What's up with the new design of all the Disney busses?

[joelkfla]

As I post I'm watching a show on one of these new buses being built.
Capacity is 80 people. I can't see the old ones holding that many people.

There are a lot of variations in seating layout, but the typical capacity of the older buses, packed to the gills, was estimated to be 72.

But that would probably be a bit lower with today's mega-strollers on board.

 

[Magicbus]

Tinkerbell's cousin Scratchendent must be very busy every night.

Exactly, we know where and when Scratchendent works.

 

[disney david]

Exactly, we know where and when Scratchendent works.

i was wondering why disney start using hybrid buses they save money which in turn disney can reinvest in buying more buses. They have securty suv that say they ae hrbrids what the shame in getting buses that say their hyrids i dont think it ruin the magic. Mybe they can paint the buses green to show they are specail buses. They just need to get rid of all the old buses because the new ones look nicer and save gas and money. I hope i get an answer from someone who drive a disney transport bus because mybe the money they save from buying gas to paying bus drivers more.

 

[seashoreCM]

How long does it take for the gas or diesel oil savings to make up for the cost of a hybrid car or bus?

I think that it is no longer legal to sell a transit bus or a subway car or streetcar without wheelchair accessibility for use in the U.S. And a disabled person is not obliged to hand his fare card to anyone to pass up front and pass back if the ramp is not at the front.

 

[disney david]

How long does it take for the gas or diesel oil savings to make up for the cost of a hybrid car or bus?

I think that it is no longer legal to sell a transit bus or a subway car or streetcar without wheelchair accessibility for use in the U.S. And a disabled person is not obliged to hand his fare card to anyone to pass up front and pass back if the ramp is not at the front.

Mybe not right away but for disney and the amount the use those buses they will see the saving in a couple of months. I live in westchester ny and or bus system got a grant to get a couple hyrib buses to for a away to save money and gas and they saw how much they saved and was able to start replacing most of their bus over the last year. I know it wont be right away but for disney and it being "free to guest" they need to make it ruin on less money so even if it takes them 6 months to see a savings i think it be worth it. The reason why transportion and trucking companys are buying hyrids buses or trucks is to save money to help the bottum line not to be green. They get the benfit of saving money and looking good in the public eye.

 

[Csaks]

There are a lot of variations in seating layout, but the typical capacity of the older buses, packed to the gills, was estimated to be 72.

But that would probably be a bit lower with today's mega-strollers on board.

72. Really? Wow I would have never guessed that many people stuffed in one of those.

 

[pampam]

There are a lot of variations in seating layout, but the typical capacity of the older buses, packed to the gills, was estimated to be 72.

But that would probably be a bit lower with today's mega-strollers on board.

DD uses a wheelchair, so we are always toward the back of the bus. I can tell you most certainly, the busses are not packed to the gills. People tend to go to the doors, find a handrail they can hang on to, and block access to anyone else wanting to go further toward the back. The driver is hollering for them to move to the back, but they have a secure hold that they can reach, and they don't want to give that up. The front is packed, often to the gills, but sometimes there are even empty seats at the back and most definetly more room for others to stand.

 

[joelkfla]

DD uses a wheelchair, so we are always toward the back of the bus. I can tell you most certainly, the busses are not packed to the gills. People tend to go to the doors, find a handrail they can hang on to, and block access to anyone else wanting to go further toward the back. The driver is hollering for them to move to the back, but they have a secure hold that they can reach, and they don't want to give that up. The front is packed, often to the gills, but sometimes there are even empty seats at the back and most definetly more room for others to stand.

Yes, and ironically, the newest buses have almost no stanchions in the front section, and lots in the back which go to waste since no one wants to stand back there. Maybe it's a claustrophobia thing with the lower ceiling.

 

[maxiesmom]

Yes, and ironically, the newest buses have almost no stanchions in the front section, and lots in the back which go to waste since no one wants to stand back there. Maybe it's a claustrophobia thing with the lower ceiling.

I think it is because everyone is trying to be the first ones off the bus.

I hate that when I am waiting to see if I can get on a bus or not. You see all of these people packed in at the front, and tons of room to the back. Makes you want to walk up and go "Move it people!"

 

[cranbiz]

Exactly, we know where and when Scratchendent works.

Yup, FIW.

 

[cranbiz]

i was wondering why disney start using hybrid buses they save money which in turn disney can reinvest in buying more buses. They have securty suv that say they ae hrbrids what the shame in getting buses that say their hyrids i dont think it ruin the magic. Mybe they can paint the buses green to show they are specail buses. They just need to get rid of all the old buses because the new ones look nicer and save gas and money. I hope i get an answer from someone who drive a disney transport bus because mybe the money they save from buying gas to paying bus drivers more.

They have experimented with hybrids, the problem has been the maintenance and upkeep costs as well as the decreased reliability/uptime.

The day will come, eventually.

 

[disney david]

They have experimented with hybrids, the problem has been the maintenance and upkeep costs as well as the decreased reliability/uptime.

The day will come, eventually.

Yeah i didn't relize how much more they coast then the diesel buses so they proberly wouldnt save disney that much money. Mybe one day they make a hybrid that can compare coast wise and reliability to the diesail buses. Mybe disney can partner with them and test the buses and see what work and what dosen't disney will get some extra free buses for awhile and the company can get some relife testing on it. Then when then fix the problem they sell disney for discount. But i guess it better to get buses that runs the best and gives disney the best bang for the buck.

I see your a disney transportion bus driver which of the three models do you like to drive the rts gillig or nova.

 

[SueM in MN]

I have no inside info but this is why I think WDW has switched to the low floor buses. It's what's available. It's the standard for commuter buses. I don't think it has anything to do with steps or no steps, ECVs, strollers, sitting, standing. It's the basic design that the market place has for sale for mass transit use. The low floor design does load easier, handles ECVs better, etc. Just about every city that uses buses for mass transit has switched to the low floor bus because it makes sense in many ways. Yes it does have fewer seats but the main function of short distance mass transit is to move people from point A to point B. The passenger comfort factor is secondary. The older bus design was just a variation of the standard bus being used 30/40 years ago. Those buses need storage underneath, commuter buses don't. Tour buses have a much better ride because they're traveling long distances. Commuter buses do a lot of stop and go and have a stiffer suspension therefore the ride is not as good but the average ride time is about 15 minutes. And after all that they're more efficent for various reasons. The reality is that all of the high floor buses will be gone and all WDW buses will be the low floor type. I've heard differing time frames, but my guess is that by the end of 2011, the older buses will be history.
I guess Disney is saying, this is the type of bus we've determined is needed to do the job we need it to do. If it's not something you can live with, sorry, you'll have to make other arrangements. Just my opinion.

The older WDW buses don't have any storage underneath.
They are really the same as the city buses I rode every day years ago.

There are a lot of variations in seating layout, but the typical capacity of the older buses, packed to the gills, was estimated to be 72.

But that would probably be a bit lower with today's mega-strollers on board.

I rode those kind of city buses to high school. People were getting on at different stops, but all got off at the same spot. My sister and I got on at one of the first stops on the route, so it was easy to count up how many got on. Granted, some were small high school students, but we usually had over 80 on the bus and one time had close to 100. That was a packed bus.

DD uses a wheelchair, so we are always toward the back of the bus. I can tell you most certainly, the busses are not packed to the gills. People tend to go to the doors, find a handrail they can hang on to, and block access to anyone else wanting to go further toward the back. The driver is hollering for them to move to the back, but they have a secure hold that they can reach, and they don't want to give that up. The front is packed, often to the gills, but sometimes there are even empty seats at the back and most definetly more room for others to stand.

We've had the same experience. Sometimes, there are even 6-8 seats left in the very back, but the front is full of standers.

 

[Magicbus]

The older WDW buses don't have any storage underneath.

What I was trying to say, and failed, was that the bus that the WDW RTS bus was a variation of, needed storage underneath for luggage, but the WDW RTS bus did not. The space, less the storage compartments, is still there but it's not used for storage on that design. So some genius said, we don't need that space for bags, lets get rid of it, and, duh, the low floor bus is born.

 

[sue Z]

the RTS buses that are in use at WDW came to WDW either brand new or used these are no longer in production as the company that took over production ceased operation in 94 and became NOVA Bus which is the 2nd of the three types.

these RTS'were built in the 80's with the last of them being built in 1987 and have a width of 96 ". forget the seating capacity

The nova buses are still in Production have a seating capacity up to 41 passengers and are also 40 footers

the Gilligs are 40 footers with a width of 102" with a maxium seating capacity of 40 these too are in production.

The only type of Transit buses that are available from companies such as Nova and Gillig are the Low Floor style do to federal regulations brought on by the Disabilities act in the 20 yrs

 

[Magicbus]

The only type of Transit buses that are available from companies such as Nova and Gillig are the Low Floor style do to federal regulations brought on by the Disabilities act in the 20 yrs

Under the category of TMI, that's true that those two companies make only the low floor type, but it's not in response to comply with the ADA. The low floor buses started showing up in 1995, five years after the implementaion of the act. As high floor buses did, and still do, comply with the ADA, it wasn't necessary to make the low floor buses in order to comply. The main reason for the low floor design is that it allows for easier access for everyone, plus you don't need any storage space. It comes down to what mechanical design features are needed to satisfy the operational requiremnts. Oops, I think my engineering background is rearing it's ugly head.

The main reason that low floor buses are better suited for ECVs is not due to the height of the floor, it's the seat layout and the fact that they are a little wider. If the RTS were able to have the same layout and width, menuvering of ECVs would be about the same. The lifts do take a little longer to load ECVs but not enough to make a difference. And because of their complexity, it makes them less reliable, but hundreds of ECV s are loaded every day with very few problems.

The biggest draw back, IMO, of the RTS's Lift as opposed to the Low Floor's ramp is that you have to make sure that the rear door is no more than about 18" away from the curb. At some locations where the approach to the load zone is curved, you have to be real careful pulling in so that you don't exceed the Lift's reach. If you miss, you end up having to pull up and back in, and drivers would rather not have to do that. The ramp design is much, much more forgiving.

 

[SueM in MN]

What I was trying to say, and failed, was that the bus that the WDW RTS bus was a variation of, needed storage underneath for luggage, but the WDW RTS bus did not. The space, less the storage compartments, is still there but it's not used for storage on that design. So some genius said, we don't need that space for bags, lets get rid of it, and, duh, the low floor bus is born.

That was a really good idea!