
No, I definitely don't want this post to degenerate into a should they/shouldn't they use a scooter.

I can't imagine the struggle you typically deal with trying to get around at WDW. And I do think Disney should have more frequent buses. But I also know that they are probably not going to add buses just to make our wait time shorter. So having said that, are you aware that Disney tells us to allow 90 minutes to get where we need to go using their transportation? Given that if I had to use a wheelchair or scooter I would probably up that time, just in case of running into what you did, having to wait thru multiple buses.

Definitely e-mail Disney your frustrations. Can't hurt.

 

[cmwade77]

Well, the Skyliner should help to reduce some of this, which will have a trickle down effect to other resorts and parks as well since mobility devices should be able to be loaded just as easily as anyone can walk on.

Ultimately this is what is needed, more transportation systems with continuous loading and unloading, which will also space out crowds for security, getting into the parks, etc. better as well. Ultimately these benefit everyone.

 

[Staren]

But I know the company's not going to make infrastructure investments that big.

I wouldn't say it's completely out of the question right now. Disney is currently working on the Skyliner gondolas. Granted that is a the cheaper option compared to expanding the monorail, but it is pretty substantial. Plus we still have the rumors of the coming monorail upgrades. We can't say for sure that new monorail cars are coming until we get some more hard information, but I'd say it's a pretty sure bet.

 

[1983DisneyFanatic]

No offense, but absolutely not!!!! There have been many, many times that I have had to wait for multiple buses because of two scooters and their families boarding first and taking up most of the bus. Not to mention many times that I would be waiting a very long time and then scooters roll up at the last minute and get on first without any wait and I’m stuck waiting for the next bus. I have never seen what you experienced happen, but if it is becoming an issue, the answer that would solve everyone’s problem is MORE buses for everyone, not more priority for scooters.

 

[seashoreCM]

"missed her Tusker House reservation"

During rush hour, not everyone can fit on their respective sweet spot bus for rope drop, reservations, etc. So it is necessary to be at the bus stop somewhat earlier.

Meanwhile, restaurants should honor reservations (ADRs) of guests who are late due to unusual bus problems or (for Animal kingdom) parking lot problems. There are usually guests who are early for their ADRs who can readily take an early seating resulting from someone else's being late and then slipping in the latecomers upon rheir final arrival will cause little if any ripple effect.

 

[ttintagel]

Yeah, I guess I should reserve judgment until we see how the Skyliner shakes out.

 

[DisneyOma]

I'm wondering how the gondolas are going to handle ECV traffic - more time needed to load and unload, the weight of them, etc.

 

[lanejudy]

It’s my understanding they will have the ability to pull a car to the side for those who need assistance or more time to load.

 

[Meglen]

No offense, but absolutely not!!!! There have been many, many times that I have had to wait for multiple buses because of two scooters and their families boarding first and taking up most of the bus. Not to mention many times that I would be waiting a very long time and then scooters roll up at the last minute and get on first without any wait and I’m stuck waiting for the next bus. I have never seen what you experienced happen, but if it is becoming an issue, the answer that would solve everyone’s problem is MORE buses for everyone, not more priority for scooters.

I agree with this. I understand people have mobility issues but it is starting to get abit crazy. I wish they had more wheelchairs and the abilty to rent cheaper at the parks this way people could just wheel the family member to a seat than get another one at the destination and head up and grab the evc at any park. The issue is people renting there own and taking it everywhere. Im guilty of telling my mother no about renting a evc due to this issue (she can walk just not the amount of walking at disney) So we spent the money at the parks and rented at the gate.

The amount of times evc was able to skip the bus line is literally crazy and to also let on all the family.. like familys of 7 were following a evc I wanted to scream. I think it should be evc+1 than the rest have to wait.

 

[serenitynow]

No offense, but absolutely not!!!! There have been many, many times that I have had to wait for multiple buses because of two scooters and their families boarding first and taking up most of the bus. Not to mention many times that I would be waiting a very long time and then scooters roll up at the last minute and get on first without any wait and I’m stuck waiting for the next bus. I have never seen what you experienced happen, but if it is becoming an issue, the answer that would solve everyone’s problem is MORE buses for everyone, not more priority for scooters.

I guess I’ve just been lucky. Every time a bus pulled up already having no more ECV/wheelchair spots or if I was next in line but the accessible spots were full, the bus driver would come to the middle loading door and say that they would call for another bus. Usually within 15 minutes or so another bus would swing by.

One morning at Port Orleans Riverside it was EMH at Magic Kingdom and I was fourth in the wheelchair line. It’s always difficult to get an accessible spot in the mornings at Riverside because with all the stops, by the time the bus comes one or both spots are often already taken. Since each bus only has 2 available “seats” for the handicapped, you usually have to wait for a couple of buses to go by unless you are first in line.

The first bus filled up and the driver told me “I got this, sit tight” and about 10 minutes later a fully empty bus pulled up. Of course by then the non accessible line has grown in size. As the driver was lowering the ramp, someone in the non accessible line must have made a nasty remark, because once the bus loaded, the bus driver announced that everyone owed a big thank you to the disabled guests, because the only reason everyone was getting a ride on this bus without waiting was because he had been pulled out of service to pick up guests with ECVs who had been waiting for an accessible ride. The bus got very quiet.