Should I report this bus driver?

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

As the original poster stated, the people on the seat for the scooter moved, so that wasn’t the case. What bothered the poster was that while the request was made for them to be able to ride the bus like everyone else who was in line and loaded on the bus, the bus driver’s reaction was that their request was a ‘big favor’ to accommodate - when it wasn’t. They simply wanted to ride the bus back like everyone else. It was wrong for him to insinuate that they should wait for another bus. The driver didn’t ask this of anyone else in line.

I think the situation is tricky when it's a bus already being loaded and someone in an ECV pulls up after that has already started. Bus driver attitude aside it's not the same as an ECV waiting in line, bus pulls up, no one in those spots and they can load the ECV first before the rest of the people in line get going. They wouldn't ask anyone else in line practically speaking because the OP had a situation necessitating specific seats. Your example would hold up if they didn't say anything to a different ECV party but only to the OP.

 

[OurBigTrip]

You are citing only one part of the law. The law says that the transporting agency can make a policy that requires people to move from seats that are used for those on scooters or wheelchairs. There is no requirement for them to allow an individual with a ‘hidden disability’ to remain in a seat that needs to be used for a wheelchair or scooter. So if Disney had such a policy, it would be considered law that they move. Why would Disney do this? Disney has to be able to meet the ADA’s other sections of the law that require they offer equitable services on the busses to those who need mobility devices. With only 2 spaces available, this was disputed and we were seeing 3 space busses for a while.

A person who has a disability that requires them to be seated on a bus simply has to state to the driver that they need to be seated because they have a condition that requires this. The bus driver is responsible for seeing that there is a seat for them, but they certainly can move them from one seat they can access to another, such as from a seat reserved for those with a scooter or wheelchair to one on the same level as those seats.

Quoting one section of the law outside of it’s entirety does not convey a law correctly. Do you have the written policy from Disney on whether or not people must move?

As the original poster stated, the people on the seat for the scooter moved, so that wasn’t the case. What bothered the poster was that while the request was made for them to be able to ride the bus like everyone else who was in line and loaded on the bus, the bus driver’s reaction was that their request was a ‘big favor’ to accommodate - when it wasn’t. They simply wanted to ride the bus back like everyone else. It was wrong for him to insinuate that they should wait for another bus. The driver didn’t ask this of anyone else in line.

A Disney policy is not a law. While Disney can certainly enforce their policies, there is no federal law that requires anyone to vacate a seat/space for a mobility device.

 

[TCRAIG]

Here’s my take on this - I use an ECV at WDW (my own - not a rental)…at the end of the night - if there’s a long line of people waiting for the bus - especially if I show up late - I let the bus driver know I can wait for the next bus. My thinking is that those in line have been on their feet all day while I’ve been sitting…and I can sit for another 40+ minutes more comfortably than they can stand…

 

[TwoMisfits]

We drive a scooter when we visit Walt Disney World.

We had a bad experience with a bus driver that drives the bus between Fort wilderness and Magic Kingdom last night.

We got on his bus to go to the Magic Kingdom and we are the only ones on it. He wanted to park my scooter for me, but I’ve gotten pretty good at it so I said I could do it myself. He scolded me, “people are waiting!” Even though we were the only two people on the bus. Of course I got flustered and messed it up and it took me longer to park then if he had just left me alone.

When we came home to Fort Wilderness after the Deluxe Extra Hours at the MK (we’re in a DVC cabin) we arrived at the bus stop at about 11:30 and the bus was already loading. The same driver loaded the rest of the people and then came out to speak to us. He asked us if we could wait for him to drop off all the people on the bus to Fort wilderness and come back and get us which would have been a 30 to 40 minute wait. There were people seated where the scooter would go he apparently didn’t want to move them, even though there were other seats on the bus. We said “no” and he grumbled and moved them for us. FWIW, there is only one single bus that was servicing the route.

I could accept his jerky move on the way to the MK, but asking us to wait 30-40 minutes for him to come back to retrieve us because he didn’t want to move people is too much IMO. Keep in mind, we also had to take another internal bus at FW to our cabin and they stop running at some point and it was already 11:30 at night.

So, am I the sphincter for expecting him to move people to another available seat in order to park the scooter or is he the sphincter for asking us to wait 40 more minutes and possibly miss the last internal bus back to our cabin?

If I’m not the sphincter, should I report him?

You should not report him. The thread has expounded on the reasons why.

 

[robinb]

Here’s my take on this - I use an ECV at WDW (my own - not a rental)…at the end of the night - if there’s a long line of people waiting for the bus - especially if I show up late - I let the bus driver know I can wait for the next bus. My thinking is that those in line have been on their feet all day while I’ve been sitting…and I can sit for another 40+ minutes more comfortably than they can stand…

I would also never force someone to stand to in order to accommodate my scooter if I show up late. In my case, all people still had seats.

 

[robinb]

Just got off my final FW bus ride.

The sign on the bus clearly states “PRIORITY SEATING Passengers must give up the seats to guest using wheelchairs/scooters”

 

[lanejudy]

Quoting one section of the law outside of it’s entirety does not convey a law correctly. Do you have the written policy from Disney on whether or not people must move?

I did note in post #6 that states may have stricter stance than the federal law. Maybe I should have also included states and/or municipalities may have stricter laws, and transportation agencies may have stricter rules but that didn’t seem germane to a WDW discussion since I do not find that either Florida, Orlando or WDW follow anything other than federal ADA law.

I do not have written policy from WDW, do you? Experience leads me to believe they do not have any different rules than federal ADA. Even if they did, that would not be “law” but company policy/rules.

I won’t continue to argue what I had thought was a simple clarification of federal ADA law. The driver must ask people to move but passengers are not actually required to do so. I never intended to derail OP’s post; as I’ve already stated, the law was followed in her situation.

 

[mistysue]

Just got off my final FW bus ride.

The sign on the bus clearly states “PRIORITY SEATING Passengers must give up the seats to guest using wheelchairs/scooters”


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This may be why their standard policy is to load scooters first, and that if they have already loaded often scooters are left waiting. Usually they don't bother to tell you how many busses or that it will take long, they simply tell you that you must wait. We have been on busses before where the driver would not allow a scooter on after anyone was on board - and in fact have been unloaded to load the scooter then let everyone back on.

 

[robinb]

This may be why their standard policy is to load scooters first, and that if they have already loaded often scooters are left waiting. Usually they don't bother to tell you how many busses or that it will take long, they simply tell you that you must wait. We have been on busses before where the driver would not allow a scooter on after anyone was on board - and in fact have been unloaded to load the scooter then let everyone back on.

That’s crazy! What about situations where people have to board buses that already have passengers? Like at the larger resorts with multiple stops?

 

[OurBigTrip]

That’s crazy! What about situations where people have to board buses that already have passengers? Like at the larger resorts with multiple stops?

I've only ever seen wheelchairs/scooters loaded while the bus was empty, never after passengers were already seated. The mobility devices were there when the bus pulled up, they were loaded first, then other passengers loaded.

I've literally never seen them load guests on mobility devices after other guests were already loaded, and quite frankly, I agree that if they're going to do that, the bus needs to be emptied then re-loaded.

 

[lanejudy]

I've only ever seen wheelchairs/scooters loaded while the bus was empty, never after passengers were already seated.

It’s done at resorts with multiple bus stops.

 

[robinb]

I've only ever seen wheelchairs/scooters loaded while the bus was empty, never after passengers were already seated. The mobility devices were there when the bus pulled up, they were loaded first, then other passengers loaded.

I've literally never seen them load guests on mobility devices after other guests were already loaded, and quite frankly, I agree that if they're going to do that, the bus needs to be emptied then re-loaded.

There are many resorts that have multiple stops: OKW, SSR, POR, CSR, and CBR. I had to load with people onboard this last trip on a bus that came from WL.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I've only ever seen wheelchairs/scooters loaded while the bus was empty, never after passengers were already seated. The mobility devices were there when the bus pulled up, they were loaded first, then other passengers loaded.

I've literally never seen them load guests on mobility devices after other guests were already loaded, and quite frankly, I agree that if they're going to do that, the bus needs to be emptied then re-loaded.

You haven’t seen it but I have seen it many times where our ECV was loaded with passengers aboard the bus due to my CSR stays. The driver has them shift out of the way whether it’s to the upper half or toward the front. If it’s crowded I have seen the bus driver ask for some people to step off and then they are the first to board after the ecv is parked but that’s more rare as that level of crowding tends to result in no room for the ecv and getting passed.

 

[mistysue]

That’s crazy! What about situations where people have to board buses that already have passengers? Like at the larger resorts with multiple stops?

I do think most often they will load with some on board, I'm just saying I have seen some drivers who don't.
Your experience sound unpleasant so I'm sorry it went that way, and I'm glad the driver did let you board because that extra wait wouldn't have been fun.

 

[elvispursley]

I've only ever seen wheelchairs/scooters loaded while the bus was empty, never after passengers were already seated. The mobility devices were there when the bus pulled up, they were loaded first, then other passengers loaded.

I've literally never seen them load guests on mobility devices after other guests were already loaded, and quite frankly, I agree that if they're going to do that, the bus needs to be emptied then re-loaded.

This happened numerous times during our stay at OKW. The only time the driver didn’t accommodate our two scooters was if there were already scooters/wheelchairs inboard. We were the 3rd stop so either going to the parks or coming home from them and offloading, guests were usually asked to offload so they could load the scooter a without hurting any of the passengers. As mentioned up thread, some drivers will attempt to load a scooter without making the other side of the bus move and don’t know if they’re just oblivious or jerks but they refuse to move their feet. The poor CM has clipped a few of them who refused to move.