What are the Current bus scooter loading ‘rules’?

[sndral]

IME scooters/wheelchairs & their parties go to the special loading area & are loaded first & I observed this several times during my weeklong visit to AKL last week. It’s never bothered me, except when they have a dozen ‘friends’ who jump the line & board w/ them & take all the seats.
However on Sat. I observed a situation that differed.
It was near closing & we’d been waiting for the AKL bus at MK a while (long enough to watch 2 YC/BC buses pull up, load & leave) when a wheelchair + 7 party strolled up to the empty wheelchair/scooter line - they seemed angry & were arguing w/ a CM. The bus pulled up & the driver loaded the regular line. The bus driver kept telling us to move to empty seats in the back, so we passed the empty seats in the front & sat in the flip up seats. Then the bus driver came & told us to get out of those seats so he could load the wheelchair, so we did - being a bit sad that we’d not sat in the empty seats nearer the front when we had the chance. But, it’s only a 25 minute ride…
Then the bus driver loaded the wheelchair into the space where the seats we’d given up were + her 7 companions stood in that area of the bus.
Then the CM the wheelchair group had been arguing w/ told the bus driver to hold the bus, that the ‘lead’(?) was coming. So the whole bus sat there about 10 minutes until a new CM showed up. That CM took the brunt of the wheelchair parties rage - & they were very angry, I was afraid one guy was going to punch some one.
Anyway, that CM kept telling the group that during heavy bus use times like park close wheelchairs/scooters are supposed to get in the regular line & load when they get to the front of the line. Angry guy said that doesn’t work because folks won’t give up their seats - which I found to be ironic since we had given up our seats for the wheelchair user in his party & I’m an elderly woman who was stuck standing the extra half hour it took while the bus was ‘held’ & then for angry guy & his wife to throw their temper tantrum. The wheelchair user slept through the whole ordeal.
So my question is - are the rules different for scooter/wheelchair loading @ park close? Could I have declined to move when the bus driver told us to in order to accommodate the wheelchair party? Also, I seem to remember that WDW at one point was supposed to limit preboarders to 2 folks w/ the wheelchair/scooter person - but I’ve never seen that enforced & the group I watched had 7 folks who boarded w/ the wheelchair & the CM said nothing about that to wheelchair group .
If this is the procedure - I’m ok w/ it, but think they should just keep the flip up seats flipped up so folks don’t have to be asked to give them up - that way the wheelchair/scooter is accommodated but their companions get seats/stand according to where they were in the normal line.

 

[lanejudy]

So my question is - are the rules different for scooter/wheelchair loading @ park close? Could I have declined to move when the bus driver told us to in order to accommodate the wheelchair party?

Especially at the parks, the bus queues are designed with a pull-out at the start of the final switchback. Yes, wheelchair/ECV parties should enter the queue and then use that opening (which should align fairly near the wheelchair "box" on the pavement) once they reach it. That said -- sometimes CMs will direct wheelchair/ECV users directly to the box to wait instead of entering the queue. However it sounds like that was not the case in the situation you mention.

Yes, technically anyone already seated cannot be forced to disclose a disability if asked to move. How well that works out for you may vary.

WDW buses typically load mobility devices first at the parks to avoid needing to ask other guests to move. It seems as though there was a bit of a confrontation and party demanding to be loaded. The driver could have said "sorry, I've already loaded. No room." I don't really understand the point of loading that party after everyone else boarded and then waiting for a "lead" to tell the party they were in the wrong.

 

[Mle8308]

It's crazy. I wish they could figure something out so it's fair for everyone. I've been in the same situation, we've waited for 45 minutes for a bus and should have made it on, but at the last moment, an ECV and their party of 10 pulls up and they are loaded ahead of everyone who has been waiting 45 plus minutes. Then, we weren't allowed on the bus because it was now full where as we would have at least made it on (standing) if the entire ECV group weren't allowed to board ahead of everyone. And I never sit in the pull down seats because 99% of the time I know I'll be asked to move. I regularly offer my seat if there is someone who needs it as I am fully capable of standing and am grateful I can! But it does bother me when people are not allowed to board because a large party in an ECV rolls up (especially when it's an outside rental company ECV) at the last minute. I don't understand why they can't wait with the rest of us. Now GKTW or a situation like that, well it's different, but that is not the majority of people using ECV's.

 

[sndral]

Especially at the parks, the bus queues are designed with a pull-out at the start of the final switchback. Yes, wheelchair/ECV parties should enter the queue and then use that opening (which should align fairly near the wheelchair "box" on the pavement) once they reach it. That said -- sometimes CMs will direct wheelchair/ECV users directly to the box to wait instead of entering the queue. However it sounds like that was not the case in the situation you mention.

Yes, technically anyone already seated cannot be forced to disclose a disability if asked to move. How well that works out for you may vary.

WDW buses typically load mobility devices first at the parks to avoid needing to ask other guests to move. It seems as though there was a bit of a confrontation and party demanding to be loaded. The driver could have said "sorry, I've already loaded. No room." I don't really understand the point of loading that party after everyone else boarded and then waiting for a "lead" to tell the party they were in the wrong.

Ok, given this information it makes some sense - wheelchair group didn’t enter the existing lengthy 3+ switchback queue & pull out at the final switchback - they went straight to the wheelchair box jumping a lot of folks already in line - they may have unlatched a rope to do so too.
That’s when I saw them arguing w/ CM #1 & angry guy counting the number of people in line. Then when the bus pulled up CM #1 had a quick conversation w/ the driver & the driver loaded the line first.
So it sounds like they knew they were jumping the line, got caught & were angry about that.
They ended up fitting onto the bus - because we moved, although they had to stand (as did we,) so not sure why they had to delay 2 bus loads of folks (us & the ones waiting for the next bus) half an hour to complain - it was incredibly rude & angry guy seemed like he was looking to punch some one. But the rest of us sat or stood patiently on the bus & survived the drama .

It's crazy. I wish they could figure something out so it's fair for everyone. I've been in the same situation, we've waited for 45 minutes for a bus and should have made it on, but at the last moment, an ECV and their party of 10 pulls up and they are loaded ahead of everyone who has been waiting 45 plus minutes. Then, we weren't allowed on the bus because it was now full where as we would have at least made it on (standing) if the entire ECV group weren't allowed to board ahead of everyone. And I never sit in the pull down seats because 99% of the time I know I'll be asked to move. I regularly offer my seat if there is someone who needs it as I am fully capable of standing and am grateful I can! But it does bother me when people are not allowed to board because a large party in an ECV rolls up (especially when it's an outside rental company ECV) at the last minute. I don't understand why they can't wait with the rest of us. Now GKTW or a situation like that, well it's different, but that is not the majority of people using ECV's.

I avoid the pull downs if there’s a second stop, but when the driver loaded the line first I figured the wheelchair group had showed up too late for our bus , so the loading then asking folks to move at park closing that I heard the ‘lead’ (or maybe ‘direct’?) CM explaining was new to me.