some conserns on the disney buses

[GOODFELLA]

everytime i ride the disney buses i'm always concerned on how they cram us in there like cattle.don't get me wrong i hate when i miss one of those buses,but when i'm one of the ones standing and have a 2 year old on 1 arm & my wife has 1 in her arms & our 9 & 8 year olds are rocking back & forth i always worrie about the bus is going to crash!!! I never herd about a disney bus crashing but i sure know if 1 of those does alot of people would be hurt !!!!What are your thoughts????

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

They rarely have an accident, however, you could wait until the next bus and get seats as you would be first in line.

 

[Uncleromulus]

SRO on Disney busses is but one of many reasons why we always rent a car!!
I'm sure the bus drivers are quite competent and thoroughly trained and the risk of a crah is minimal.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by GOODFELLA
everytime i ride the disney buses i'm always concerned on how they cram us in there like cattle.don't get me wrong i hate when i miss one of those buses,but when i'm one of the ones standing and have a 2 year old on 1 arm & my wife has 1 in her arms & our 9 & 8 year olds are rocking back & forth i always worrie about the bus is going to crash!!! I never herd about a disney bus crashing but i sure know if 1 of those does alot of people would be hurt !!!!What are your thoughts????

A few comments on safety...

Although I'd like to say that accidents never happen on Disney property, but, unfortunetly, they do. Accidents happen. It's a fact of life. That's why they're called accidents. Although, most accidents that happen on property involve POV's... (Privatly Owned Vehicles) Most are minor, but I have seen some major ones recently.

Busses are actually quite different in a crash than your average car. Because of thier large size, the bus itself absorbs most of the energy of an impact. We had a situation awhile ago where a guest accidentally rear-ended one of our busses. The car's front end was all mangled, and had to be towed away. The bus barely felt a jolt.

Opon a side impact, the RTS (standard floor) bus, the floor is high enough so that in a side impact, the energy is transferred down, and any penetration occurs below the passenger floor.

A lot of people had some concerns with our new Nova LFS low floor bus... thinking that since the passenger compartment is so low, a side impact might enter the passenger compartment. However, NovaBUS made safety a priority when designing the shell for the LFS. A lot of research and collision technology went into the body frame for the LFS in an effort to protect the passenger compartment. The end result is a body that not only is VERY strong, but channels the energy away from the passenger compartment. In a 25mph side impact crash test, the test vehicle (A Ford Taurus) was totalled, however, the passenger compartment of the LFS was NOT compromised. You can view the crash test video in QuickTime format at Nova's website... www.NovaBUS.com


A few more words though...

Our drivers are professional drivers who drive these busses and these roads on a daily basis. We know how the busses perform, and what the roads are like. We also know the problem areas, and what kind of crazy things to expect from clueless tourist drivers. However... there's always something new out there, and accidents are just a fact of life. When riding on a bus, if you are standing, make sure to stand clear of all stairwells. Also, if you're in the front, make sure you are fully behind the white/yellow line. ALWAYS hold onto the silver handrails. If you do not feel comfortable standing, during peak times, the next bus isn't that far off. During non-peak times, the next bus might only be 7-12 minutes away.


If you choose to drive, please keep the following tips in mind:

• ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear your seatbelt!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Know where you are going, and how to get there.
• Try and get into the lane you will need as soon as possible, that way you're already there when it comes time. No need to cut someone off to try and get over.
• If you must check your map, PLEASE find a SAFE area to pull into (ie: parking lot or whatnot), and then check your map. DO NOT CHECK YOUR MAP WHILE DRIVING!!!
• If you miss your turn, do not back up. Find a safe and legal place to turn around.
• Follow all speed limits. Do not drive slow, do not drive fast. Stay the speed limit.
• Do not attempt to be "macho" and try and cut off a bus when merging. We're bigger... We WILL win.
• Drive safely... PLEASE.

 

[Poly Pal]

Thanks for the good info Chip 'n Dale Express! We've never had a bad bus driver at WDW, sometimes fast but never what I considered unsafe. The drivers always have good stories and rumors!

We did have a monorail driver who could have used some personality though. Last trip we rode upfront from Epcot to the TTC. The driver said not a word to us. Not even to my 2 well behaved, train crazy boys aged 3 and 8. He didn't even offer them co-pilots licenses. I asked if I could take 2 as we exited the car and he sort of harumphed a "yes."

 

[Poly Pal]

Thanks for the good info Chip 'n Dale Express! We've never had a bad bus driver at WDW, sometimes fast but never what I considered unsafe. The drivers always have good stories and rumors!

We did have a monorail driver who could have used some personality though. Last trip we rode upfront from Epcot to the TTC. The driver said not a word to us. Not even to my 2 well behaved, train crazy boys aged 3 and 8. He didn't even offer them co-pilots licenses. I asked if I could take 2 as we exited the car and he sort of harumphed a "yes."

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by Poly Pal
Thanks for the good info Chip 'n Dale Express! We've never had a bad bus driver at WDW, sometimes fast but never what I considered unsafe.

Fast? What bus was that? I didn't know our busses could go fast!! hehe

Not sure if your driver might actually have been going fast, but it could also just be an illusion. On the standard floor RTS bus, because you're higher up, and the bus does have a tendancy to lean, it gives the effect on courners of a high speed. In addition, I know a lot of times on World Drive especially, I'll encounter other busses, or cars going 35-40... when the speed limit is 50mph. I personally have no problems passing them, however, it appears to my guests that I am speeding. (One side note... the top speed for 90% of our RTS busses is 55mph)

 

[Poly Pal]

Yeah, going 50 just seems "fast" when you're standing on a bus, especially by those long curves by the Car Care Center!

Thanks for the details on the bus system.

 

[Luv2Roam]

CnD Exp- lol
I would feel safer on a Disney bus than a car. The bus drivers have probably seen it all and know what to expect much more than us.
And I think it is Japan who REALLY cram the passengers in buses like sardines, so no one can fall and get hurt.
We were pretty close to that last May on the WDW buses. We didn't have to reach out to touch someone.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by Luv2Roam
CnD Exp- lol
I would feel safer on a Disney bus than a car. The bus drivers have probably seen it all and know what to expect much more than us.

Indeed, we have seen quite a bit, and we do know where the "trouble spots" are... We ride up high, and can usually spot a lost tourist, and predict what crazy thing they might do. In addition, we know those roads better than anyone else, and know what areas to avoid and so forth. So in that respect, you are correct... experience probably does contribute to the safety aspect. But... we have never seen it ALL... just when we think we have... some crazy driver pulls a new stunt to top it all.

My most recent experience was when a driver was too busy looking at his map, went down the wrong way of a one way street, and almost hit me head on. I was at a dead stop, horn blaring, and he was driving at me at 15mph with a big map covering the windshield!!! *sigh*

 

[DaveH]

I for one try to let a mother with a little one sit in seat if I can.

 

[GOODFELLA]

Originally posted by Chip 'n Dale Express
A few comments on safety...

Although I'd like to say that accidents never happen on Disney property, but, unfortunetly, they do. Accidents happen. It's a fact of life. That's why they're called accidents. Although, most accidents that happen on property involve POV's... (Privatly Owned Vehicles) Most are minor, but I have seen some major ones recently.

Busses are actually quite different in a crash than your average car. Because of thier large size, the bus itself absorbs most of the energy of an impact. We had a situation awhile ago where a guest accidentally rear-ended one of our busses. The car's front end was all mangled, and had to be towed away. The bus barely felt a jolt.

Opon a side impact, the RTS (standard floor) bus, the floor is high enough so that in a side impact, the energy is transferred down, and any penetration occurs below the passenger floor.

A lot of people had some concerns with our new Nova LFS low floor bus... thinking that since the passenger compartment is so low, a side impact might enter the passenger compartment. However, NovaBUS made safety a priority when designing the shell for the LFS. A lot of research and collision technology went into the body frame for the LFS in an effort to protect the passenger compartment. The end result is a body that not only is VERY strong, but channels the energy away from the passenger compartment. In a 25mph side impact crash test, the test vehicle (A Ford Taurus) was totalled, however, the passenger compartment of the LFS was NOT compromised. You can view the crash test video in QuickTime format at Nova's website... www.NovaBUS.com


A few more words though...

Our drivers are professional drivers who drive these busses and these roads on a daily basis. We know how the busses perform, and what the roads are like. We also know the problem areas, and what kind of crazy things to expect from clueless tourist drivers. However... there's always something new out there, and accidents are just a fact of life. When riding on a bus, if you are standing, make sure to stand clear of all stairwells. Also, if you're in the front, make sure you are fully behind the white/yellow line. ALWAYS hold onto the silver handrails. If you do not feel comfortable standing, during peak times, the next bus isn't that far off. During non-peak times, the next bus might only be 7-12 minutes away.


If you choose to drive, please keep the following tips in mind:

• ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear your seatbelt!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Know where you are going, and how to get there.
• Try and get into the lane you will need as soon as possible, that way you're already there when it comes time. No need to cut someone off to try and get over.
• If you must check your map, PLEASE find a SAFE area to pull into (ie: parking lot or whatnot), and then check your map. DO NOT CHECK YOUR MAP WHILE DRIVING!!!
• If you miss your turn, do not back up. Find a safe and legal place to turn around.
• Follow all speed limits. Do not drive slow, do not drive fast. Stay the speed limit.
• Do not attempt to be "macho" and try and cut off a bus when merging. We're bigger... We WILL win.
• Drive safely... PLEASE.

thats why i love disney,those bus drivers are always so helpful and informative,and you know what maybe next time i will wait to take the next bus,must of the time though i would say about 80 % of the time a passenger will offer up his or her seats and thats great

 

[SueM in MN]

On our last trip to WDW, we actually did see someone backing up, apparently because they missed their turn. It was on a busy road with traffic coming too.
And people try to "beat the bus" all the time. IMHO, the bus drivers do an excellent job under sometimes difficult circumstances.