Wheel Chair and Disney Busses

[dwelty]

Hi everyone, I have a question about wheelchairs. We will be at SSR in Mid December. We will be borrowing a wheelchair from SSR to use for my mother who is fighting ovarian cancer. She can walk but gets tired easily from her chemo treatments. My question is: When getting on the busses, will they allow us to fold up the wheelchair and let her walk on the bus, or will they make us wait for a bus with a lift. This would be a big pain for us, as she is mobile, but just would like the chair to keep her from getting worn out.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Chuck S]

All WDW buses are lift equipped. However, for a standard folding wheelchair they will often let you carry it on if you wish. They aren't lightweight. My mom is in a wheelchair for the parks, but can walk well for short distances, and climb steps when needed, but we find it much simpler for her to remain in the chair on the buses.

For more info, you will want to visit the disABILITIES! Forum

 

[dianeschlicht]

You might also consider getting an ECV from one of the medical supplies in the area. We needed to do that several times, and it was VERY easy. As stated, all the buses have lifts, and if you are in an ECV you have the option of staying on the cart or sitting in a seat.

 

[JimC]

They are very accommodating but rented wheelchairs are usually heavy and may not be safe on a crowded bus. I doubt if there are many buses without the ability to take on a wheelchair. Disney has been replacing its fleet with the newer low platform kneeling buses. They have a ramp rather than stairs that convert to a lift. The ramp operates much faster. And I believe that is all they order so most of the fleet should be able to handle wheelchairs.

 

[SueM in MN]

The other posters are correct - almost all the buses are wheelchair/ECV accessible. The older buses have lifts. The newer buses have ramps.

The wheelchairs that the resorts have to loan are very heavy, probably weighing up to 50 pounds (they are the kind those of us in the medical field call 'tanks'). So, they are not something you want to be lifting and carrying too far. As Chuck mentioned, there is some information about the buses on the disABILITIES Board; it's in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the board.

Another thing to keep in mind is that even though the resorts usually have wheelchairs to lend out, there are no guarantees. The official Disney site says that if you want to guarantee a wheelchair, it is best to rent from one of the off-site rental places. There is information about the various ways to get wheelchairs and ECVs in the disABILITIES FAQs thread (including links to websites of rental places).