What do you think of this idea for bus service?

[DavidRoss]

Now granted, I have rented a car the last few times I have been to WDW, especially since I have stayed at OKW and like being able to walk out the front door and down to a car. I also say this because things may have changed since I last used the WDW bus transportaion. That being said - What if we could get a schedule for these "Internal" buses that would tell pick up times (i.e. every two hours) and we could use them like a free taxi service around WDW. For instance, maybe we could have a bus at OKW that will only go by the hospitality house every two hours or something like that. We could then tell that bus driver where we wanted to go especially if we wanted to resort hop. Say you want to go to Wilderness Lodge from OKW. How do you do it without having to take a couple of buses? I really think DVC members could benefit from something like this. I know, people will probably mention something about higher dues but not putting that into the picture, can you as a DVC member see a use for something like this?

 

[WDWDad]

I rather like the idea David, but not sure how it would all work. We would definitely use a shuttle service because we pool hop and visit other resorts often.

I for one would like to see a shuttle that went from OKW to Boardwalk. We love to go to Jellyrolls and hate taking two buses back to OKW. I also think it would get more people to the Boardwalk. JMOI

 

[RobDoc]

The "Internal Bus" is merely the bus returning from DD which stops at Hosp House first and last and then makes all of the regular stops in between. It is the only bus that regularly stops at Hosp House before all the other stops and allows guests to get from the pool, Olivia's and the store back to their building. It is not a bus dedicated to running thru the resort all day since it merely makes one additional stop at Hosp House before returning to DD.

Anyone who wants special transport to other areas of WDW now can easily get a cab (the Bell Staff can have one there within minutes). No extra dues are required and those who want/need the extra service can simply pay their own costs.

The extra bus might be an attractive program, but would certainly cause real problems trying to schedule (to go all over WDW on the whim of an individual rider).

 

[DavidRoss]

I don't see many people calling a taxi to just get around WDW property. Maybe they could have a few bus routes. Something like an Epcot Resort Route and a Magic Kingdom Resort Route. The buses would only travel to the resorts and not the parks or other attractions. It does seem frustrating when you are at OKW and your family of 12 wants to go to BWV and it takes you 90 minutes to get there because of multiple bus hopping. To me it is frustrating that I have to do more bus hopping than resort hopping in order to visit other resorts and restaurants of WDW. Of course, I have gotten around this by renting a car as I mentioned in my first post. However, larger families may not have this luxery.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Regina]

We use cabs to get from one resort to another. The fare is nominal, usually around $10.00, which is a lot less than renting a car.

I also question how much time would be saved since it would be a "loop", stopping at multiple resorts. When OKW shared bus transportation with the Treehouse and Fairway Villas, it seemed to take forever to get to our destination. When you take into account the resorts that have multiple internal pickups, it eats up a lot of time.

 

[Doctor P]

We have only driven resort to resort one time each trip at WDW (and we have had our car each time). Patience gets us a long way, and planning out the trip carefully typically means a minimal delay. Among the trips we have made using WDW transportation effectively have been ASMo to Grand Floridian, OKW to BC, OKW to BW, ASMo to BW, ASMo to WL. Is it efficent? Probably not. Does it take some time? Yes. Is it enjoyable? You bet. I never tire of seeing the different corners of the WDW property that I don't normally get to.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Forget busses!!! We'd love to have monorails AND 'peoplemovers' connecting EVERYTHING!!!! Talk about higher dues...LOL!!

Hey...we can dream....!!!!

 

[Dean]

I wouldn't think it would work exactly as you have described it but I see it as a working possibility. I know of resorts that use golf carts and you just call them and they pick you up and take you where ever. This would work at OKW but not for off that property other than maybe WL to FW. The other suggestion that has been made several times and in a way you have made it too is to simply have a true schedule. This would not work for the parks, just too many variables but for the internal bus it should work fine.

 

[CarolMN]

None of the other WDW resorts have any kind of direct bus service to other resorts. (I'm not counting the CS to BW service, since it is primarily for the CS convention trade). That tells me there either isn't enough demand to warrant such a service or that there isn't enough benefit to Disney to tempt them to offer the service.

If there isn't enough benefit to tempt Disney to institute this service, I don't think it would be to most members' benefit to pay for such a service via increased dues, either.

I agree with Doc. Those who need quick, direct service should use the taxi services. They are readily available and those who need/use the service pay for it.

 

[tiffany123]

Personally we see no need for more bus routes. We spent 11 days at WDW, staying at all 3 DVC locations (BCV wasn't yet open) and we were able to go to any resort or park that we wanted with no hassle. It's easy to take a bus from OKW to any park and then switch to a particular resort bus. We even took the OKW bus to MK and then rode a boat to WVL. Part of the fun of WDW is being able to explore and visit other places. We find the bus/boat and monorail system more than adequate.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

The problem with Boardwalk is the bus service treats it as just another resort rather than a small Downtown Disney.

A jitney that will take you anywhere from OKW? Even with runnng every 2 hours I don't see how it could work...unless you paid a fare.

What would be worthwhile is if DVC spent a little time and effort on figuring out the best ways to pool hop using Disney transportation & then distributed that information in the welcome flyer. Because DVc'ers of all guests are most likely to spend time resort hopping.

 

[DeeP]

I think trying to implement a system like this would be like opening up a can of worms. If this was done for one DVC resort it would have to be done for all and I personally would not vote for a dues increase for personalized bus service. Also, I don't see how it could work. If you and 18 other people go to the bus stop at the designated pick up time at 2 hour intervals and all 18 want different locations this could be a nightmare and could take forever with all stops.
I travel all over WDW by Disney transportation and once you learn the way the system works it is a breeze. It is easiest to navigate when the parks are open so you can use the parks as your transportation hub to get to any other resort but once the parks close the same thing can be accomplished with usuing DTD as your hub to get bus connections. I say all the time many large city transportation systems could learn a lot from Disney's transportation system. Considering how many people they move in a day, I think they do pretty darn good.

 

[DavidRoss]

Okay, it appears that several responses are for and against but it seems that many that are against didn't read the initial post clearly.

1. I mentioned DVC members could benefit not that this would only be available to DVC members. My reasoning is that it would seem a DVC member would resort hop more than a person who is visiting WDW only once. Thus the question "Can you see yourself, as a DVC member, benefiting from this?

2. I mentioned that some people would be concerned about dues but to try and factor that out - "not putting that into the picture".

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

"Can you see yourself, as a DVC member, benefiting from this?"
No. More bus routes is not the answer. I'd rather take a cab.

 

[Dean]

I have to feel there potential benefit from a directed bus service though I suspect the cost is too high. I can see a golf cart type service that could incoporate DI, OKW and DD along a path but I suspect that too would be too expensive. I do see the benefit to members though. How many times have we talked about difficulty getting from point A to B such as one resort to another.