Why Won't You Give Up Your Seat on the Bus?

[goofy4tink]

I'm hoping Tyler is out there and reading this thread since I have a question for him as a 'former wearer of the purple'!!
Tyler....why are they going with the buses with 'along the side of the bus' seating vs. side by side seats? It seems to me, that with the side by side seats, with that space left open for ECV's, there were more areas that kids could hold onto if they were standing. I have to say, that at 5'8" tall, it's hard for me to reach up and grab something to hold onto if I end up standing. With all those seats, there was always something to hold if you were shorter. There didn't seem to be nearly as many people falling all over the place. Now, there's actuall room for side by side standing, which just doesn't seem as safe.
Just curious.

 

[Patty3]

It really bugs me when myself or DH give up a seat for someone else and they do not even have the courtesy to say thanks. We gave up our seats for two woman who looked like they were in their late sixties. They did not even acknowledge us with a smile or thank you. Some people think that because they are elderly, they have a sense of entitlement. Is this going to stop us for giving up our seats, no, but a thank you and a smile go a long way.

 

[4formickey]

and the people still comment about who sit and wo stands. The ADA mandates that all buses and trains be able to seat wheelchairs. Often at work, I have people standing in the doorway because the bus is full. If they took the time to look behind me, they would see an empty bus. Do I feel bad when they board a full bus and need a seat? No because an empty bus is right behind me. Our rules state that if they want to get on, let them on. The reason it is called pubic transportation is because we pick up the masses at a low cost. A lady curse me out the other day because I did not tell someone to give her a seat. I explained to her that I can not and will not tell some to get up because I do not know if they have any problems that require them to sit down. People use common sense. If you need a seat and the bus is full wait. If you demand a seat ,thats why they have cabs A voice of one that drive a bus!

 

[Karnak]

I expect that the busses will become even more crowded as fuel prices continue to go up. Fewer busses, and more time between stops I would predict.

But enjoy anyway.

 

[mousermerf]

I'm a believer of the first-come first-serve mantra, and get upset when Disney violates it.

Disney used to train: Never inconvience one guest for another.

All guests are there trying to have a special vacation, and asking someone to move so that someone else can moreso have a special vacation isn't right. If I was on the bus that refused to move, I would have made the driver firmly aware that standing was either safe, or was unsafe, and that asking someone to stand would be asking them to be unsafe in exchange, or perhaps really the matter wasn't about safety after all, and I'd be glad to take his name, dismebark, and discuss the entire matter with his manager.

I personally think standing on buses shouldn't be done, period.

And my utmost pet peeve is the way some guests with ECV's are loaded onto buses. If they have to fold up 3 chairs to fit your ECV, for heaven's sake, stay seated on the ECV. They have special restraints, and the eprson wouldn't be any more unsafe sitting there instead of taking up yet another seat.

 

[4formickey]

the buses are design so that a wheel chair will take about 3 seats. The ada is a powerful group. If they come after a company for not providing for someone with a disablity. That company will pay out of their nose. The city of chicago was sued by them for not having sidwalks that was accessable by will chair. They won and now every city block has a low curb that a wheel chair can cross. They have change the face of public transit. They can shut down a operation very fast.

 

[TCPluto]

the buses are design so that a wheel chair will take about 3 seats. The ada is a powerful group. If they come after a company for not providing for someone with a disablity. That company will pay out of their nose. The city of chicago was sued by them for not having sidwalks that was accessable by will chair. They won and now every city block has a low curb that a wheel chair can cross. They have change the face of public transit. They can shut down a operation very fast.

It's actually federal law that regulates these accessibility mandates. No particular political subdivision has the power or ability to not adhere. And for the record, they should comply. Not only for legal compliance, but because it's the right thing to do.

 

[ztbz]

And my utmost pet peeve is the way some guests with ECV's are loaded onto buses. If they have to fold up 3 chairs to fit your ECV, for heaven's sake, stay seated on the ECV. They have special restraints, and the eprson wouldn't be any more unsafe sitting there instead of taking up yet another seat.

As I stated in this thread

Its recommend by Disney and Wheelchair rental companies for Safety reasons that guest in a ECV's should move or transfer to a normal seat, and yes this means that there would be 3 or 4 less seats available, but put it this way, yes the Guest can ride on their ECV on the Bus, but I as a Disney Bus driver would have to make sure that the ECV is Strap in so that it won't flip over, and if you are wanting to get to the designation as fast as possible you don't want me to have to spend an extra 10 minutes longer getting the ECV in just right and strapped down correctly. I would also have to driver at a slower speed in order to make sure the ECV stays secured in place and not flip over (Which has happen a few times in case your wondering), I as the driver of the bus don't want the person in the ECV to get hurt as if they get hurt, guess what, I would be out of a job. So I have to make sure ECV is secured before leaving the bus stop. Its faster to get out of the ECV in case you haven’t figure it out, as an empty ECV won’t flip over and doesn’t take as long to strap in.

 

[ztbz]

We all know about the Disney Laws (or rules), which is to be smile and nice to the guest. But there are two other agencies we have to obey, and that’s ADA & DOT.

ADA (American Disability Act) states that all riders (Guests) must be treated equally, this means that someone in a ECV or Wheelchair must be pickup, in fact we had instances where seated guests would refused to move or vacate a seat (or seats) on a bus in order for a ECV or wheelchair guest to be loaded on a bus. What we have to do is to tell the ECV or wheelchair guest, sorry we can't take them, but it also meant that no more guest can be loaded on the bus even it there’s room for people to stand, ADA says if wheelchair guest can get on then no able body persons can get on the bus either.

D.O.T. (Dept of Transportation) or (the Feds) are the one who give the bus drivers their Class A or B Licenses and they mandate that passenger buses not carry cargo, we come close at Disney at breaking the Law when we allow guest to bring Large Strollers on the bus and is main reason why we make the guest fold up their strollers, we also are not allowed to carry luggage on the buses (Note to Caribbean beach resort guest ridding the Internal Shuttle). They also mandate that bus companies such as Disney make sure the buses are inspected and in working order, if not DOT can shut down a bus or even the entire Fleet.

Now sometimes a guest will expect us to obey the Disney Law, but we are not allowed to if ADA or DOT Laws are violated which supersede Disney and in the case of DOT if a guest does violate a DOT Law you could be kick off the bus and it will soon be back up by law enforcement as each bus is having a silent alarm install on all Disney buses by the end of this year or early next that would alert Orange County Sherriff to a bus in distress.

 

[FOV]

All guests are there trying to have a special vacation, and asking someone to move so that someone else can moreso have a special vacation isn't right.

If I was on the bus that refused to move, I would have made the driver firmly aware that standing was either safe, or was unsafe, and that asking someone to stand would be asking them to be unsafe in exchange, or perhaps really the matter wasn't about safety after all, and I'd be glad to take his name, dismebark, and discuss the entire matter with his manager.

Where should I start?

You are a researcher for the UOG and you actually made this statement? First off, if you want to get technical, WDW asks people to 'move' all the time when they allow people in wheelchairs or other disabilities to skip to the head of the line on an attraction. How about all those special parade viewing areas? If someone without a wheelchair is standing there and a wheelchair family needs the space WDW will kindly tell you to move. Need any more examples? Are you saying that this is wrong? Are you saying that WDW policy used to be different?

If you were on a bus and there was a parent holding a sleeping baby and the bus driver said he/she was not going to move the bus until one of the 50+ people who had a seat offered the baby-holding person a seat you would ACTUALLY disembark (thanks for the seat by the way) and take it up with the bus drivers manager??? Okay, it's your right but it never fails to amaze me what some people will do.

Is this the "official" position of the Unofficial Guide?

 

[4formickey]

Guy, just wait on the next bus! why is this so hard to do? A complaint from one person with a disability can and will go a long way. Violate the ADA law and heads at these bus companies will roll.

 

[ceopamom3]

after our first experience with disney buses at the All Star Resorts way back in 2000. We would wait for an empty bus with our three very small children (2, 4 and almost 5) - only to have swarms of teenages come from all over and step ahead of our family - and then we had the famous disney bus driver quote while packing passengers in "I want you to be so close to your neighbor that one of you has to breath out so that the other one can breath in".... All that said, we still squezed our family of 5 into two seats and my husband will always stand, and now that my children could sit safely w/o my help - I would always stand as well. I consider myself fortunate to be able to do so.

We do not feel Disney transportation is safe or convenient. We now rarely stay on site, and even when we do we rent a car (even when staying at the Grand Floridian) and keep nice cold water and drinks in a cooler in back. At the end of the day, my kiddos are safely in seat belts enjoying a cool drink on the way back to the room. It was the best solution for our family.

I can't believe no one has been severly injured to date on Disney buses. WDW resort guests should demand better, or take their money elsewhere.

 

[kstinw19]

If you feel that strongly that you need to get back to your resort asap, or that you must sit every time, rent a car!!!! You do not have to use Disney transportation. You can sigh and moan about how rude people are for not offering you a seat or you can be proactive and take care of your family yourself.

If I am having a bad day and think I will have to stand(I don't hop on the bus and assume someone will get up for me) then I decide what to do. I can either wait for a different bus or catch a taxi. See, there are still options for me if I don't have a rental car.

Also, I posted that sometimes I would get up and give a seat if I felt able, and got slammed for not getting up even if I was in pain. Maybe it would be better if we rounded a corner and I fell into someone? Then I would feel bad because I knew I shouldn't be standing, but allowed some idiot into shamming me into getting up.

It just goes to show that no matter what you do, some people will always find something to complain about.

Why on Earth would I hold my sleeping child for an additional amount of time instead of getting on the bus that is there?

And don't tell me that I shouldn't keep my kid out so late, or that I should've driven my car because It's Disneyworld! When you are at Disney having fun, you don't tend to think, "we better leave now so we get a seat on the bus". I personally get my kids home early b/c they just melt down, but no one should be told they have to wait for the next bus.

I just don't like excuses for common decency. Please! Just be polite and get up...

I used to work in NYC and took the subway every day and almost every day I would be infuriated at the lack of sensitivity on those trains...so few people would get up for anyone...

You know who got up the most (cause I kept close tabs)...older women! I don't know why...but that is definitely true.

I once had to be on crutches for a week and had to take the bus instead of the subway b/c I couldn't get up the stairs at the subway station. Do you know that I was on crutches on this bus going from NJ to Midtown Manhattan and NOBODY offered me their seat? And I didn't have the option of waiting for another bus b/c they would all be full by the time they got to my stop. CRAZY!!

 

[kstinw19]

I'm hoping Tyler is out there and reading this thread since I have a question for him as a 'former wearer of the purple'!!
Tyler....why are they going with the buses with 'along the side of the bus' seating vs. side by side seats? It seems to me, that with the side by side seats, with that space left open for ECV's, there were more areas that kids could hold onto if they were standing. I have to say, that at 5'8" tall, it's hard for me to reach up and grab something to hold onto if I end up standing. With all those seats, there was always something to hold if you were shorter. There didn't seem to be nearly as many people falling all over the place. Now, there's actuall room for side by side standing, which just doesn't seem as safe.
Just curious.

I think they should introduce the tractor trailer thing they have for cast members. It's basically a tractor trailer with seats and windows. The cast members get on the back and the trailer is built like a bus, but with many more seats (i believe) than the buses. Maybe they aren't allowed on public roadways...Tyler? Any insight on this?

 

[briar_rose_59]

As I stated in this thread

Its recommend by Disney and Wheelchair rental companies for Safety reasons that guest in a ECV's should move or transfer to a normal seat, and yes this means that there would be 3 or 4 less seats available, but put it this way, yes the Guest can ride on their ECV on the Bus, but I as a Disney Bus driver would have to make sure that the ECV is Strap in so that it won't flip over, and if you are wanting to get to the designation as fast as possible you don't want me to have to spend an extra 10 minutes longer getting the ECV in just right and strapped down correctly. I would also have to driver at a slower speed in order to make sure the ECV stays secured in place and not flip over (Which has happen a few times in case your wondering), I as the driver of the bus don't want the person in the ECV to get hurt as if they get hurt, guess what, I would be out of a job. So I have to make sure ECV is secured before leaving the bus stop. Its faster to get out of the ECV in case you haven’t figure it out, as an empty ECV won’t flip over and doesn’t take as long to strap in.

Heck, when my mum and I were down there in Sept/Oct, we had a bus driver ask her to sit in a normal seat rather than her wheelchair (not an ECV). There was one woman who got on the bus after us who felt the need to wave her hand around in the direction of the empty wheelchair and say something to the effect of oh these wheelchairs take up too much space, they should just throw them up on the roof, for half the bus ride. I personally think that that was far more rude than my mother doing what she had been asked to do by the driver of the bus, but hey, it was the end of a long, hot day and I think just about everyone was tired and stressed. I still don't think that she really had to make such a rude comment though. Oh well.

 

[maxiesmom]

Why on Earth would I hold my sleeping child for an additional amount of time instead of getting on the bus that is there?
!

To make sure you have a seat. Because it is up to you as a parent to do what is best for your child. And if you think it is best to have a seat it is up to you to get one. You shouldn't get on the bus assuming someone will offer you a seat. You might get lucky and someone will get up, and you might not. So who is really at fault if you don't have a seat? You. But it has become way too popular to blame others for our poor choices.

I do understand that it is all about manners, and that it is polite for someone to offer a seat to a person who needs it more. But everyone has a different idea of who is more in need. Most people would say a parent with a child could use the seat, but then at what age do you tell the child to stand? How about offering the elderly a seat? At what age would you consider someone old enough to "deserve" a seat? 65? 75? It is totally subjective.

I think the people who get on a bus expecting a seat, and glaring at the seat occupents for not getting up, need to be taught manners too. And personal responsibility.

 

[ducklite]

Why on Earth would I hold my sleeping child for an additional amount of time instead of getting on the bus that is there?

I just don't like excuses for common decency. Please! Just be polite and get up...

So you can get a seat? The common decency is to plan appropriately for the needs of your family, not to impose on everyone else. Frankly if I had waited for the next bus so I could get a seat, I would not get up for you. You could do teh exact same thing, you simply choose not to. You choose to inconvenience others for the convenience of your family. I'm not sure how that makes others indecent--in all honesty it seems that you're the one with the courtesy problems.

My dad had a sign on his office wall: "Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part."

Seems like it fits this post to a "T".

Oh, and BTW--I commuted to NYC on the NJ Transit train on crutches, it wasn't easy but it was entirely doable. There are elevators in Penn Station.

Anne

 

[CleveRocks]

Why on Earth would I hold my sleeping child for an additional amount of time instead of getting on the bus that is there?

Why on Earth do you think that your blood is redder than mine?

When you are at Disney having fun, you don't tend to think, "we better leave now so we get a seat on the bus" ... but no one should be told they have to wait for the next bus.

You are a parent whether you are in Disney or Duluth. We as parents SHOULD all tend to think what is in our kids' best interest. Because you don't wish to consider mundane and practical aspects of life while at WDW is your problem and should not be everyone else's problem.

I see this "pushy" attitude, this over-inflated sense of entitlement all the time. I live in a summer resort town, a beach town. At least once a week, I see people standing in the middle of a busy business district street, not even on the double-yellow line but actually in a traffic lane, with their strollers and all, holding a conversation with another party. If after I wait a few seconds I politely tap on my horn to let them know I'm there in my car and I need to get by, I've often been ignored, often gotten "the finger" and often been berated for interrupting their good time. They are thinking they are on vacation, they shouldn't have to think about things like not blocking traffic, and not parking their kids' strollers in the middle of a busy street.

I just don't like excuses for common decency. Please! Just be polite and get up...

I see it differently than you. I think it lacks common decency to EXPECT that someone SHOULD do something for you. I think it lacks common decency to inconvenience someone else for your own convenience. That is just selfish.

And I'm not talking from the cheap seats here. I took my then 5 year old and 2.5 year old to WDW last May, right at the beginning of the 50th Anniversary Celebration. The crowds were much bigger than originally predicted, due to the 50th. I am a veteran of holding sleeping kids at bus stops, and a veteran of knowing I need a seat in that instance, and I never chose to inconvenience someone else so I didn't have to wait for another bus. Also, for the record, as a healthy 39 year old male I would never choose to plant my butt in my seat if there was someone else who obviously needed it more than me. I DO have common decency. If you got on the bus holding your sleeping child I would ABSOLUTELY get up and offer you my seat before you had a chance to ask. I DO have common decency, I model it for my kids every day so that they learn common decency. I just resent the over-inflated sense of entitlement.

Again I ask, what makes your blood redder than mine?

 

[beachgrl001]

You sound strangely familiar. Did we go to Lincoln H.S. together in the early 80's?

Hi,
nope but i did go to Northeast, Washington, and Del Val(ok student ed)! I was in H.S. from 85-89. Glad to see there's someone like me out there!

 

[xWishes]

I agree w. what CleveRocks said completely!!!!!

I don't mind giving up my seat at all. I've done it plenty of times, but don't EXPECT me to.