Wheelchair options for riding WDW busses question.

[pat fan]

My mom & dad will have wheelchairs for our upcoming trip. We are getting a minivan as I figured it would be the easiest way to get them and the chairs from here to there. With my mom's handicap placard, I figure we can park relatively close to the tram area and from reading the Guidebook, I know we can fold up the chairs and ride the tram to the park entrance.Most others will take the busses and we'll meet up (12 of us in all).

My question is, can they ride the bus with the chairs folded up? These are manual chairs, not scooters. I can't believe they'd take up much more room than a stroller with a diaper bag. Could we do this or is it frowned upon? Or against the rules? The van option is still better?

Thanks!
We are staying at the ASMusic if it makes any differance.

 

[dclfun]

They will allow them to board the bus using the ramp/lift, then transfer to a regular seat and fold up the w/c's. This is, of course if there is room. I've been on a bus before where there was both myself and another guest staying in our chairs. The driver then refused two guests who came up later saying they would fold their chairs. There wasn't enough room since we were already blocking the aisle and taking up the space where they could fold up their chairs. ---Kathy

 

[pat fan]

Do they have to board using the ramp? They can't fold up the chairs prior to the bus coming and walk on with the chairs like you would a folded up stroller?

They are not completely disabled, but my mom can't walk distances (like around Walmart) but my dad is much better. His is an endurance thing. He will be fine for the first 1/2 hr to hour, and then he will be having acid reflux/chest pains and wind up in the ER. They are very capable of boarding the bus on their own, but is that a rule? If they have a chair they need to ride it on? If so, we'll stick to the original plan.

 

[Chuck S]

Mom is in a standard wheelchair for the parks, though she is fine without it at home. As you say, the parks are just too much for her without it after 3 hip surgeries, and she is in her 80s

Given your circumstances, and that you will have a van to transport the folded chair, I would drive to EPCOT, MGM & AK. In all probability there will be parking so close the trams won't be necessary.

However, for the trip to MK..she remains in her chair on the bus and gets strapped in. While she is able to transfer to standard seat, it seems just as easy for her to remain in her chair. Remember that trying to lug a folded chair up those steps can be somewhat dangerous in itself, and if you have foot pedals sticking out...

And I definitely recommend taking the bus to MK, the handicap parking there is not convenient at all.

 

[seashoreCM]

If you want to fold up the wheelchair before the tram or bus arrives and carry it on like a stroller, that is perfectly OK.

The colored patch at the beginning of each row of spaces in the general parking lot is actually a handicapped space for those who can get into the tram seats and not bring unfolded equipment aboard. Ask for one whenever you wish.

The person in a wheelchair is supposed to get out and sit in a regular bus seat after boarding even if the wheelchair cannot be folded but this rule is waived if the person can't move easily.

 

[Chuck S]

The person in a wheelchair is supposed to get out and sit in a regular bus seat after boarding even if the wheelchair cannot be folded but this rule is waived if the person can't move easily.

Drivers have never asked Mom to transfer, and have never encouraged it when we asked.

 

[pat fan]

Thank you. We will probably do a little of both, trial and error for the first day or so you knwo?

How readily available are the standard rental WC's at the parks? I was going to rent one from an offsite place for dad to have all the time, but I think he would like to try to be on his own to start off. I just don't want to be at MK at 10:00 am and have all the standard chairs be gone and then kicking ourselves. I just know my dad and in the morning he'll be like "I'm fine, leave the chair here, I don't need it!" and then by 9:00, we'll be in trouble.

 

[SueM in MN]

The person in a wheelchair is supposed to get out and sit in a regular bus seat after boarding even if the wheelchair cannot be folded but this rule is waived if the person can't move easily.

Drivers have never asked Mom to transfer, and have never encouraged it when we asked.

Chuck is correct.
People using ECVs are supposed to get out and sit on a bus seat. That is because ECVs are not made to be tied down for travel, are 'tippy' because most of the weight is high up (especially the 3 wheel kind). It is much safer for someone not to be on the ECV while the bus is moving. There are signs in the bus asking people to move from an ECV to a bus seat and the seats across from the wheelchair/ECV area are marked for them to sit in.

Wheelchairs are a different story. There is no rule that people using wheelchairs are supposed to get out, so there is no rule to "waive" if the person can't get out easily. In 15 + years of riding the WDW buses with someone using a wheelchair, we have never been asked whether or not she can get out of her wheelchair and I have never heard of anyone else being asked whether they can get out of the wheelchair for riding buses.

Wheelchairs are much easier to tie down than ECVs (having many spots where the tiedowns can be connected). Also, because they have 4 wheels, they are not going to tip over easily. It is safe for someone to ride in a wheelchair that is correctly tied down in the bus. The drivers will not expect or ask anyone to get out of a wheelchair to ride in a bus seat. (And, as Chuck mentioned, they will not encourage it if asked).

NOTE: This is different for rides in the parks that have wheelchair accessible cars. They do ask if the person can transfer for rides. That is because there is usually only one place for a wheelchair on the ride and there is often a wait for the accessible ride car. If there is someone who can get out of the wheelchair easily, it makes the accessible ride car available for someone who can't get out.

 

[SueM in MN]

How readily available are the standard rental WC's at the parks? I was going to rent one from an offsite place for dad to have all the time, but I think he would like to try to be on his own to start off. I just don't want to be at MK at 10:00 am and have all the standard chairs be gone and then kicking ourselves. I just know my dad and in the morning he'll be like "I'm fine, leave the chair here, I don't need it!" and then by 9:00, we'll be in trouble.

Unless you are going at a really busy time (like during Easter week or Christmas) or very late in the day, there should be standard wheelchairs available at the parks.
If you were wanting ECVs, those are in shorter supply, but even ECVs are usually going to be available if you go early.

If you decide not to rent one from off-site right away, I would still suggest you take contact info along so you can call and get one delivered if you need one. You may still want one because the resorts are quite large and getting from point A to point B can be a fair walk.

 

[pat fan]

If you decide not to rent one from off-site right away, I would still suggest you take contact info along so you can call and get one delivered if you need one. You may still want one because the resorts are quite large and getting from point A to point B can be a fair walk.

We paid to be in the preferred Calypso building to minimize the walking to and from the food court, but I totaly agree. I just don't think my dad and mom can fathom how much walking is really involved in a trip to WDW. They'll learn though, hopefuly by watching others walk while we push them!

 

[LisaBi]

DS uses a wheelchair at WDW due to endurance for the long distances, but not in everyday life - so he is perfectly capable of walking onto the bus.

99.99% of the time I fold the chair and we sit on two bus seats, holding the folded chair tightly in front of us - so we only take a total of two seats.

The first time I used a rented chair and boarded the bus, I tried going thru the regular queue area at the bus stop a few times. (Because you board first if you are in the wheelchair area - and I figured that wasn't fair when there's a long line). At most location, the chair will easily fit thru the queues. The drivers said to always wait in the wheelchair area even if you are folding the chair. So we do always wait at the wheelchair area and board at the back now.

For the .01% of the time I don't fold the chair: The last bus ride of our last trip (Feb. 4 2007 pm from MK to ASMo) we got a driver that insisted we leave the chair set up and strapped it down - while we sat in two seats. So now we're taking up 5 seats, plus all the time it took to tie it down. At MK closing time! Now, I know no one minds waiting to tie down wheelchairs or scooters when necessary, but to make people wait when there's no need? Anyway, this driver was very rude and said it was illegal not to tie down a chair. If the person isn't still in it, what's the diff between a folded chair and a folded stroller?

Anyway, he's the only driver like that I've encountered. Most are great, although some are bit grumpy and seem like they do want you to use the front, or sit in a particular place, or.....

I wish Disney would post a solid set of procedures for wheelchairs and scooters on the buses. I don't think its an issue when the person definitely can't transfer, but it seems confusing when you can/do walk onto the bus. I'd be happy to follow any procedure they like - I'd just like to not feel like I might be doing it wrong every time a bus pulls up.

 

[cupcake]

Thank you. We will probably do a little of both, trial and error for the first day or so you knwo?

How readily available are the standard rental WC's at the parks? I was going to rent one from an offsite place for dad to have all the time, but I think he would like to try to be on his own to start off. I just don't want to be at MK at 10:00 am and have all the standard chairs be gone and then kicking ourselves. I just know my dad and in the morning he'll be like "I'm fine, leave the chair here, I don't need it!" and then by 9:00, we'll be in trouble.

I used WDW wcs for years before becoming a convert to ECVs, and while I saw some new ones here and there, my rental experience was not the best in terms of comfort. The WDW wcs are, IMO, not ideal, esp for an older person. They are sling style wcs but are sort of tank-like construction to make them sturdy, and you cannot adjust anything. I find my folding wc at home perfectly comfy, but these are very mushy in the back and seat and it makes me feel quite achy, esp in the lower back. They can also be iffy to push if you get a lame one. My dh has spent some quality time in his day evaluating the available selection to try to get the best possible one!

I found that the ones you can borrow in resorts (all on-property resorts except the Swan/Dolphin) are in far better shape, but others have had different experiences. Availability at a resort may be a concern, but if you are not going at a mega-busy time, they should have one or be able to borrow one from another resort if need be (this, of course, would strand your dad overnight while they get one). I never had a problem with this, with the exception of a trip over Christmas/New Years when they borrowed one for me and it took a day.

If you are not sure if you will need one, I personally would either (1) rent offsite to have it, it is very reasonable and your wc experience will be good; or (2) try to borrow one from your resort right away when you arrive, and if you land a poor one (not my experience with the resort ones, but I have seen others post rarely with negative comments), ask for another. Availability at the parks should not be a concern unless you are going at a mega-busy period, in which case you still very likely would be fine for wcs (as opposed to ECVs).

Hope this helps, have a great trip!!

Cupcake

 

[pat fan]

Hope this helps, have a great trip!!

Thanks! I guess I wasn't really aware I could rent one from the Resort. That might work. hw could walk in the am and then if was whooped he could use the rental for the afternoon. Thanks again!

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks! I guess I wasn't really aware I could rent one from the Resort. That might work. hw could walk in the am and then if was whooped he could use the rental for the afternoon. Thanks again!

They are free of charge to borrow from the resorts. There is information on how this works on the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the board.

Some people have had good experiences with getting one lent from the resorts (like cupcake); some people have found the wheelchair that was available was not in the best shape or all they had was an extra wide when a regular one was needed.

 

[mirthmaiden]

Wow... you read my mind. I was just going to post a similar question when I saw this one.

DH will be in a manual wheelchair at the parks, but can walk and could fold up his chair. My question is this:

Does the bus driver do the tie-downs, or is the passenger's companion supposed to do it? I assume the bus driver will do it, but I never like to assume anything. I'm wondering if DH would be able to take the bus himself should he decide to go back to the room, or would I necessarily have to accompany him everywhere he goes?

 

[SueM in MN]

Wow... you read my mind. I was just going to post a similar question when I saw this one.

DH will be in a manual wheelchair at the parks, but can walk and could fold up his chair. My question is this:

Does the bus driver do the tie-downs, or is the passenger's companion supposed to do it? I assume the bus driver will do it, but I never like to assume anything. I'm wondering if DH would be able to take the bus himself should he decide to go back to the room, or would I necessarily have to accompany him everywhere he goes?

The bus driver does. The wheelchair or ECV user has to drive or push it on, but the driver takes care of all the tiedown. Your DH would have no problem taking the bus back to the room by himself.

There is a lot more information about riding the bus with a wheelchair or ECV (written for us by several WDW bus drivers) in the disABILITIES FAQs thread located near the top of this board.

 

[mirthmaiden]

The bus driver does. The wheelchair or ECV user has to drive or push it on, but the driver takes care of all the tiedown. Your DH would have no problem taking the bus back to the room by himself.

There is a lot more information about riding the bus with a wheelchair or ECV (written for us by several WDW bus drivers) in the disABILITIES FAQs thread located near the top of this board.

Thanks Sue! You are so very helpful I read the FAQ, guess I must've missed that.

 

[Nanajo1]

Hi,
Just returned from a 19 day stay at BWVs Some new (to me) observations. There is a sign on the folded up bench where the ECVs are tied down stating ECV riders should transfer to a regular seat. Not all but many of the busses had these signs posted. They are on the bottom of the bench. I also had in my contract from an off site vendor that I would not ride in the ECV on the bus. There were more signs on the windows encouraging people to give up seats to those who needed them. The doors by Luna pool are now push button open. This is a big help not only for ECVs/WC but for strollers. The doors to the stores along the Boardwalk are still too heavy and awkward for me to manage by myself in the ECV. I'll mention it again in my survey.

 

[SueM in MN]

Hi,
Just returned from a 19 day stay at BWVs Some new (to me) observations. There is a sign on the folded up bench where the ECVs are tied down stating ECV riders should transfer to a regular seat. Not all but many of the busses had these signs posted. They are on the bottom of the bench.

We noticed that on our last trip too.
I have pictures of the signs, but I need to download them to a picture site before I can post them.

 

[LisaBi]

Does the bus driver do the tie-downs, or is the passenger's companion supposed to do it? I assume the bus driver will do it, but I never like to assume anything. I'm wondering if DH would be able to take the bus himself should he decide to go back to the room, or would I necessarily have to accompany him everywhere he goes?

The driver does the tie downs - they don't really want help from the family, so he can go on his own. But if he can/wants to fold the chair, that should be fine too. I've only had the one driver want to tie down a chair when the person could easily transfer and the chair can be easily folded.