Strollers on the bus

[mamaLori05]

Well, I am one of those with the huge double jogging stroller. It keeps my kids happy, which keeps us happy, so we bring it, and we use disney transportation.

However I could never imagine trying to put it up in the seats. We ALWAYS take it to the back door and my dh stands in the back door area with the stroller, even if the bus is empty. It's not in anyone's way, not going up anyone's rear, etc... The wheelchairs are already loaded, and my dh is the first one off the bus with the stroller, so not inconveniencing anyone. On top of that I ALWAYS place both of my kids on my lap so that we only take up one seat. Can't see how anyone could complain about my family of 4 with my huge stroller only taking up one seat.

 

[smidgy]

mamalori

BTW, a stroller can't block an aisle if you walk with it all the way down as far as you can go. (I've seen many considerate parents, usualy the dads, standing in the rear door area with the stroller.)
the problem is when the dad mom and kids gets seats,and the dad stops right there! you're going to the same place, after all.

 

[BigTikiDaddy]

mamalori

BTW, a stroller can't block an aisle if you walk with it all the way down as far as you can go. (I've seen many considerate parents, usualy the dads, standing in the rear door area with the stroller.)
the problem is when the dad mom and kids gets seats,and the dad stops right there! you're going to the same place, after all.

Hey, one trip I moved down a ways from my DW holding my 1 yr oldDD, and what we did not realize until it was too late, was that my poor DD had fallen asleep after a rather nasty attack of diarreha, and man, we felt bad, because at that point we were crammed on, no way to get off to change her. But whew, were people ever glad to get off THAT bus...

 

[goofyernmost]

That would still take up seats and would prevent someone using a wheelchair from using the spot (there are only 2 spots on most buses, 3 on a few).

Also, stroller frames are not designed for the stress of straps and the frame could be bent by tying it down.

I'm not sure I understand your point here. The only other option is to tell them that they cannot ride on the bus.

The option I described, of course would only work if there was a wheelchair space available and yes it would take up seating area...the point was to eliminate the loose projectile from the scenario. Seating, well that is another story, but again the only other option is them not being able to ride the bus, safety should always be the highest priority. That may not be the answer one would like to hear but if you were riding on my bus...that would be the rule.

As for stroller frames...I think that they can take the strain of a the slight amount of pressure that they would need to stay put. I'm not talking about the stroller being occupied at the time, that is a major no-no! Blocking the aisles is also a major infraction and is federally regulated. Nothing can be blocking the aisles, ever.

 

[TDC Nala]

The only "rule" I know of is that the strollers must be folded. I don't think there is a "rule" against placing folded strollers on the seats, although it seems quite rude.

You'd have to ask a Disney bus driver if it's not allowed for safety reasons. Although the usual Disney rule about approaching guests is "avoid confrontation at all costs" so if it's not against the rules I wouldn't count on the driver to get them to move it. I've seen the crap they get from people who don't want to take the kid out and fold the stroller, which they must do for safety reasons.

 

[Rylee]

The stroller probably had a hidden disability... like a lame wheel. J/K

We were on a bus to POR coming back from MK one night, and the bus driver refused to drive until every child was seated. A few people switched around but a couple of kids were still standing, and he said, "You think I'm kidding? This bus will not move until the children are seated." Our 12y/o (looks 8 or 9) was one of the kids standing, (he had made no attempt to sit/switch with someone since he thought the bus driver meant younger children) but the bus didn't move until someone gave their seat to our son. In all our trips and bus rides, this was the only driver that ever did this... not sure it was necessary, not for our 12y/o, anyway.

You can bet that driver wouldn't tolerate a stroller taking up seats on his bus.

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, I am one of those with the huge double jogging stroller. It keeps my kids happy, which keeps us happy, so we bring it, and we use disney transportation.

However I could never imagine trying to put it up in the seats. We ALWAYS take it to the back door and my dh stands in the back door area with the stroller, even if the bus is empty. It's not in anyone's way, not going up anyone's rear, etc... The wheelchairs are already loaded, and my dh is the first one off the bus with the stroller, so not inconveniencing anyone. On top of that I ALWAYS place both of my kids on my lap so that we only take up one seat. Can't see how anyone could complain about my family of 4 with my huge stroller only taking up one seat.

Thank-you....to your entire family. This is the way it 'should' be done. But, too many dads don't want to be standing far from their families.

The issue I see is what if there were to be an emergency on that bus? Can you just imagine trying to off-load people, quickly, with a bunch of large strollers in the aisles?? I truly think that those with strollers need to head to the back area...close to that rear door. There is more room for them, and they can get off the bus quickly.

 

[tndisneyfan]

I've been on buses where it's apparently not even ok for your kids to sit on the seat. We were asked by a bus driver on two different occasions to have our kids sit on our laps in order to make room. I didn't mind for my 4 year old, but my 6 year old really should be able to sit in her own seat if she wants.

I agree with that.

 

[MM27]

No it isn't the norm and I can tell you no way I would stand while a stroller was on the seats. I would ask them to move it and if they didn't I would ask the driver to tell them to move it. And if they didn't and it was on seats by itself ie they were sitting in another set of sets, I would be moving it myself!

My thoughts exactly
I'm not one that buys into the whole give up your seat for person x, y and z, but if some moron thinks their stroller needs to take up even one seat when other people are standing on the bus, they would need to be put in their place.

Now, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say that maybe, just maybe, they put it there without thinking and because nobody had said anything, their lost a bit of common sense and failed to move it.

Did nobody on the bus that was standing speak up?

 

[chipsgirl1030]

For our last trip we invested in a fold up stroller so it would fit easily on the bus. We held it in front of us because it was the size of a golf umbrella.

My 2 cents- if someone wants to take a stroller to WDW, then they should either purchase one that folds up to a managable size or drive their own vehicle to the parks each day. I have seen large double strollers fold up to the size of a bag chair, so having 2 kids in a stroller is no excuse. If a person's perferred stroller is so large that the best option is to take up 3 seats rather than fill an aisle, then that family should load up in their car at their resort each morning and drive to the park.

If it's necessary to have a big, bulky stroller why not just rent one in the parks? There has to be a limit to the size of strollers on a bus. I was once hit in the face by the wheel of one of those huge strollers. A man was walking down the aisle holding it up in the air, I was sitting in the seat next to the aisle and as he walked by the wheel hit me. He didn't even say he was sorry, just kept on walking. I know he knew what happened because when it hit he kind of made a hrmph sound, like I got in his way. I had a bruise on my cheekbone for a week.

 

[mrsltg]

Okay, something that hasn't been mentioned here.... EWW! Why should someone else have to sit on the seat that your dirty stroller wheels were laying on? People are so inconsiderate. It really floors me every time!

 

[danceintherain]

Definitely not the norm. I would have been upset, and told them to move it as well.

 

[goofyernmost]

The stroller probably had a hidden disability... like a lame wheel. J/K

We were on a bus to POR coming back from MK one night, and the bus driver refused to drive until every child was seated. A few people switched around but a couple of kids were still standing, and he said, "You think I'm kidding? This bus will not move until the children are seated." Our 12y/o (looks 8 or 9) was one of the kids standing, (he had made no attempt to sit/switch with someone since he thought the bus driver meant younger children) but the bus didn't move until someone gave their seat to our son. In all our trips and bus rides, this was the only driver that ever did this... not sure it was necessary, not for our 12y/o, anyway.

You can bet that driver wouldn't tolerate a stroller taking up seats on his bus.

OK, the making people get up so kids can sit down is a nice gesture but as long as parents are right there, totally not necessary and not necessarily a safety issue, although on the surface it seems like it is.

Okay, something that hasn't been mentioned here.... EWW! Why should someone else have to sit on the seat that your dirty stroller wheels were laying on? People are so inconsiderate. It really floors me every time!

I'm sorry but since those seats are usually occupied by a bunch of sweaty backsides that have made contact with about a gazillion unidentified things makes me wonder how the wheels of a stroller can be considered a problem.

 

[indimom3]

I can imagine there are several bus drivers at WDW who would have told them to move it. That just seems very rude to me.
We have that Combi double stroller mentioned earlier and it is great - we've taken it on our last 3 trips to WDW. It's still not that easy lugging it off and on a crowded bus, though. And as a warning - it's a BEAST if you want to get it on the train in WDW.
On our next trip to Disney, we will be stroller free, or have single umbrella at most. I'm not in a real hurry for my kids to grow up, but I have to admit I'm excited about that!

 

[TandLMommy28]

A question ... when did strollers (even single ones) get to be the size of small cars? Never used one at WDW (waited until DD was three and able to walk ... if she got tired we rested) so have no experience with them there, but when "out and about" before that we used a small
"umbrella-type" which was adequate and very easily portable.

My husband is far too tall for an umbrella stroller so the big ones are really all we can use.

I am in awe that your 3 year old could handle walking all day. My energetic 3 year old can barely walk a 1/2 mile around our neighborhood without needing a nap and he takes 1 hour of gymnastics, 1 hour of general gym and 1 hour of swim every week--he's not lazy by any means!

 

[Emagine]

If it's necessary to have a big, bulky stroller why not just rent one in the parks?

If Disney would rent out the upright, big bulky strollers so many fuss about that would fit older, long legged, low muscle tone, low stamina, autistic kiddos then it would be a huge lifesavor for you and me - trust me. We rent from Magic Stroller Rentals and its a Doulbe and it is huge, no doubt. It fits my toddler and my Special Needs soon to be 8 year old. We fold it and stand best we can out of the way depending on the crowd and those around us who also help us make room. Much like those who also let us stand or sit with the boys. It all depends when it is our time to load. Most of the time we luck up because we wait on the next bus (our choice) for comfort for the boys but it is not always the case. We give up a lot for the comfort of our kids first and yours but sometimes we just can not wait any longer.

 

[g3pak]

Well, I am one of those with the huge double jogging stroller. It keeps my kids happy, which keeps us happy, so we bring it, and we use disney transportation.

However I could never imagine trying to put it up in the seats. We ALWAYS take it to the back door and my dh stands in the back door area with the stroller, even if the bus is empty. It's not in anyone's way, not going up anyone's rear, etc... The wheelchairs are already loaded, and my dh is the first one off the bus with the stroller, so not inconveniencing anyone. On top of that I ALWAYS place both of my kids on my lap so that we only take up one seat. Can't see how anyone could complain about my family of 4 with my huge stroller only taking up one seat.

To modify my earlier opinion, this is the only acceptable way for a large stroller to be allowed on a bus- that it is able to be held in such a way as to not take up seating or standing space. I do wonder about safety if a stroller is in the rear door area in case of emergency, but if people smarter than me say it is ok, then I am fine with it, too.

What did you do if you were not one of the first ones on the bus? If the bus already had a lot of people on it, I bet it was hard for your husband to get to the back with the stroller.

 

[g3pak]

Another thought about the first post- yes, 3 people had to stand instead of sit on that bus, but 3 other people had to wait for the next bus instead of ride that one. As we all know, at WDW that could have been 5 minutes or 20. At least they couldn't see the 3 empty seats on the bus as it drove away.

 

[goofy4tink]

My husband is far too tall for an umbrella stroller so the big ones are really all we can use.

I am in awe that your 3 year old could handle walking all day. My energetic 3 year old can barely walk a 1/2 mile around our neighborhood without needing a nap and he takes 1 hour of gymnastics, 1 hour of general gym and 1 hour of swim every week--he's not lazy by any means!

Surely your dh can get out of the stroller and walk???

 

[jiminyfan]

that they would mount a big rack on the front of the bus like those you see on city buses for bikes. But, make ti to hold folded up strollers. Then have everyone fold them and put them on the rack. The drive can then strap them in and off we all go on our merry trip back to the resort. For most resorts this should not be an issue as the bus stops at one place.

It will also free up a lot more room on the bus for guests as well.