Lou... 3,118 Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 These are some of the things I hear on a regular basis. If there is anything you've wondered about, post it and I'll try to answer it.Myth: Blame the WDW Transportation Dept. for the long waits and crowded buses.Nope, blame the resort. They decide what level of service they want to pay for and WDW Transportation delivers that level. The resorts and the Transportation Department are autonomous.Myth: Certain resorts have better bus service than others.True, but the things that make the service better is not noticeable to guests. Guests have no way of being able to judge just by staying at a resort and riding the buses. It's a perception based on a tiny window of time. You hear it all the time. I saw three Coronado Springs buses while I was waiting for my bus. Or, two Magic Kingdom buses have stopped and no Epcot buses have come by.Myth: I'm paying big bucks to stay at a deluxe resort, I should get the best bus service. Some will say that the All Stars or Pop Century have the best bus service. Which BTW is not true.Myth: Bus drivers shouldn't get lost, they have this new computerized dispatch/GPS system on board.There is no new computer system and buses do not have a GPS that gives drivers turn by turn directions. Drivers are required to learn and know all bus routes on WDW property. The number of routes is in the hundreds. If a driver can't remember a route, they can look up written directions on the black box (MDT) if they need to, but it's pretty crude and not that easy to follow.Myth: Disney knows where a bus is at all times.YesMyth: Drivers drive the same route all day long.Except for some internal buses, some park to park buses, and CM shuttles, a route is seldom repeated.Myth: There are security cameras at all the bus stops.NopeMyth: Drivers get tired at the end of the day and make mistakes.Drivers normally do not drive for more than four hours at a time and about 25% of that time is loading and unloading. They are not overworked.Myth: My bus is taking forever, I'll ask the driver of the next bus when is the next MK bus coming. This one always cracks me up. There are about 300 buses running and we're supposed to know when the next MK bus is coming.Myth: Drivers have to take a lot of crap from guests.Hardly ever happens. I can't remember the last time someone gave me a hard time.Myth: People are so rude when they ride the busesThis has not been my experience. Of course there is some rudeness, but by and large people are civil.Myth: Disney runs more buses during certain times of the year.Disney only has so many buses and utilizes all of them year round. They may bring in outside buses now and then but it's rare. Except for Christmas week, they pretty much use the same plan year round. Send a bus where it's needed and when it's needed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Great thread, Lou! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
johnnyb aka John 15 Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Lou, I would like to thank you on behalf of myself and my family, any time we have ridden WDW busses, it has been a positive experience. I always make an effort to say "hi" to the drivers, and to tell them thanks when I get off (much to my wife's embarrassment, she says I am such a dork). IMHO (not ILHO) you guys do a great job! :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted February 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Great thread, Lou!Thanks Monique.Lou, I would like to thank you on behalf of myself and my family, any time we have ridden WDW busses, it has been a positive experience. I always make an effort to say "hi" to the drivers, and to tell them thanks when I get off (much to my wife's embarrassment, she says I am such a dork). IMHO (not ILHO) you guys do a great job! If you're a dork, the vast majority of guests are dorks too. I appreciate your sentiments, but remember we're providing a service that you're paying for, which brings up another myth. It's free to ride the buses. No, you are paying for it. It's included in your room/site rate. I've heard from DVC members that there is a tranportation charge on their statements. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
johnnyb aka John 15 Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Well thank you anyway Lou! Without you and your fellow drivers, it is one HECK of a long walk!!! :heart: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 I'm a dork too. Some of the best CM interactions we have had we with the bus drivers :rofl2: Last August, my daughter and I were staying at French Quarter. It was hot, still in the 80's at 10:00 p.m. I got dehydrated and felt like I might pass out. When we got to our bus stop I sat down on a bench and my daughter went to get a wheel chair for me. While she was gone another bus came. After it unloaded the driver noticed me sitting there and asked if I was alright. I told what was going on and he stayed there with me until my daughter came back.My only regret was that I didn't remember to get his name.Bus drivers rule :heart:doodlebug Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TnBob 311 Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Myth: Drivers have to take a lot of crap from guests.Hardly ever happens. I can?t remember the last time someone gave me a hard time.Myth: People are so rude when they ride the busesThis has not been my experience. Of course there is some rudeness, but by and large people are civil.You've never had me on your bus have you :argh:actually bus drivers do have a lot of stress. Although they may not work "hard", being responsible for people you don't even know is stressful. I have noticed in the last few years that more and more drivers don't interact as much as a few yrs ago. I always chalk it up to the fact that they have so much going on with routes, radios and monitors etc.All and all the bus drivers are great although I don't like busses for my own reasons but my GKs love em, Kathy has to take them for a bus ride in the fort when we get there. They always know we have arrived on property when we pull off Western Way and see that first bus, "POP POP A BUS, CAN WE RIDE A BUS?" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted February 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 You've never had me on your bus have youNope, haven't had the pleasure yet.I have noticed in the last few years that more and more drivers don't interact as much as a few yrs ago. That's very true. The policy now is no distractions while the bus is in motion. Also most of the Mics volume gets turned down so low by the automated dispatch system, that it's useless. So on most buses if you're going to talk to the entire bus, you better have a really big voice.actually bus drivers do have a lot of stress. Although they may not work "hard", being responsible for people you don't even know is stressful. The stress doesn't get to me, but the responsibility is always on my mind. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Otter Spotter aka Debbie 58 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 "....and that's the way it is." Walter Cronkite Quote Link to post Share on other sites
datgrt@fw .... Doug 1 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 Thanks Lou! It is great to have someone like you on this forum to provide great insight to Disney!!! I appreciate and enjoy reading your posts! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TnBob 311 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 Thank you Doug for the recognition....ohhhhhh you ment the busman :banana:.....my bad he is a good guy :dance: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dreamin5 0 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 This might be a good question to ask you : What do you think is a reasonable tip to give to a bus driver that helps with a wheelchair guest? TIA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted February 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 This might be a good question to ask you : What do you think is a reasonable tip to give to a bus driver that helps with a wheelchair guest? TIAIf your referring to a WDW drivers, it's against company policy to accept tips. If the guest insists after the driver refuses it, I believe twice, the driver accepts it and turns it in to management.ME & CL drivers do accept tips. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ftwildernessguy 778 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 I always sit in the back of the bus so the driver can't see me and my friends getting into trouble. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lil Lisa 53 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 This might be a good question to ask you : What do you think is a reasonable tip to give to a bus driver that helps with a wheelchair guest? TIAIf your referring to a WDW drivers, it's against company policy to accept tips. If the guest insists after the driver refuses it, I believe twice, the driver accepts it and turns it in to management.ME & CL drivers do accept tips.So what does management do with it? Do they use it to buy your Christmas gifts? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted February 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 So what does management do with it? Do they use it to buy your Christmas gifts?Management never gets it. We may be dumb but we're not stupid. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TnBob 311 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 So what does management do with it? Do they use it to buy your Christmas gifts?Management never gets it. We may be dumb but we're not stupid. :-[ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lil Lisa 53 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 Management never gets it...That statement is true in more ways than one... :-[ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dreamin5 0 Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 If you tell me all the money that I have ever gave to the bus drivers at WDW went to management I will be sick. We alway budget tip money for the drivers for helping with my dd, I enjoy being able to do that and I always insist that they take it but if goes to the WDW company that's just plain sickening in my book. :banana: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted February 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 If you tell me all the money that I have ever gave to the bus drivers at WDW went to management I will be sick. It is the policy, but as long as you insist, they'll take it and where it ends up is our little secret. Just keep it hush, hush. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kazlac4 3 Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 MagicBus,Thanks for the interesting facts! The drivers do a great job in keeping the masses moving from one place to another. One of our best experiences on a DW bus was the time we were staying at the Caribbean and about 2 minutes after we boarded the bus at the resort I realized that I had left my purse at the bus stop :rofl2:. It was midday so the bus had only about 6 others at this point, and when the bus driver (as well as everyone else on the bus!) heard me yell "oh my god, I left my purse back there", he promptly made a u-turn in the parking lot and went back to the bus stop. My purse was still sitting there on the bench :rofl2:. He was my hero !! (We made sure he got a well deserved tip and hope that he did NOT turn it in!). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SCTigerCock 171 Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 3 memorable bus experiences; all good:Election night 2000 my parents and I went by boat to the snack bar at the Contemporary to watch election returns. Didn't have a TV in the pop up. Got caught up in the hoopla and about 10 minutes before the buses were to stop, my dad realized he better get back to the Fort for the Expidition and drive it over so we could get home later. He ran out to the bus stop already thinking he would need a taxi. External Bus Driver asked where he was going, he said TTC to catch a Fort Bus. Driver not only took him to the Fort, but to the internal bus stop by our loop. Similar instance this past July after grabbing a bus from Downtown Disney late at night. We asked a driver if he was running the yellow loop (couldn't see his sign). He said no, looked around and created an internal bus. Dropped off a set of teenagers at 300 and created a stop at 100/200 for us and another couple. Dude flew through the Fort! Quickest trip ever from Outpost to Settlement. Bus driver leading "the wheels on the bus" song on the way to Downtown Disney. Yea I am a kid at heart and hubby didn't claim me. Bus drivers are GREAT! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
campingpixi 11 Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 This was great!! Thanks for sharing!! Now I have to be honest I have never rode on a WDW bus and do not think I ever will being that I like our own vehicle much better to get to the places that we can't go to by monorail or boat. I did notice one thing though if you ever are out walking are driving the cart around late at night you will see those happy chipper folks you seen getting on in the morning getting off looking as if Disney ran them ragged (a sign of a good day) LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 Just bumping this great thread up!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lil Lisa 53 Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 What was that code you were telling us about? The "quick ten-something-or-another"? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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