Current buses, low floor?

[jmmc]

A trip is being planned to Disney soon and someone I'm going with has some mobility issues. Usually not to the extent of needing to use wheelchairs or ECV's, but negotiating stairs is sometimes a problem. Last I was in WDW there was still a mix of regular and low floor buses. Have more of the original buses been phased out at this point?

Thanks!

 

[PhotoDave219]

A trip is being planned to Disney soon and someone I'm going with has some mobility issues. Usually not to the extent of needing to use wheelchairs or ECV's, but negotiating stairs is sometimes a problem. Last I was in WDW there was still a mix of regular and low floor buses. Have more of the original buses been phased out at this point?

Thanks!

Yes, as far as I know the original RTS buses are not in regular service anymore. I will double check but there were around eight left last year.

Almost everything is a mix of Nova and Gillig low floor kneeling buses.

 

[englanddg]

Yes, as far as I know the original RTS buses are not in regular service anymore. I will double check but there were around eight left last year.

Almost everything is a mix of Nova and Gillig low floor kneeling buses.

I didn't see any of the RTS (GM) busses on this last trip for resort to park transit. They were all the newer models.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I didn't see any of the RTS (GM) busses on this last trip for resort to park transit. They were all the newer models.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the old RTS buses were finally retired. I know they had milked and canibalized them about as far as they could go. Those things were like tanks, you could drive them into the ground, and Disney completely did.

Slightly off topic, I've heard that the twelve "bendy buses" are likely to be as large as that fleet gets. Last I heard anyways.

Even more OT I'm also hearing that they're slowly migrating towards one centralized dispatch hub rather than the four existing bus hubs. I think theyre experimenting in the mornings but reportedly the software keeps losing buses in the system. Or something like that.

 

[englanddg]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the old RTS buses were finally retired. I know they had milked and canibalized them about as far as they could go. Those things were like tanks, you could drive them into the ground, and Disney completely did.

Slightly off topic, I've heard that the twelve "bendy buses" are likely to be as large as that fleet gets. Last I heard anyways.

Even more OT I'm also hearing that they're slowly migrating towards one centralized dispatch hub rather than the four existing bus hubs. I think theyre experimenting in the mornings but reportedly the software keeps losing buses in the system. Or something like that.

Rode on the a bendy bus a few weeks ago. I mean, I've ridden on one before (bendy busses have been around a LONG time, decades), but as far as Disney, they are really nice. My kiddo in particular enjoyed trying to figure out how it all worked.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Rode on the a bendy bus a few weeks ago. I mean, I've ridden on one before (bendy busses have been around a LONG time, decades), but as far as Disney, they are really nice. My kiddo in particular enjoyed trying to figure out how it all worked.

They're really limited in what resorts can accommodate them. Most Disney resorts have enough trouble accommodating the sizes of regular buses as it is.

 

[englanddg]

They're really limited in what resorts can accommodate them. Most Disney resorts have enough trouble accommodating the sizes of regular buses as it is.

I was at AoA.

But yeah, I can see how a place like Yacht Club would have issues with it. The bus service there, frankly, is a joke.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I was at AoA.

But yeah, I can see how a place like Yacht Club would have issues with it. The bus service there, frankly, is a joke.

Bus service is dependent on each individual resort. They pay for X buses per hour... or something like that.

Its entirely ridiculous. Especially because transportation needs to hit its profit margins as well.

 

[jmmc]

This thread went a bit beyond my original question, but I hope it helped anyone interested in the topic. And it did occur to me after that given the need for a baggage area, I suppose you couldn't really have a low-floor kneeling bus for Magical Express.

 

[Tom]

This thread went a bit beyond my original question, but I hope it helped anyone interested in the topic. And it did occur to me after that given the need for a baggage area, I suppose you couldn't really have a low-floor kneeling bus for Magical Express.

No, unfortunately, charter buses aren't setup that way, and I don't foresee a big push to remodel them in the near future. Their current design is the most efficient for carrying both passengers, comfortably, and stowing full size luggage.

The accessibility, and compliance, comes into play with the lifts.

 

[PhotoDave219]

This thread went a bit beyond my original question, but I hope it helped anyone interested in the topic. And it did occur to me after that given the need for a baggage area, I suppose you couldn't really have a low-floor kneeling bus for Magical Express.

Well the good news is that Disney doesn't own any of those style buses. The bad news is, Mears does. And sometimes during extreme peak days they are forced to contracts additional buses from Mears.

I sincerely hope you have a good time of things and I suggest you write guest relations about this after you get home.

 

[jmmc]

I know that for a long time it was not encouraged to allow someone to just ride up on one. But, in recent years, they finally figured out that if you didn't then they were excluding those that fell between the able to climb stairs and those that needed a wheelchair so they usually, if possible have two standing on the lift.

Yes, that is one of the weird things we sometimes deal with. Someone who isn't at the point where a wheelchair is needed to get around, but where something a bit more than plain old walking on flat ground is difficult. That's what is great about the low floor buses.

I've also noticed that certain rides do have an easy walk-on boarding, which I think happens in more of the recent rides. Something like Kilimanjaro Safaris or the Great Movie ride, and even Thunder Mountain or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It's the climbing up and down loading that is tough, especially boat rides. Jungle Cruise and Pirates being the biggest examples there. Obviously the "moving walkway" ones are easy to get on, though often slowing down or stopping the ride is needed there. I have looked at the Disney World with Disabilities book to learn more about those (even though I've been to WDW many times), though a new volume would be nice.

Incidentally, apparently the moving walkway for Peter Pan's Flight cannot be stopped, possibly the only ride like that.