Motorized scooter

[pluto77]

I just have a problem with some of the people in the motorized scooters who are so rude, and don't know how to drive these things. I saw a woman run over another woman's foot with one of these, not the worst thing that can happen, but still, it can really hurt your foot, and all the woman in the scooter did was honk her horn and told her to move (while she was still sitting on her foot).

 

[rcapolete]

Two things here, and I know I usually stay out of these discussions, but:

1) There is no official Disney policy stating that people using wheelchairs/scooters should be taken to the front of the line. But, some of the queue areas, you may have noticed, do not make for easy manuevering. There would be more chance of someone getting injured trying to get around that maze-like area for The Great Movie Ride, for example, rather than having them come down the open side area which is a straightaway instead. In those instances, they may have a separate entrance for guests utilizing a wheelchair/scooter and their party. Again, this is for the safety and convenience of the guest, not as a special privelige as some people seem to think it is.

2) As far as the couple with the scooters that you saw walking: did you follow them around for an hour or two, or did you just see them for a few minutes? There are some people that have circulation problems or other health issues that allow them to walk for limited periods of time, say 10 minutes or just a little longer than that, but if they had to walk the parks, stand in the lines, and all the other things that many of us take for granted as being able to do, they wouldn't be able to make it. Just because a person shows no outward signs in the brief time that you see them of having a medical condition, doesn't mean they don't have one. A good example would be a professional golfer by the name of Casey Martin. If you don't know who I am talking about, Casey Martin was a professional golfer who, when in college, was diagnosed with a rare circulatory disorder that left his right leg weakened. He was able to walk for a limited time, but to walk the entire 18 holes of a golf course was just not possible. The NCAA allowed him to use a golf cart to ride from shot to shot. He eventually went on to join the PGA Tour and actually had to fight all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States in order to get the right to use a golf car at PGA Tour events since the rules stated a golfer had to walk to each shot. Does he ride a scooter at all times? No. Does everyone that uses a scooter when they go out use one 24/7? No, sometimes they only use it if they know they will be doing something that would be physically not possible for them overall.

The reason i brought this up was yeah i did see them walking all over the resort area every day of the week taht i was there. The parked their scooters once they got back to the resort and did not use them as far as i could see until they would get back on the bus. I happened to take notice of them cause of what happened to my son and also cause he had made a comment that this was the first time he ever drove one of these to the whole line when he was trying to get it on the bus.. See when the man try to park the scooter it took him like 5 minutes each time cause he had no idea what he was doing so it struck me as odd that he would even be driving one. When i first started to drive a manual shift car i did not go flying around busy area not caring what issues i may cause by stalling out and what not. But these poeple rent these scooters that they never drove before and have no idea what they are doing.
i understand that there are people who depend on these scooters to get around and i have no rpoblem with these people. It is the people who find it to be an easy way to get around but have no real need for them that disturbs me, and for anyone who has been to WDW lately you know what i am talking about

 

[rcapolete]

let me just state something once again. I understand that there are alot of people who do not have visible disiblity. My issue is that they should not use the scooter if they do not know how to drive them. There are wheelchairs available but nobody seems to use these anymore, it right to the motorized scooters. ALso it is the sheer number of these scooters around that is disconcerning. I was there 16 months ago and there was no where nearly as many scooters are there are know.

 

[Number_6]

I may be wrong here, so just bear with me, but it's possible that they were only using the scooters when they were at the parks because of the previously mentioned "Can't walk the park for the amount of time they would be there." There's a big difference between walking around the resort you are staying at, where you can go back to your room at any time if you have problems, or soak in the pool and/or hottub, and walking around Epcot for example. As has previously been mentioned, some people that in their everyday life don't feel the need to get and use a scooter have found that trying to get around the parks at WDW makes it almost a necessity. For those people, there is a learning curve for the scooter. I'm not saying that what happened to your son wasn't bad. And the person who ran him down with the scooter should have stayed to make sure he was okay before moving on. But before suggesting that the person use a wheelchair, I have to ask you this: Have you ever tried to get around using a wheelchair under your own power? I have. The first trip I took to WDW with my wife and kids, I ended up with an infection in my foot. It eventually got so bad that I couldn't walk without severe pain every step. I needed to rent a wheelchair the last three days I was there. If you are not used to it, and especially if you are like me and a bit overweight, your arms get tired very quickly. And using Epcot again as an example, there are alot of places that are on inclines, even just as you enter you have to go up a slope past SSE. If there were a couple, and they decided they needed something to aid them with being able to go around the parks because they couldn't walk/stand for, say, six hours, they sure as heck wouldn't be able to propel themselves with a standard wheelchair for that much time. Again, I am sorry that something like that happened to your son, I have two kids myself and would have definitely had some choice words for someone if they ran my kid down, but I wouldn't be writing suggesting a ban or doctor's note needed for scooters. Besides, some people rent those scooters before they leave home, or just after arriving in town, but before making it to the resort. The best thing to do, if you are going to write to them, is to write explaining what happened, mention the manager and the compensation he offered you even though it wasn't his fault, and suggest something constructive such as ensuring CMs actually have someone that runs someone down in a scooter have to stay and give their information, like with an auto accident. What if your son had been seriously hurt? What if he had a broken bone, for example? Make sure the guest that runs someone down leaves some sort of contact info, Resort/Room# or something along those lines. It would probably be received alot better and they always like to get suggestions for improved service.

 

[justducky78]

I just have a problem with some of the people in the motorized scooters who are so rude, and don't know how to drive these things. I saw a woman run over another woman's foot with one of these, not the worst thing that can happen, but still, it can really hurt your foot, and all the woman in the scooter did was honk her horn and told her to move (while she was still sitting on her foot).

All she did was honk her horn? Grrrrrrrr........ She couldn't even say anything - just the horn? That would just ________ me off even more!

 

[JustinTheClaw]

Just yesterday I saw two guys, couldn't have been any older than their mid-twenties, both riding ECVs through the park. Neither one of them looked like they needed them, especially the one who was running along the ground while he rode on the ECV. This is another major problem. Out of respect for the Guests, Disney is not allowed to question whether a person needs an ECV or wheelchair. Because of those guys, A) someone who actually needed those ECVs was not able to use one, and B) they were liable to hurt somebody because they were just screwing around in them.

Oh, and you're right, Expedition Everest is not very well designed for wheelchairs. I'm sure I've seen them, but I also noticed yesterday there is a mock train seat to the left of the Serka Zong Bazaar where Guests can practice transferring from their wheelchair/ECV to the seat, so there may be a special wheelchair entrance.

 

[JustinTheClaw]

Just an update, I was at Everest today and saw a wheelchair navigating the queue with relative ease.

 

[JustinTheClaw]

All she did was honk her horn? Grrrrrrrr........ She couldn't even say anything - just the horn? That would just ________ me off even more!

I saw one woman who wasn't even asking people to move, she only used her horn.

 

[loboftbl]

I just returned from another trip to WDW for 7 days last week. My previous trip was Christmas 2002. My wife and everyone else in my family commented on the significant increase in wheelchairs/ecv's in all of the parks since our last visit. One of the bus drivers made a comment on it was taking longer for bus service because there were to many wheelchairs and scooters. Something has to be done especially when you turn a corner and over 30 electric scooters are blocking the entire path at Animal Kingdom.
There are two ways of fixing the problem I see of abuse. Either require some sort of medical proof (ie: cast on leg, visual physical impairment or handicap sticker) to rent a wheelchair/scooter or do not rent them onsite. If people had to rent wheelchairs/scooters off site I believe it would cut done on the abuse by not making it so readily accessible. If it continues at its current pace of more people renting wheelchairs/scooters paths are going to be impassible. Before people start yelling at me my wife is 25 years old and has onset of severe arthritis in her ankles and knees and did not rent a wheelchair but instead decided to take a two hour break midday at our resort instead of renting a wheelchair/scooter. I did not see this same problem earlier in the week when I was at Universal but I believe Universal does not rent scooters and possibly wheelchairs on site.

 

[tink rules]

There is definately a problem with the ECV's and the overuse of them. If you have a legit problem... then fine. It's like a handicapped parking permit. Bring a Drs. note with you. I doubt that most people who don't need them would spend the time or the money trying to convince their doctor that they need a scooter if they didn't need one.

I had a friend who went with his family last year who does have a legit reason for using the ECV... he has really poor circulation and cannot walk very far at all on his own. They got the scooter because he not only had a legit reason, but his wife had to look after the 3 kids (all under the age 10) and they were afraid that she wouldn't be able to do that on her own and push a wheelchair, which is what they would have used if necessary.

They rented from a company off site and it was delivered to their resort.

All it's going to take is one hell of a lawsuit by someone who gets hurt (unfortunately that's what it will take....) (God help the person who gets hurt....) for Disney to change or implement changes.

Perhaps anyone needing an ECV should have to register it, like they do with the passes for the people who need special assistance. That way Disney can take care of those people who, like I said, legitimately need the ECV's and also the safety of those in the parks as well.

 

[rcapolete]

the bus problem is true. I take 4 seats per ECV. THe put up three seats per scooter as well as the fourth seat that a person now needs to sit in. It made us miss more then one bus last week. Also in under two years from one trip tot he next there was a big increase in ECV usage.

 

[JustinTheClaw]

All it's going to take is one hell of a lawsuit by someone who gets hurt for Disney to change or implement changes.

I remember an incident not too long ago where Disney had to call in Reedy Creek Emergency Services because a scooter/ECV ran over some girl's foot.

 

[rcapolete]

i know some people seem to think that we are against people who need the scooter and know how to use them from renting/using. I think most people would tell you this is not the case. I feel most people are pretty much stating the same thing that i have. It is the people who rent them because they are convinent and don't truly need them or people who have no idea how to operate them in a safe manner that are causing the problem.

 

[Disney Newbie]

We were there last week and were also appalled at the high number of scooters. The carelessness was awful. We also had several near misses and felt endangered by them. It seems like there needs to be some sort of training before you can rent one. One woman was trying to tell her mother how to use it while crowds were leaving the Raiders show at MGM and just about wiped us out. The overweight people (entire families) with the front baskets loaded with food made us sick to our stomachs. The whole thing is out of hand.

 

[seabee1]

As far as cutting the queues is concerned, ever since the law was put in place requiring all building to be handicap accessible, or to have a handicap accessible alternative, Disney has designed their queues to allow for wheelchairs and ECVs, thereby eliminating the need to cut Guests traveling in wheelchairs ahead of others.

I beg to differ with this. My husband is in a wheelchair because he is paralyzed from the chest down. There are several places in the world he can not get through with his manual wheelchair, and thus we needed to enter through a different entrance. Philarmagic is one example. And yes, we did enter before the masses. I feel it is not a privaledge for us to do this, but easier for the rest of you all as you do not need to wait behind us for us to get out of the way of those sitting in the regular seats. I also look at this as a safety issue because I don't know how many times my husband has been wacked or stepped on because of people who do not see him at the height he is at. If he is already seated when people come in it is safer for him as well as those around him.

 

[Fantasmic!329]

I had the back of my foot run over by an ECV in DCA and the person did not even acknowledge it.

 

[Nemo14]

Let me preface this with the fact that I have nothing against people who have a legitimate need for these, and I fully understand that they might have problems that are not apparent to us. That being said, let me share an incident that happened to us last weekend.

We were waiting in line for the bus back to PC from Epcot after a long, hot day in the parks. There were literally hundreds of people in line, including a few in wheelchairs, and we figured we’d never get on the first bus that came, but possibly the second. Just as the bus arrived, a lady in a scooter pulled up to the curb, cutting in line, with 6 young adults, who immediately ALL boarded the bus through the back door, choosing prime seats, while the rest of us (including those in wheelchairs) just watched in disbelief. When the front doors opened for boarding, not one of them offered a seat to the people who had waited all that time while lugging sleepy toddlers on their shoulders. Apparently they felt entitled to a seat since they knew a person in a scooter. :fork:

 

[rcapolete]

the rule of thumb should be that the person in the wheel chair waits off to the side, the rest of the party or atleast on the people should then join the back of the line. When the person in the party reachies the frount of the line then the person in the wheel chair should be able to board. no sooner. You are right, we had the same issue on more then one occassion last week where we are standing in line and people in the wheel chairs avoid the lines (especialy at the end of the night where there can be hundreds of people waiting.

 

[shoppingnut]

I agree that the scooters are down right danagerous and WDW is not the place to be learning how to operate one. It will have to take a serious accident before they act on the growing problem. My tolerance of these inconsiderate people who don't even apologize and look at you like it is your fault is at zero at this point and I'd have no problem suing them and disney if I was seriously hurt because then it is going impact my future trips. Last year so idiot woman lost control of her scooter in the emporium and it ran over my friends foot and continued to go at full speed in reverse and only finally stopped because it hit the counter where the register is located. There was no apology, just oh this is the first time I'm using one of these. So if some adult or worse a child was standing at that counter they would have been seriously hurt. This makes me very angry.

I see many people who do know how to use them and I am sure that these people make them angry too because they make them look bad.

Also, on this last trip, the bus driver make some young people give their seats up to an old woman and a mother with an infant. He said that they weren't allowed to stand and he couldn't move the bus until they were seated.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I think Disney could put a significant quash on alot of people renting them without needing them by having a mandatory 1 hour training and competancy test to make sure they are used safely. I mean, give me a break, a significant part of the Segway tour consists of training.