Wheelchair queues for bus line at POP-are they gone?

[Bete]

I'm getting very confused by the discussions on bus lines for the handicap. Are they mainstreamed, now or does it depend on which resort you are staying at?

Is POP Centurry still the same or has it changed recently with how they do this? Can the wheelchair fit in the regular bus line line, now if this has changed?

It would be hard for me to leave my 90 year old, alzheimer's mom in a wheelchair alone in front to be recognized by the bus driver while I stand in a separate line for the bus.

I wish there was something Disney published for these changes that were resort specific.

 

[BroganMc]

If you are the primary caregiver for your mom and/or pushing her chair then you wait at the front with her.

I'm confused by this chatter too. It seems to date back to a couple trips taken last year in October and December from a poster here. And that had to do with double loading of busses at park closing.

For some time now Disney has been dispatching multiple busses to crowded stops at the parks during closing. That is to help clear the queues as quickly as possible. There are coordinators positioned at the bus stops who survey the crowd and call up busses from the staging sections of the lot for dispatch. If one bus driver is busy loading wheelie guests then a second will pull up and load pedestrians. That second bus is usually double parked so can not deploy ramps or lifts to take wheelies.

If I understand posts correctly, this is the only thing people have noticed. FWIW, the only change I noticed on my NYE stay was that there are now wheelchair symbols painted on the ground where they want wheelies to wait. That's so bus drivers can see them.

There are times when some bus drivers do not see wheelie passengers or may wrongly chose not to see/load them. It's never acceptable for a bus driver who can load a wheelie to willfully chose not to. Get the bus driver's name and/or bus number (location and time) to report them if that occurs.

I only had one instance of a bus driver not loading my chair first last trip. That was Dec 30 at Magic Kingdom. The bus driver drove past me and opened his front door to load pedestrians. I said (louder than I thought I had) that I couldn't believe he didn't see me. As soon as I said that, a bus coordinator came from behind me and ran right up to the front door and stopped the flow of loading pedestrians. He said a few words to the bus driver, pointed to me and then the bus driver followed procedure to load me. Everyone got on the bus at that stop but some pedestrians did have to relocate from the tie-down spots.

Given that recent experience, I presume there is no significant wheelchair loading change. It's only an issue with the double loading busses and unfortunately some misbehaving drivers.

 

[Bete]

I either avoid or wait it out in the park during the times that's busy to avoid the rush and double loading buses, etc.

I'm glad to hear the loading and unloading process seems to be the same, now.

 

[peemagg]

From what I understand is that a few spots at Epcot were trying out new procedures for wheelies and having them mainstream with the others, then there was a spot to pull aside. It didn't seem to be something that was done at all places.

They have painted the boxes for wheelies to wait to enforce the size limit on wheelchairs and Ecv's. If you set of wheels does not fit in the box (including everthing on it), then they don't have to let you on the bus.

 

[maroo]

From what I understand is that a few spots at Epcot were trying out new procedures for wheelies and having them mainstream with the others, then there was a spot to pull aside. It didn't seem to be something that was done at all places.

They have painted the boxes for wheelies to wait to enforce the size limit on wheelchairs and Ecv's. If you set of wheels does not fit in the box (including everthing on it), then they don't have to let you on the bus.

I was one of the two that posted my experience and it was ONLY at Epcot and the issue was at park closing.

I had NO problems with the POP buses.

Have a GREAT trip!!