The Dream Scooter and Disney

[BrotherBear82]

Well it has been a while since my last posting but I need to share some information with those of you who are going to use the Dream scooter while at WDW. First off I need to say that this scooter is the most comfortable easy to use machine I have rented in all of my stays here at WDW. Scooter Vacations have been very good to deal with and there have been no issues to date. I am a large person and have in the past been very comfortable with all of my previous rentals. But this one takes the cake. Now with all of that said , here is my experience with this scooter. I have been here at the parks from 9/11 through 9/20 and have used the transportation system the whole time. We have been on several busses, monorails and boats this whole time with not a single problem until.... leaving MK at closing. We were refused boarding the buses back to our resort not once, not twice, not three times but four times. Count it four times. I waited at the loading zone for over one hour and each and every time the driver stated they could not load the scooter due to its size. I share this with you because there are loading instructions that Scooter Vacations provides that are clear to follow and works well. Oh and by the way in all fairness one of the four busses lift was broken...You would think it should be placed out of service if this is the case..As this continued I had asked the first driver to request a tilt bus that have the drive on ramps. These are far better for those who are not experienced scooter drivers. It was only after my patience wore thin and the lines at the bus stop were down to only a few that my anger got the best of me and I asked to speak to a supervisor.. I will not elaborate on the discussion that took place from that point on because it does not provide any help to all of you who rely on scooters to enjoy your vacation. This is just a friendly note to everyone who enjoys the Dream scooter. Keep in mind that you may be refused boarding and if so request from the driver to have a tilt bus requested to transport you to you destination. I hope Disney does something about this issue as I will in the future rent this unit and continue to enjoy my hard earned, expensive vacatins despite the ill mannered drivers and their supervisors who do not share the legacy of Walt Disney. It seems as though some of the Departments within Disney have lost that personal touch that Walt himself insisted on...

 

[Jeanieblue114]

that is so sad to hear (can't say I'm completely surprised though based on recent years).

This will be my first ECV trip and I'm going to use the car as much as possible. I don't have the dream scooter...not sure what it is actually.
I just have a heavy duty from Walker and they assured me it fit everywhere, my car trunk and the busses and everything.

I would definitely write to Disney and explain the situation. They NEED to know this. I'm sure you will be contacted by the Executive offices (heck they contacted me for the $15 of stale rice crispy treats I got).

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for sharing your information.
One thing that should be noted about ECVs of any kind and the buses is that the lift buses are not really the best choice for any of the heavy duty, large ECVs. The lifts and ramps are built to this guideline:

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (49 CFR Parts 27, 37, and 38) defines a "common wheelchair" as a "mobility aid belonging to any class of three or four-wheeled devices, usable indoors, designed for and used by individuals with mobility impairments, whether operated manually or powered. A "common wheelchair" does not exceed 30 inches in width and 48 inches in length measured two inches above the ground, and does not weigh more than 600 pounds when occupied."

This is the company that makes what is rented as the Dream Scooter (reportedly with some modifications). The length is listed as 58 inches and the width is 29 inches. With the front wheel turned just right, it does meet the overall length requirement in the ADA, if it is loaded that way. To a driver who is not familiar with that scooter, it will appear way too long to fit.
The rental company lists this scooter as being able to handle a passenger of up to 500 pounds. The weight of the scooter is 297 pounds, so any rider and their belongings weighing more than 303 pounds will exceed the 600 pound weight that the bus lift is rated for.

Most of the heavy duty scooters are quite heavy, so it would be safer for Pooh sized individuals to use the buses with ramps. Even though they have to meet the same requirements for weight (600 pounds total), the ramps are probably able to safely handle much more weight.

Oh and by the way in all fairness one of the four busses lift was broken...You would think it should be placed out of service if this is the case..

There are drivers who will say their bus lift and/or other equipment is broken. Some are being truthful and some just don't want to load a wheelchair or scooter. Transportation rules do allow the bus to continue to be used, but they need to be fixed ASAP (I don't have time now to check, but I believe they have 48 hours after discovering the problem).
There is information in the disABILITIES FAQs thread about how to report bus problems.

This is a link to a past thread where someone posted many pictures of the Dream Scooter, including pictures on the bus.