Demo bus at Disney Transport

[lewisc]

The cynic in me wonders if Disney might replace most of the buses with these buses and cut the number of drivers in half. They could change the bus time to 30 minutes or add stops (have buses to AK stop at AKL for example)

I just got back from BCV. The number of stops a bus from the marketplace makes in the afternoon is pretty bad.

Originally posted by niteobsrvr
....
As for the resorts, the extra capacity would do wonders for places like the Port Orleans Resort, Carribean Beach, All-Stars and PopCentury (when completed). These resorts often fill up their buses very quickly and with no predictable patterns even in Mid-day.

A standard bus holds about 72 people, compared to the 160 of the AG300. In effect every AG300 that comes through the resort would be like having two buses at once. This is often what happens when these resorts get busy anyway, except you have to wait 10 to 15 mins for the extra bus to come from its dispatch location and pick people up.

As far as making extra stops, I just dont see it. It still wouldnt be practical to mix resorts in different geographical areas except very late at night just as we sometimes do now. Nor do I see the frequency of the buses increasing from approx every 20 minutes.

The extra capacity would keep people from waiting as long in the case of park exits and opens as well as those odd itmes druing the day when hundreds of people decided to move from place to place for no apparent reason.

 

[10 min. to wdw]

Originally posted by niteobsrvr
There would be just a barely noticeable increase in the amount of fuel used. You have to keep in mind a lot of times a bus is just idling or just a bit more.

Actually I think it would cost less in fuel.

Tram vs Bus Comparison
tram is unareodynamic and always running at full throttle
bus is more areodynamic and can shift up and down to optimize fuel economy
also it would probly lower disneys insurance cost


Bus vs Articulated bus
to run two busses would surely take more fuel than to run just one super bus, plus this would allow disney to need less drivers

 

[Budke]

Off topic but still in the general ballpark

I think it was our last trip, but we were asking a cast member why there was no longer a direct bus between Coronado Springs and the Boardwalk resort. He or she said that the individual WDW hotels actualy "contract" with WDW Transportation for the level of bus service they want to provide.

Is this actually how that relationship works? It seems that Disney is very quick to dispatch additional busses whenever they are needed. I guess the question is: where does the money come from to run all that transportation? Do the hotels somehow pay for the transportation beyond just a portion of the room rate? Is it a portion of ticket sales? Or is transportation just a cost of doing business?

And, as an aside, I really miss the CS/BW bus. I'm sure it was designed to link the CS Convention Center to the Bordwalk nightclubs, but it was very nice to walk out of the World Showcase gate, walk to the boardwalk and hop a bus to Coronado Springs. We were usually one of three couples on board ... which probably goes a long way in explaining why they don't run it anymore.

 

[Invero]

As far as I know (and I could very well be mistaken) the resorts contract out to us, and pay for a level of service. For some resorts, that means sharing of buses as demand warrants. I'd imagine if the Boardwalk wished to finance the Coronado bus, we'd put it back up. Just like if the Marketplace wanted to finance it, we'd run buses from the theme parks to Downtown Disney.

It's a whole bunch of red tape... when you have a corporation as large as Disney, you have to divide it up somehow. Resorts, Theme Parks, and Transportation are all seperate entities, with seperate budgets and whatnot.

Although it makes good business sense... it's a pain in the patoobie when Maintenance is a seperate entity than Buses... Getting everything to work smoothly is about as hard as prying Sally Struthers from a chicken wing.

 

[Budke]

Ok. So if Maintenance is separate from Transportation, then does transportation encompass ALL transportation? (Bus, Boat, Monorail, parkinglot trams).

I always assumed that the Busses and Monorails were part of the same business group and that the boats were probably run by a separate business group.

Speaking of business groups, are transportation-based attractions in the parks run by the Transportation Dept? I'm thinking primarily of the Magic Kingdom Railroad, the launches at Epcot and the BacklotTour trams. I'm guessing the training/licensing for those attractions is a bit more complicated than for a typical attraction.

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by Budke
Ok. So if Maintenance is separate from Transportation, then does transportation encompass ALL transportation? (Bus, Boat, Monorail, parkinglot trams).

I always assumed that the Busses and Monorails were part of the same business group and that the boats were probably run by a separate business group.

Speaking of business groups, are transportation-based attractions in the parks run by the Transportation Dept? I'm thinking primarily of the Magic Kingdom Railroad, the launches at Epcot and the BacklotTour trams. I'm guessing the training/licensing for those attractions is a bit more complicated than for a typical attraction.

"Disney Transport" consists of:

Property wide Bus Operations (includes Cast Shuttles)
Monorail Operations
Magic Kingdom Watercraft Operations

From what I'm to hear, the Friendship Cruisers have recently become part of Disney Transport.

Despite having our logo, Parking is not part of us. Nor is the Sassagoula Steamship Co, or the Trumbo Ferry.



As for theme park operations, they are also separate from us, and I believe no special license is required to operate any of the "ride vehicles."

 

[s25843]

Originally posted by Budke
Ok. So if Maintenance is separate from Transportation, then does transportation encompass ALL transportation? (Bus, Boat, Monorail, parkinglot trams).

I always assumed that the Busses and Monorails were part of the same business group and that the boats were probably run by a separate business group.

Speaking of business groups, are transportation-based attractions in the parks run by the Transportation Dept? I'm thinking primarily of the Magic Kingdom Railroad, the launches at Epcot and the BacklotTour trams. I'm guessing the training/licensing for those attractions is a bit more complicated than for a typical attraction. [/QUOTE

I think the Railroad is part of MK not transportation

 

[mkt]

Originally posted by Invero
As for theme park operations, they are also separate from us, and I believe no special license is required to operate any of the "ride vehicles."

just a drivers license..

 

[Budke]

OK. I'm absolutely enjoying this thread which is why I'm filling it with tons of nit-picky questions (apparently, I needed a break from the "I love/hate what Disney might be doing if this tenuous rumor is true!" conversations).

Invero, you mentioned cast shuttles. How large of an operation is that compared to the service guests use? (Yes, I know it is smaller, but is it a third of the size? Smaller than that?)

Also, from your earlier post on senority and schedules, are cast shuttles a more desireable position as drivers don't have to deal with guests? (I know I've been on my fair share of bus rides with people I'm glad I don't have to deal with.)

 

[niteobsrvr]

Originally posted by Budke
OK. I'm absolutely enjoying this thread which is why I'm filling it with tons of nit-picky questions (apparently, I needed a break from the "I love/hate what Disney might be doing if this tenuous rumor is true!" conversations).

Invero, you mentioned cast shuttles. How large of an operation is that compared to the service guests use? (Yes, I know it is smaller, but is it a third of the size? Smaller than that?)

Also, from your earlier post on senority and schedules, are cast shuttles a more desireable position as drivers don't have to deal with guests? (I know I've been on my fair share of bus rides with people I'm glad I don't have to deal with.)

There are three major cast shuttles. One from the Magic Kingdom employee parking lot to the tunnel.

One from Park 1 to the pluto lot for MK management and administration cast members.

The Epcot cast shuttle which runs the loop behind the scenes to deliver employees to their assigned work locations.

One minor shuttle from the AK bus terminal to the Cafeteria for bus drivers sinc ethe bus terminal lacks an adequate area for breaks for the drivers.

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by Budke
Invero, you mentioned cast shuttles. How large of an operation is that compared to the service guests use? (Yes, I know it is smaller, but is it a third of the size? Smaller than that?

Its a much smaller operation. The MK ES typically runs 2 40 footer buses. They'll go down to 1 bus on the overnight, and go up to 3 buses during peak shift-changes. Traffic can get heavy. With 3 buses, when one leaves, another pulls right up.

The "Pluto Shuttle" typically runs one 35-footer. During peak times, they will put up a 2nd bus. Don't know why, traffic is very light. VERY light. (The Pluto Shuttles are not owned by Disney Transport, but rather Magic Kingdom. This is why those two buses don't have the "Transport" on the logo... they are also the only 2600 series still in service. The buses were originally from Reno, NV)

The Epcot ES runs 3 buses, varying from 35-40 feet in length. Buses run every 11 mins on a fixed schedule all around the back of Epcot.

The AK Shuttle runs from the AK load zones to Pride Rock, the cafeteria. It's primarily for us drivers, but sometimes cast members hitch a ride. It's usually run with a 35-footer.


Some drivers LOVE the ES... other loathe it. Me, I like the MK ES and the Epcot ES. The other two, I dislike because they are very low ridership, and boring.

 

[kennyj29]

Tyler

Seems to me that your posts get the most replys. We love to hear about the bus system and any news associated with it. Thanks so much for making these posts so interesting!

 

[justinsul1]

I am very suprized that the busses are run by a different company than the parks and hotels. I always assumed that everything in disneyworld was done by the same entity. If someone can elaborate on how hotels actually subcontract bus service I would appreciate it.

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by justinsul1
I am very suprized that the busses are run by a different company than the parks and hotels. I always assumed that everything in disneyworld was done by the same entity. If someone can elaborate on how hotels actually subcontract bus service I would appreciate it.

Well, it is the same company. It's still Disney. Just a different part of Disney.

 

[niteobsrvr]

Originally posted by justinsul1
I am very suprized that the busses are run by a different company than the parks and hotels. I always assumed that everything in disneyworld was done by the same entity. If someone can elaborate on how hotels actually subcontract bus service I would appreciate it.

Its the concept of Profit Centers. A corporation is on the outside one large organization working toward a common goal. On the inside, however, it is often broken down into multiple sub-entities responsible for specific things. Disney becomes very complicated in this respect because of its city like nature.

In the case of transportation, one group handles the busses, drivers and any related responsibilities like maintenance. The resorts dont get involved in that end of it. They simple "contract" with Disney Transport for services to move guests aroudn the property. Thus resorts manage what they know best while transport manages what they do best.

Its not unlike you or I paying for garbage removal. We each could haul our own refuse to the landfill. But, because we don't want to deal with the myriad of regulations, or the inconvenience of it, we contract with someone else to do it. Thus we get to do what we do best which is make garbage and XYZ Sanitation gets to do what its good at an haul it away.

This is probably an over simplification but I hope I shed some light on the subject.

 

[bamboo7]

Originally posted by 10 min. to wdw
I wonder if the BACKSTAGE TOUR trams would work better where they have doors and can keep everyone seated the "tram co pilot" could close the doors from the back and you'd be in their till he opens them. no yes you could jump over them and all the other excuses but you can open the doors on busses while their moving if you know how. of course the mentioned trams are high and would probly not be able to go to the ticket and transportation center, unless the lower the road or raise the bridge that be expensive. however what about making another traffic light just before the bridge and putting in a road to cross the main traffic road. It would have gates to let the tram through and it could stop traffic untill the tram crosses. just a thought

When i was working in Epcot parking support this idea was being entertained. THe real problem with parking trams isn't people jumping off of them when they are going at top speed (this happens, but not too often). It is really more about getting guests to stop trying to load, so that the tram can pull away. Management does recognise the problem and is working on solutions, though it will not be a quick process.

 

[Invero]

Here's an ironic update... I saw the Backstage Tour trams in the Studios parking lot today... Perhaps they are going to try them out?

 

[10 min. to wdw]

Originally posted by bamboo7
When i was working in Epcot parking support this idea was being entertained. THe real problem with parking trams isn't people jumping off of them when they are going at top speed (this happens, but not too often). It is really more about getting guests to stop trying to load, so that the tram can pull away. Management does recognise the problem and is working on solutions, though it will not be a quick process.

Well the backstage tour trams could close the doors and that would be it for boarding. however they may cost more to run?

 

[bamboo7]

Originally posted by 10 min. to wdw
Well the backstage tour trams could close the doors and that would be it for boarding. however they may cost more to run?

right, but the concern is with the way they close. they close down, from the top. When this happens at the attraction, you have cast organizing who goes on what tram and how many in each. In a parking lot situation, you only have one cast member in the front, and one in the back (usually), and there is no way they could stop someone from trying to quickly sneak in while the doors began to shut.

 

[bamboo7]

Originally posted by Invero
Here's an ironic update... I saw the Backstage Tour trams in the Studios parking lot today... Perhaps they are going to try them out?

if i remember correctly, the attraction trams have no where for a cast member to stand on the back, they have a driver and spieler in the front. If they were going to do any testing in the parking lot they would definetly need someone on the back, who could communicate with the driver. Maybe if they were testing it out without guests then they could certainly find an appropreiate substitute for someone on the back.