Disney hires San Fran mass-transit exec to run resort transportation

[DisneyLeo18]

I am a born and raised New Yorker. I have lived in New York City my whole life and it's sad but this has to be expected when your taking public transportation in a large city. I would look more at whether or not the transportation system operated efficicently and on a strict time schedule than the overall cleanliness of a station. My impression was that he would be in charge of making sure the transportation system ran smoothly. Buses were on time and there were enough present during crowded or peak times not the overall cleanliness of the transportation system. I am always impressed with how clean the transportation is around WDW, coming from NYC I feel they overachieve when it comes to cleanliness as I have come to expect some dirt it comes to transporting such large groups of people.

Woooo NY!!!!:lol: :wave:

Seriously though, I agree. Most large city public transportation has this issue. And like stated above they are most likely more concerned with efficiency than cleanliness. WDW has no schedule whatsoever (as I'm sure we have all waited for our resort bus for more than 15 minutes). This allows them to focus on other aspects of the transportation (I would assume). You probably won't find any homeless people bumming out on the trains in WDW, it's still a vacation spot, not your average big city.

 

[dclfan]

:wave: Gotta Love New York

 

[ryanduggers]

I wonder which exec will get to spend more time with their families due to this.....:shrug:

 

[westie]

San Fran is a traffic nightmare. Fees for public transportation are hiked on a yearly basis even affecting low income seniors on fixed incomes. The new news is the city wants bridge tolls up to $6! For that cost I'll go arround the bay. As said the vehicles are in constant states of disrepair as well as many pedestrians ketting killed/mamed every year. BART costs are up, muni costs are up and, judging by these examples I believe Disney made a bad choice by hiring someone who is used to failing instead of setting an example for others to run by. Just my .02 as a bay area inhabitant.

 

[AndyMagic]

I am a born and raised New Yorker. I have lived in New York City my whole life and it's sad but this has to be expected when your taking public transportation in a large city. I would look more at whether or not the transportation system operated efficicently and on a strict time schedule than the overall cleanliness of a station. My impression was that he would be in charge of making sure the transportation system ran smoothly. Buses were on time and there were enough present during crowded or peak times not the overall cleanliness of the transportation system. I am always impressed with how clean the transportation is around WDW, coming from NYC I feel they overachieve when it comes to cleanliness as I have come to expect some dirt it comes to transporting such large groups of people.

Well said! Public transportation systems that carry millions of people a year can't be spotless. The person who called the San Fran system "disgusting" was being a little ridiculous. Not to be offensive but he/she is from Orange County. This is the land where everyone would prefer to sit in their SUVs in traffic for 3 hours than step foot on mass transit for fear of being asked for money or confronted by another human. Large and comprehensive mass transit systems like subways and dedicated light rails are essential to healthy and thriving cities like New York, Boston and San Fransisco. Los Angeles is a series of sprawling suburbs because developments as small as coffee shops are required to have acres of parking built in front of them, completely ruining the fabric of the city and making walking from place to place nearly impossible. Rant over.

 

[niteobsrvr]

I wonder which exec will get to spend more time with their families due to this.....:shrug:

None, its a new position and the responsiblibities he will be assuming were handled sporadically at best by various people in the past.

 

[niteobsrvr]

Well said! Public transportation systems that carry millions of people a year can't be spotless. The person who called the San Fran system "disgusting" was being a little ridiculous. Not to be offensive but he/she is from Orange County. This is the land where everyone would prefer to sit in their SUVs in traffic for 3 hours than step foot on mass transit for fear of being asked for money or confronted by another human. Large and comprehensive mass transit systems like subways and dedicated light rails are essential to healthy and thriving cities like New York, Boston and San Fransisco. Los Angeles is a series of sprawling suburbs because developments as small as coffee shops are required to have acres of parking built in front of them, completely ruining the fabric of the city and making walking from place to place nearly impossible. Rant over.

I assume you were talking about Orange County California but the description also fits Orange County FLorida. For that matter, anywhere in FLorida.

 

[niteobsrvr]

San Fran is a traffic nightmare. Fees for public transportation are hiked on a yearly basis even affecting low income seniors on fixed incomes. The new news is the city wants bridge tolls up to $6! For that cost I'll go arround the bay. As said the vehicles are in constant states of disrepair as well as many pedestrians ketting killed/mamed every year. BART costs are up, muni costs are up and, judging by these examples I believe Disney made a bad choice by hiring someone who is used to failing instead of setting an example for others to run by. Just my .02 as a bay area inhabitant.

Two things play out in Public Transportation. One is operational management and the other is politics. Opertaional management takes a backseat to the politics at every turn. Mr. Lau was not the politics guy in San Francisco so I would assume his direction was often limited by the politician driving the bus so to speak. He has a very impressive resume and educational background and I am sure will be an asset to the Disney Company.

 

[BrerFrog]

I don't know anything about the state of San Fran's mass-transit, so I will wait a year or so before making a judgement. I hope he improves WDW Transportation!

 

[niteobsrvr]

I am a born and raised New Yorker. I have lived in New York City my whole life and it's sad but this has to be expected when your taking public transportation in a large city. I would look more at whether or not the transportation system operated efficicently and on a strict time schedule than the overall cleanliness of a station. My impression was that he would be in charge of making sure the transportation system ran smoothly. Buses were on time and there were enough present during crowded or peak times not the overall cleanliness of the transportation system. I am always impressed with how clean the transportation is around WDW, coming from NYC I feel they overachieve when it comes to cleanliness as I have come to expect some dirt it comes to transporting such large groups of people.

I wish there could be enough buses to transport people back to their resorts the moment they walked out of a park but I can assure you that its nearly impossible. Prediciting when crowds will pop up at various resorts and heading to which park is like gazing into a foggy crystal ball. Wait times can be extended because busses fill up or people utlizing scooters cant drive them and take 5 minutes to get them into a spot to be secured. On park exits, having enough busses would result in a queing theory nightmare.

All that being said, there are plenty of changes that can and should be made ot the system to promote service and efficiency. I could even see where a fixed route or two circulating between between muliple desitnations, like up and down Buena Vista Drive, could really come into play.

If you figure the average disney bus uses 80 gallons of fuel a day and there are 300 buses. The fuel alone is costing them over 25 million dollars a year. Add the price of vehicles at 350 thousand dollars a peice, maintenance and labor and benefits (which likely tops 25 million as well) to the equation and youhave quite an expensive system.

A 10 percent increase in operating efficiency could easily add 5 million or more to Disney's bottom line and even more in the future and fuel prices continue to rise. In addition to the safety and efficiency issues, this is probably one of the biggest reasons Disney is changing their approach to transportation.

 

[stlbobby]

I am a born and raised New Yorker. I have lived in New York City my whole life and it's sad but this has to be expected when your taking public transportation in a large city. I would look more at whether or not the transportation system operated efficicently and on a strict time schedule than the overall cleanliness of a station. My impression was that he would be in charge of making sure the transportation system ran smoothly. Buses were on time and there were enough present during crowded or peak times not the overall cleanliness of the transportation system. I am always impressed with how clean the transportation is around WDW, coming from NYC I feel they overachieve when it comes to cleanliness as I have come to expect some dirt it comes to transporting such large groups of people.

I've visited NY a few times used the subways. I have always been pleasantly surprised how clean the facilities were. They weren't spotless and I did have one late night train ride with a guy sitting in his own waste, but overall things were much better than I'd been lead to believe, and I constantly saw maintenance people cleaning up.

Anytime you run a public facility 24/7 there will be issues, but it is also the responsibility of the managers to make sure things are kept to a certain level of cleanliness so they do not spiral out of control. And I thought they did a great job in NY.

 

[dclfan]

Well said! Public transportation systems that carry millions of people a year can't be spotless. The person who called the San Fran system "disgusting" was being a little ridiculous. Not to be offensive but he/she is from Orange County. This is the land where everyone would prefer to sit in their SUVs in traffic for 3 hours than step foot on mass transit for fear of being asked for money or confronted by another human. Large and comprehensive mass transit systems like subways and dedicated light rails are essential to healthy and thriving cities like New York, Boston and San Fransisco. Los Angeles is a series of sprawling suburbs because developments as small as coffee shops are required to have acres of parking built in front of them, completely ruining the fabric of the city and making walking from place to place nearly impossible. Rant over.

Thanks :wave:

 

[dclfan]

I've visited NY a few times used the subways. I have always been pleasantly surprised how clean the facilities were. They weren't spotless and I did have one late night train ride with a guy sitting in his own waste, but overall things were much better than I'd been lead to believe, and I constantly saw maintenance people cleaning up.

Anytime you run a public facility 24/7 there will be issues, but it is also the responsibility of the managers to make sure things are kept to a certain level of cleanliness so they do not spiral out of control. And I thought they did a great job in NY.

Yes it is definitley not bad, I was just saying as someone who uses public transportation everyday as there primary form of transportation you can't expect it to be spotless. I for one know that a trains that are running late cause a lot more stress to commuters than one that is a little dirty.

 

[2bornot2be]

Give him a year

As long as he does not attempt to charge a fee and have buses available at the hotels that are not over crowded it will be great. I'm like most of you and willing to give him a year.

 

[gustaftp]

I am a born and raised New Yorker. I have lived in New York City my whole life and it's sad but this has to be expected when your taking public transportation in a large city. I would look more at whether or not the transportation system operated efficicently and on a strict time schedule than the overall cleanliness of a station. My impression was that he would be in charge of making sure the transportation system ran smoothly. Buses were on time and there were enough present during crowded or peak times not the overall cleanliness of the transportation system. I am always impressed with how clean the transportation is around WDW, coming from NYC I feel they overachieve when it comes to cleanliness as I have come to expect some dirt it comes to transporting such large groups of people.

Cleanliness is one of the benefits of a privately-owned transit system. I was in Germany and Switzerland for a 2 months last year, and the rail lines I rode were privately owned. Awesome service, cleanliness, and the prices weren't terrible (though definitely more expensive than subsidized public transit). Disney provides a similar experience, albeit on a smaller scale.

The prices are more expensive, however. But it's good to know the lines are operating on their own merit by people who actually use them rather than through public subsidies.

 

[COProgressFan]

I agree that Disney transport overall is pretty clean, especially when compared with public transport.

However, even after the monorail interior refurbs that went on a few years ago, does anyone else find the interiors a little worn and grimy? I often sit on those monorails and think that it wouldn't be that hard at all to spruce them up a bit. I know their are thousands of riders per day, but a bucket of bleach and an hour's time could do wonders. These are important details that shouldn't be neglected, especially considering folks at monorail resorts are paying hundreds per night for the privilege.

I actually find this to be the case across property. How much effort would it take to clean up that massive cobweb hanging off the light, or wipe off the grime near a door handle? Managers of various levels across property are responsible for making sure their areas are clean, neat, and up to show standards. Lots of them do a great job of this, but there are lots of others who either don't seem to care, or fell asleep during their "Traditions" training!

 

[TP2000]

Not to be offensive but he/she is from Orange County. This is the land where everyone would prefer to sit in their SUVs in traffic for 3 hours than step foot on mass transit for fear of being asked for money or confronted by another human.

How fun of you to stereotype a place you clearly know very little about. :lol:

Yes, I'm very happily living in Orange County, after several decades moving around the country living in Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, and a handful of other big cities. And for the record, I don't drive an SUV. My primary commute car is a convertible, and my OC freeway commute takes about 15 to 18 minutes depending on time of day.

I was comparing my December experience on a dirty, dingy, grimy and decaying San Francisco transit system to my regular trips on the Los Angeles subway system, and routine visits and trips on streetcars and light rail down in San Diego and up in Portland. As you probably guessed, I enjoy taking rail transit when it works well and is operated appropriately. Those three cities are lightyears beyond San Fran when it comes to cleanliness, courtesy, and modern equipment in their mass transit systems.

San Francisco is a charming city, saddled with a huge homeless problem and a civic government that seems incapable of cleaning the place up and removing the layer of grime on everything, and their transit system is the worst example of that. Would using some degreaser and deoderizer kill them?

 

[AndyMagic]

How fun of you to stereotype a place you clearly know very little about. :lol:

Yes, I'm very happily living in Orange County, after several decades moving around the country living in Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, and a handful of other big cities. And for the record, I don't drive an SUV. My primary commute car is a convertible, and my OC freeway commute takes about 15 to 18 minutes depending on time of day.

I was comparing my December experience on a dirty, dingy, grimy and decaying San Francisco transit system to my regular trips on the Los Angeles subway system, and routine visits and trips on streetcars and light rail down in San Diego and up in Portland. As you probably guessed, I enjoy taking rail transit when it works well and is operated appropriately. Those three cities are lightyears beyond San Fran when it comes to cleanliness, courtesy, and modern equipment in their mass transit systems.

San Francisco is a charming city, saddled with a huge homeless problem and a civic government that seems incapable of cleaning the place up and removing the layer of grime on everything, and their transit system is the worst example of that. Would using some degreaser and deoderizer kill them?

What did I say that shows I know very little about Orange County? I travel to Los Angeles and the surrounding areas for work on a regular basis. What I said holds quite true. And now you are comparing a tiny streetcar system in San Diego and Portland with a comprehensive mass transit system. I've studied cities and urban planning for years now and consider it my passion. Your statement about San Francisco being "saddled with a huge homeless problem," your complaints about dirt, and your need for "modern equipment" shows to me that you just aren't really a city-person. That is fine but don't make broad statements about transit systems when you show complete ignorance on the matter. Your last paragraph basically proves everything I wrote in my original post.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

your complaints about dirt, and your need for "modern equipment" shows to me that you just aren't really a city-person. That is fine but don't make broad statements about transit systems when you show complete ignorance on the matter.

Im not sure where this is going but people dont go to Walt Disney World expecting to be moved about by a large city's public transportation system. Most of us go to be moved about by some sort of magical transportation system. Whether it was the classic ferry boats, or the futuristic monorail the original resorts and park where designed with this in mind. As long as the new director remembers this then we will be fine.

 

[WDWSteamDreamer]

I'm crossing my finger's that he's a Monorail fanatic and maybe he kickstarts the much needed expansion of Mono service to all resorts.
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