What are the Current bus scooter loading ‘rules’?

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The buses have a fixed limit on how many ECV’s they can fit…….. so that kind of defeats your argument

That's actually the point, they only have so many room for the actual ECV user, but there is no limit to who comes with the ECV user that Disney has as a policy. The conversation at that point was about waits for ECV users and waits for others.

It builds frustration on both sides when the ECV user must wait several buses because there's no room on the bus (either due to existing ECV users or those already on the bus) and when others are waiting but unable to make it on the bus because of the size of the traveling party with the ECV user. That frustration becomes resentment over time on both sides. Hence why I spoke about my experience with airport security where 7 of us walked through simply because we were with a wheelchair user. The effect, due to the minors with us, being 3 additional people where it wasn't a necessity for us to go through. We were just one traveling party. Extrapolate that out to WDW and it does not take many of those instances where that frustration and eventual resentment builds on the one side.

 

[lowlight]

It’s not instant at all. If there are numerous ECV’s/wheels chairs in line than you are waiting for numerous buses

I'll be honest, I don't think you are intending to have an honest debate, so I'll reply this once and you can have a good day. If you come up to a line that is 4 rows deep and you are the only ECV user, you get to the front of the line and skip the entire waiting process. I have no idea if that is how it's supposed to work, but that's how it does work. If you come up to a line that is 4 rows deep and there are 2 ECV users ahead of you, yes, you have to wait, but likely still make it out ahead. If the regular line is short, but ECV line is deep, then yes, you lose out. I've literally never seen that scenario, but don't discount that it may/has happened to you.

 

[Isthisnormalatdisney]

That's actually the point, they only have so many room for the actual ECV user, but there is no limit to who comes with the ECV user that Disney has as a policy. The conversation at that point was about waits for ECV users and waits for others.

It builds frustration on both sides when the ECV user must wait several buses because there's no room on the bus (either due to existing ECV users or those already on the bus) and when others are waiting but unable to make it on the bus because of the size of the traveling party with the ECV user. That frustration becomes resentment over time on both sides. Hence why I spoke about my experience with airport security where 7 of us walked through simply because we were with a wheelchair user. The effect, due to the minors with us, being 3 additional people where it wasn't a necessity for us to go through. We were just one traveling party. Extrapolate that out to WDW and it does not take many of those instances where that frustration and eventual resentment builds on the one side.

keeping families and parties together is a very important goal

 

[Isthisnormalatdisney]

I'll be honest, I don't think you are intending to have an honest debate, so I'll reply this once and you can have a good day. If you come up to a line that is 4 rows deep and you are the only ECV user, you get to the front of the line and skip the entire waiting process. I have no idea if that is how it's supposed to work, but that's how it does work. If you come up to a line that is 4 rows deep and there are 2 ECV users ahead of you, yes, you have to wait, but likely still make it out ahead. If the regular line is short, but ECV line is deep, then yes, you lose out. I've literally never seen that scenario, but don't discount that it may/has happened to you.

I am intending to have an honest debate. ECV’s and wheelchairs are treated the same. If a line is 4 rows deep maybe you should stop and think Disney should have allocated buses a bit better than automatically blaming the ECV. What do you suggest the ECV wait until all the four rows clear before they get on and then during that time frame a few more ECV’s join the line but again none can ride because they all in line. Then finally the four rows clear and now you have 5 plus ECV’s in line who require three buses at least extra and barely any line. That’s the issue, oh and now you have families separated from each other and have to play some phone tag. The current system is to prevent that situation.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

keeping families and parties together is a very important goal

If you actually read my prior comment that you quoted initially you would have seen that nugget in there "the flipside to that is you don't really want to separate parties". The nature of a theme park and especially WDW just presents situations that can become frustration points over time.

 

[elvispursley]

I understand the frustration of having an ecv and a large party bypass the quee. I do agree yhere should be some reasonable limit. I think a lot of us scooter users want clear rules. Were not trying “get one over”. And making statemnts that we need to go elsehwere is just rude and ableist (and entitled).

 

[LoveToDisney]

I have been left waiting for a bus many times after EVERYONE in line has boarded a bus. With just a ECV waiting in line, a second bus can sometimes be quite slow to appear. I don’t complain and patiently wait for the next bus.
I spent years walking, years using a rollator and now must use an ECV. I see all the sides to this issue. It’s an inconvenience for those in regular line for sure. I wish I could personally thank everyone who has been nice to me and thanked me for parking so quickly on the bus. When I travel with a group, we send all but my husband thru the regular line and meet up via phone once we arrive. Now that everyone has a phone, it’s not as necessary to all be on the same bus. When possible we also try to use the buses during less busy times. At the end of the night when its busy, sending ECVs thru the regular line seems to be the most fair but always requires the ECV user to miss the bus they could have ridden on if they could walk. That’s part of the trade off we have when using an ECV. I’m nonetheless very glad Disney has transportation I can use.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

We have been going since 2001; once or twice a year. As they would say in Pirates, the "rules/code" are more like guidelines. It seems 25% of the bus drivers kinda do what they want.

We have gone before where the ECVs are loaded and only 5 additional guests with them and we have gone where ECVs are loaded and their entourage boards with them. In the case of the latter, it is when we stayed All Stars or Pop and it was large groups of people traveling together.

As the years have gone on, the number of ECVs and disability wheelchair strollers (sorry, I do not know what the technical word for it is) have grown as have attitudes and entitlement. I think these bus drivers are just trying to avoid confrontation and balance that with compassion.

 

[Isthisnormalatdisney]

I understand the frustration of having an ecv and a large party bypass the quee. I do agree yhere should be some reasonable limit. I think a lot of us scooter users want clear rules. Were not trying “get one over”. And making statemnts that we need to go elsehwere is just rude and ableist (and entitled).

Also, one thing people also gloss over is when buses have multiple stops the bus can be empty except for two mobility devices and that person waiting with a mobility device can’t get on but everyone else can.

The mobility device user on the flip side can show up to a bus that has room but two other mobility devices already in it and they now have to wait for another bus.

People just don’t see this issue because they aren’t paying attention to it.

 

[Isthisnormalatdisney]

I have been left waiting for a bus many times after EVERYONE in line has boarded a bus. With just a ECV waiting in line, a second bus can sometimes be quite slow to appear. I don’t complain and patiently wait for the next bus.
I spent years walking, years using a rollator and now must use an ECV. I see all the sides to this issue. It’s an inconvenience for those in regular line for sure. I wish I could personally thank everyone who has been nice to me and thanked me for parking so quickly on the bus. When I travel with a group, we send all but my husband thru the regular line and meet up via phone once we arrive. Now that everyone has a phone, it’s not as necessary to all be on the same bus. When possible we also try to use the buses during less busy times. At the end of the night when its busy, sending ECVs thru the regular line seems to be the most fair but always requires the ECV user to miss the bus they could have ridden on if they could walk. That’s part of the trade off we have when using an ECV. I’m nonetheless very glad Disney has transportation I can use.

That also contributes to this very issue where the rules are not always the same and further adds to confusion.

 

[Isthisnormalatdisney]

We have been going since 2001; once or twice a year. As they would say in Pirates, the "rules/code" are more like guidelines. It seems 25% of the bus drivers kinda do what they want.

We have gone before where the ECVs are loaded and only 5 additional guests with them and we have gone where ECVs are loaded and their entourage boards with them. In the case of the latter, it is when we stayed All Stars or Pop and it was large groups of people traveling together.

As the years have gone on, the number of ECVs and disability wheelchair strollers (sorry, I do not know what the technical word for it is) have grown as have attitudes and entitlement. I think these bus drivers are just trying to avoid confrontation and balance that with compassion.

mobility devices works but the attempt at phrasing it correctly works since they do come in many different ways and strollers can be used as wheelchairs.

It’s tough to draw a line and every policy or change I can think of has their own pitfalls