How could Disney Enhance the Bus Ride experience

[Scooter]

1) Huge busses with bathrooms and plush seats for those staying at Deluxe Resorts.
2) Typical Disney busses for those who stay at moderate resorts.
3) Hay wagons for value resort guests
4) Rick-shaws for those who camp on Disney property.

Of course I'm just kidding.:lol:

I'd like to see more ID checking by the drivers. I see a LOT of people who aren't staying on property get on the buses at Downtown Disney. and in spite of what a lot of people think, according to Disney rules, non Disney staying guests are NOT Allowed access to Disney busses.

I'd also like to see some sort of electronic board at bus stops that would tell me when the next bus arrives to whatever destination I'm going to. It would be nice if I went to a bus stop and saw a board telling me that the next bus to Animal Kingdom would be arriving in 15 minutes. That way I could run into the resort for a cup of coffee and/or use the bathroom knowing I had time to spare before my bus arrived.

 

[flynnibus]

I'd like to see more ID checking by the drivers. I see a LOT of people who aren't staying on property get on the buses at Downtown Disney. and in spite of what a lot of people think, according to Disney rules, non Disney staying guests are NOT Allowed access to Disney busses.

Bzzt - park tickets give you access to the transportation system too.

People avoiding parking fees is a whole other story...

 

[flavious27]

I'd like to see more ID checking by the drivers. I see a LOT of people who aren't staying on property get on the buses at Downtown Disney. and in spite of what a lot of people think, according to Disney rules, non Disney staying guests are NOT Allowed access to Disney busses.

Please don't turn this thread into another ssr bus id check, I had to unsubscribe to one of the last ones.

 

[flavious27]

It must be difficult to organise the bus system. Sometimes if we have gone back to our resort in the middle of the day, there has only been the two of us on the bus!! Yet if it was raining it would be full. One time I was waiting ages for a bus to OKW--the driver of a Port Orleons bus said if I got on his bus he would drop me off at the Hospitality House--excellent guest service!!

Well this would be a reason why disney should look into installing a prt system.

 

[Rockford]

The way I look at it I'm on vacation. The busing sometimes can be frustrating, waiting and standing, but for the most part I enjoy taking the bus and not worrying about driving.

 

[Kane88]

It must be difficult to organise the bus system. Sometimes if we have gone back to our resort in the middle of the day, there has only been the two of us on the bus!! Yet if it was raining it would be full. One time I was waiting ages for a bus to OKW--the driver of a Port Orleans bus said if I got on his bus he would drop me off at the Hospitality House--excellent guest service!!

Something similar happened to me at MK, I was waiting for a POFQ bus forever it seemed like and the riverside bus driver took me and my family on and made a special stop just for us.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

i kinda miss when the bus drivers would tell their corny wdw jokes rather than listening to the taped music and messages on the bus.

 

[unkadug]

1) Huge busses with bathrooms and plush seats for those staying at Deluxe Resorts.
2) Typical Disney busses for those who stay at moderate resorts.
3) Hay wagons for value resort guests
4) Rick-shaws for those who camp on Disney property.

Of course I'm just kidding.:lol:

I'd like to see more ID checking by the drivers. I see a LOT of people who aren't staying on property get on the buses at Downtown Disney. and in spite of what a lot of people think, according to Disney rules, non Disney staying guests are NOT Allowed access to Disney busses.

I'd also like to see some sort of electronic board at bus stops that would tell me when the next bus arrives to whatever destination I'm going to. It would be nice if I went to a bus stop and saw a board telling me that the next bus to Animal Kingdom would be arriving in 15 minutes. That way I could run into the resort for a cup of coffee and/or use the bathroom knowing I had time to spare before my bus arrived.

Please show me where Disney has stated that.

Transportation is provided to all guests by Disney for them to spend their hard earned dollars.

 

[flavious27]

Please show me where Disney has stated that.

Transportation is provided to all guests by Disney for them to spend their hard earned dollars.

 

[flavious27]

The way I look at it I'm on vacation. The busing sometimes can be frustrating, waiting and standing, but for the most part I enjoy taking the bus and not worrying about driving.

I would not want to be driving all over the world when staying there, disney's transportation system helps to keep traffic down on wdw's roads.

Disney needs to revamp the buses and look at ways to keep the disney magic in them. The bus drivers help with this "magic", tdo should encourage them like they should encourage the jc skippers.

They don't need to have the interior look like this:

but they can use a subtle amounts of lighting that will not shock guests' eyes when the driver needs to illuminate the interior.

 

[Scooter]

Please show me where Disney has stated that.

Transportation is provided to all guests by Disney for them to spend their hard earned dollars.

Birnbaum Guides, the official guide to Walt Disney World, says, and I quote:

"Guests who wish to use the Disney transportation system may be asked for proof of riding privileges. Accepted IDs afford differant degrees of access. WDW resort ID cards, Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper options or Water Park Fun and More options and Annual Passes let guests use all Disney buses, monorails, and boats. Valid one-day theme park ticketss permit guests to use monorails and the ferries running between the TTC and The Magic Kingdom, but do not allow use of busses."

 

[mousefreak]

We enjoy the bus ride experience. It's nice to be able to sit back and let someone else drive around WDW. It would be nice if they would add some type of shade canopy/fabric for the lines at the value resorts. It gets terribly hot standing out i those lines waiting for the busses.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

1) I'd like to see more ID checking by the drivers. I see a LOT of people who aren't staying on property get on the buses at Downtown Disney. and in spite of what a lot of people think, according to Disney rules, non Disney staying guests are NOT Allowed access to Disney busses.

Birnbaum Guides, the official guide to Walt Disney World, says, and I quote:

"Guests who wish to use the Disney transportation system may be asked for proof of riding privileges. Accepted IDs afford differant degrees of access. WDW resort ID cards, Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper options or Water Park Fun and More options and Annual Passes let guests use all Disney buses, monorails, and boats. Valid one-day theme park ticketss permit guests to use monorails and the ferries running between the TTC and The Magic Kingdom, but do not allow use of busses."

That's not the same thing. The Birnbaum quote (published by Disney now) says that the only people who cannot ride the buses are off-site guests without APs or park hopper or water parks fun and more.

 

[Yodadudeman]

I really dont think theres all that much that Disney can do to enhance the bus experience. But some of the ideas that were mentioned before could be plausible.

1) TVs on the bus - Yes this would be an expensive upgrade, but it could be fun. Sit back, enjoy free transportation to a magical park, and watch classic Disney cartoons. That would make for a pretty amazing experience.

2) Play classic Disney music and/or park tips through overhead - This is a simple and much less expensive thing for Disney to do. I think that this would be a subtle and magical thing to add to the busses. Right now, if Im not mistaken, the busses play slow popular music. Replacing that with classic Disney tunes would make the Disney experience that much more magical.

3) Re-paint the inside of the busses/add fun lighting - This would be another move that would cost Disney a little cash. But it would be fun to walk into a bus that wasnt white with purple/brown seating. It could cause some serious distinction between "other" busses and Disney busses.

When its all said and done, I really dont believe that anything will be changed in the near future to Disney busses. In managments eyes, I think they believe it is magical enought that there is a "free" service that takes you to the parks. In one regard, they are kind of right. It is a nice service to have available. However, with some small subtle touches, Disney could make this bus riding experience truely amazing.

 

[stargrl33]

Call me crazy but I kind of enjoy that the bus is just a bus....everything at Disney is super themed and there is always something to look at....it's nice to start the morning or end the day on a bus that I can just zone out on. If it was interactive or had screens or god knows what else, I would feel like I needed to keep my eyes glued to it.

 

[flynnibus]

Birnbaum Guides, the official guide to Walt Disney World, says, and I quote:

"Guests who wish to use the Disney transportation system may be asked for proof of riding privileges. Accepted IDs afford differant degrees of access. WDW resort ID cards, Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper options or Water Park Fun and More options and Annual Passes let guests use all Disney buses, monorails, and boats. Valid one-day theme park ticketss permit guests to use monorails and the ferries running between the TTC and The Magic Kingdom, but do not allow use of busses."

So you really think the one-day, one-park ticket holders are creating a volume of abuse on the buses that really needs to be addressed?? riiighhht.

And just how would you propose Disney check tickets on the buses? Many ticket types don't have dates printed on them.

The DTD parking issue by off-site people avoiding parking fees is an isolated case that can be solved at DTD - not the entire bus system.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

i'm directionally challenged so i like having someone else get me to/from my destination and when i go on all girl/adult trips it's nice to have them as our designated driver. we drive to wdw yet almost never get back into our car until it's time to go home.

i agree it would be nice to have some kind of sign letting you know when the next bus should be arriving, something they can trigger when they leave their previous stop (especially at places like dtd where they seem to come a little less frequently than the resorts/parks).

good bad or ugly i'd rather have the current bus system over having to park in bfe in the main lot and have to wait for a tram to take me to a boat to take me to the park (toooooo long).

 

[Tom]

i agree it would be nice to have some kind of sign letting you know when the next bus should be arriving, something they can trigger when they leave their previous stop (especially at places like dtd where they seem to come a little less frequently than the resorts/parks).

This would be awesome. And it's very doable with their system....they just don't want to invest the money.

Their Magic in Motion computer system can do a LOT of things, but they're hardly using it at all. The citybus system at my former college now has LED signs at each major stop with the estimated arrival time of the next bus on any given "loop". And those drivers never radio in for directions or to get their next destination. They look down at their screen and see it, and their marquee changes automatically.

If Disney were to improve the bus system at all, for me it would simply be to make use of their technology and streamline the system. A large one-time expenditure on the right software and programming could save them thousands of dollars paying drivers to sit in "holding", and would also improve guest satisfaction. Kill the two most important birds with one stone.

 

[juniorthomas]

Double Decker buses in general would be great! Cut down the wait time practically in half. Not sure how realistic the bar is, lol. (Although I'm certainly all for it!!) But I think just a themed but would be great. Make every 10 buses in a different theme. It would always keep you guessing and make it a fun "game" of sorts.

I'm - wait for it - on board with this idea.

 

[juniorthomas]

the last time we were in wdw ('08), my niece, then 5 years old, did the bippity, boppity, boutique thing where she got all made up like a princess.

at the end of the day we got on the bus and the driver was very interactive. as soon as he saw my niece getting on the bus he got on the speaker and said " good evening passengers. we have a very special person going to be joining us on our ride this evening. we have a lovely princess boarding right now. everbody, please bow and have the royal seat ready for her. thank you."

everyone on the bus laughed and quite a few of them bowed as she walked down the aisle to sit in an empty seat. it really made her day more magical and i'm sure everyone enjoyed in participating in the fun...

the driver also told jokes as we made our way back to the resort.

i really enjoyed it. made the magic continue on the way back to the resort after a long day.

That is so amazing! She'll probably never forget that day!