No More New color scheme Buses at WDW

[JoyE]

I don't care what color they are as long as they get more of them and use them. I'm sick of waiting 20-30 minutes for a bus!!!

 

[ford91exploder]

It's cheaper - now they just have to remove the wrap in order return the bus to the leasing company, before it needed a respray.

 

[cjkeating]

Articulated buses may be more expensive upfront but in the long term they are defiantly cheaper... I think everyone would prefer it if they could get on the first bus as opposed to wait for another.

 

[Goofnut1980]

But does Disney lease the buses? Some of them are old. Makes me think they actually own them.

 

[Goofyernmost]

But does Disney lease the buses? Some of them are old. Makes me think they actually own them.

Last I know they own them. And it is not likely that they come from the factory with a wrap already on it. That is usually done locally. Besides the idea that you take the wrap off when before it needs repainting, well, two things wrong with that. One it isn't painted. A wrap it is a designed, printed plastic based cover with adhesive backing. Any one care to make a guess about what happens to the paint under it when removed? If you guessed it peals a lot of the paint off, you would be correct.

 

[jcs4evas1298]

Articulated buses may be more expensive upfront but in the long term they are defiantly cheaper... I think everyone would prefer it if they could get on the first bus as opposed to wait for another.

Actually - I would both rather wait and rather not have the articulated buses. Here's why:

My wife and I don't stand on the buses - the way they pack people in on some buses is, at minimum uncomfortable - and sometimes downright painful when you're trying to contort around other standing people and hold on. If we see that the seats are going to be about gone when it's our turn to get on the bus, well just step aside and let others fill the bus - so that we're at the beginning of the next bus. We always sit, and 90% of the time following a packed bus (given the time it took to pack people in and yell at them to move back) - there is another bus rolling in in less than 10 minutes. MANY times the bus has literally come in as the packed bus was leaving.

Now on to why I don't like the articulated bus:

1) It's designed mainly to fit a ton of standing people in. The front portion of the bus has little for seating.

2) My major issue, though, is the way they board these buses in MK. I don't know if this is a practice just at closing or used all the time now (this was the first trip we've really dealt with boarding these buses at closing time) - but they we're allowing folks to board the bus from all 3 doors. My issues with this are, first, people who have been waiting longer (or in our case have stepped aside to get a seat on the next bus) have people further down the line getting on at the same time or sooner depending on how fast people walk/run into the bus from the gate nearer the rear of the bus. But even more annoying, those of us who are at the front of the line are entering the part of the bus with the fewest seats. And by the time you get to the middle/back of the bus those who entered from the rear/mid of the bus have taken all the seats.

We still didnt have to stand when this happened, but it took some planning and brisk walking to the middle, not the front door, to get ourselves and our friend seats near each other - when we were literally at the front of the line. (2 scooters were also involved, the scooters and their familys had pretty much tied up every seat forward of the middle door).

 

[Flalex72]

For articulated buses, if the capacity is needed, they're the way to go. 1 bus, 1 driver, 1 maintenance, 1 insurance will be cheaper than 2 buses. As long as an articulating costs less than 2 buses.

The biggest major problems has to be pulling up to the bus stop, and a bit larger turning radius is needed. Just the rear tires (past the pivot point) will travel farther to the inside than the tires before the pivot of the bus.

I agree with your cost analysis, though one of the maintenance issues is the turntable, which can be intensive. If there are only a few buses in the fleet, the expertise required to maintain them may not be worth it. The solution of course is to have more articulated buses. On the subject of turning radius, although the inside wheel of the trailer will track tighter than that of a straight bus over a similar radius corner, it should be noted that an Articulated bus can turn with a smaller outside radius, because the wheelbase of the front half is 5 or more feet shorter. This often mitigates the problem on the inside.

Actually - I would both rather wait and rather not have the articulated buses. Here's why:

My wife and I don't stand on the buses - the way they pack people in on some buses is, at minimum uncomfortable - and sometimes downright painful when you're trying to contort around other standing people and hold on. If we see that the seats are going to be about gone when it's our turn to get on the bus, well just step aside and let others fill the bus - so that we're at the beginning of the next bus. We always sit, and 90% of the time following a packed bus (given the time it took to pack people in and yell at them to move back) - there is another bus rolling in in less than 10 minutes. MANY times the bus has literally come in as the packed bus was leaving.

Now on to why I don't like the articulated bus:

1) It's designed mainly to fit a ton of standing people in. The front portion of the bus has little for seating.

2) My major issue, though, is the way they board these buses in MK. I don't know if this is a practice just at closing or used all the time now (this was the first trip we've really dealt with boarding these buses at closing time) - but they we're allowing folks to board the bus from all 3 doors. My issues with this are, first, people who have been waiting longer (or in our case have stepped aside to get a seat on the next bus) have people further down the line getting on at the same time or sooner depending on how fast people walk/run into the bus from the gate nearer the rear of the bus. But even more annoying, those of us who are at the front of the line are entering the part of the bus with the fewest seats. And by the time you get to the middle/back of the bus those who entered from the rear/mid of the bus have taken all the seats.

We still didnt have to stand when this happened, but it took some planning and brisk walking to the middle, not the front door, to get ourselves and our friend seats near each other - when we were literally at the front of the line. (2 scooters were also involved, the scooters and their familys had pretty much tied up every seat forward of the middle door).

Both of your issues are with choices made by Disney, not about the buses themselves. We may see Disney start specing 40 foot buses with less seats, or allowing rear door boarding on the short buses.

 

[Flalex72]

Last I know they own them. And it is not likely that they come from the factory with a wrap already on it. That is usually done locally. Besides the idea that you take the wrap off when before it needs repainting, well, two things wrong with that. One it isn't painted. A wrap it is a designed, printed plastic based cover with adhesive backing. Any one care to make a guess about what happens to the paint under it when removed? If you guessed it peals a lot of the paint off, you would be correct.

I believe that they own them as well.

What comes from the factory generally depends on the exact needs of the customer, but paint is usually factory applied for warranty purposes. Customers don't want to void the warranty by spraying over the paint, and the factories are equipped to apply specialty and intricate liveries already. The vinyl is often then applied by the customer to complete the livery, such as lettering and possibly accent striping.

One of the benefits of white buses for Disney is that old buses can be easily upgraded to the new look by removing the lettering from the side of the bus, which I'm guessing is vinyl. New buses could also come from the factory all white, and then have the entire livery applied in vinyl, which is common with reflective designs. Then if the design changes in 10 years, it's easy to peel, touch up the white paint and re apply new.

 

[ULPO46]

Yes Disney owns their buses. Only the Mears Airport Shuttle and DCL buses are leased by disney from Mears. Even with the 300 or so buses that the WDWR operate, it does make it frustrating that buses take for ever to go from park to park and to the resorts. The DTD construction made going to any of those surrounding resorts or epcot resorts an hour bus drive. The WDW transport system is highly organized but i feel could be sped up especially when now there really isnt a sense of an off season at the WDWR.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Yes Disney owns their buses. Only the Mears Airport Shuttle and DCL buses are leased by disney from Mears. Even with the 300 or so buses that the WDWR operate, it does make it frustrating that buses take for ever to go from park to park and to the resorts. The DTD construction made going to any of those surrounding resorts or epcot resorts an hour bus drive. The WDW transport system is highly organized but i feel could be sped up especially when now there really isnt a sense of an off season at the WDWR.

Yup, we used to have that same discussion back in the days when I worked for a Municipal Bus company and we did manage to come to a conclusion that would have solved all our on time problems. First and foremost if we decided to no longer allow disabled, elderly, kids, strollers, people with shopping bags and backpacks and then just generally people in general to board, we would be able to sail from stop to stop. As a second thing if we were able to stop all other traffic on the roads, we would probably be able to cut travel time in half.

Public transportation is one of those categories that comes under "it is what it is". There are certain physical laws that rule time and distance and that is simply the space between point A and point B. That isn't alterable, so as long as all those pesky passengers insist on taking up all our time getting on and off the buses, we will have to deal with delays.

 

[Tom]

For articulated buses, if the capacity is needed, they're the way to go. 1 bus, 1 driver, 1 maintenance, 1 insurance will be cheaper than 2 buses. As long as an articulating costs less than 2 buses.

The biggest major problems has to be pulling up to the bus stop, and a bit larger turning radius is needed. Just the rear tires (past the pivot point) will travel farther to the inside than the tires before the pivot of the bus.

If they could just figure out how to apply tram turning technology to larger, conventional vehicles, they'd be all set. I still can't wrap my mind around how the trams work. Every tire follows the tire in front of it, which defies all laws of physics, geometry, etc.

 

[DManRightHere]

If they could just figure out how to apply tram turning technology to larger, conventional vehicles, they'd be all set. I still can't wrap my mind around how the trams work. Every tire follows the tire in front of it, which defies all laws of physics, geometry, etc.

4 wheel steering! And it can be mechanical!

I guess high speeds make trackless tram like buses are a lot more scary in real life..

Expand Technology, 4th paragraph.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trackless_train

 

[yellowrocket]

Actually - I would both rather wait and rather not have the articulated buses. Here's why:

My wife and I don't stand on the buses -

You'd be better renting a car or getting sedan service with that type of attitude.

 

[Matt_Black]

that doesn't mean that a random CM would have any idea what Disney upper levels are planning to do.

Except that the CM mentioned in the OP isn't random; it's specifically stated that they work in transportation, so one would logically infer that they'd be a bit ahead of the curve on what TDO was planning transportation-wise than, say, a Jungle Cruise skipper.

 

[dreamfinder]

A wrap it is a designed, printed plastic based cover with adhesive backing. Any one care to make a guess about what happens to the paint under it when removed? If you guessed it peals a lot of the paint off, you would be correct.

I've pulled plenty of wraps of of vehicles that had been used for promotional vehicles. Never had the wrap itself damage the paint. Had damage done to the paint from moron installers who used blades once the wrap was applied to trim off detail around things like scroll work score down to the base metal. But I've found that wraps actually protected the body coat. Unwrapped one that had spot decals on it (not full body wrap) and you could see clearly where the wrap had been, and the unprotected paint had gotten all pocked and chipped from road debris.

 

[COProgressFan]

If they could just figure out how to apply tram turning technology to larger, conventional vehicles, they'd be all set. I still can't wrap my mind around how the trams work. Every tire follows the tire in front of it, which defies all laws of physics, geometry, etc.

It is mesmerizing to watch that! Glad I'm not the only one crazy enough to notice the way the trams turn.

 

[dstrawn9889]

the pullbars for the car ahead are linked to the turning wheels,not to the body itself, so it turns like a lil' red wagon turns.

 

[wdizneew]

it is actually a wrap -- IIRC

I don't care what color they are as long as they get more of them and use them. I'm sick of waiting 20-30 minutes for a bus!!!

Yes Disney owns their buses. Only the Mears Airport Shuttle and DCL buses are leased by disney from Mears. Even with the 300 or so buses that the WDWR operate, it does make it frustrating that buses take for ever to go from park to park and to the resorts. The DTD construction made going to any of those surrounding resorts or epcot resorts an hour bus drive. The WDW transport system is highly organized but i feel could be sped up especially when now there really isnt a sense of an off season at the WDWR.

Here's some information about the buses:

Yes, the buses are owned by Disney. The really old Disney buses that looked like space shuttles have millions of miles racked up on them. Most of them were taken out of service due to the inconvenience of loading ECVs/Wheelchairs. The newer buses are easier to load for everyone since they are lower to the ground and much easier to load those ECVs/Wheelchairs.

The WDW transportation is highly organized but it is not immune to factors beyond its control (traffic, ECV/wheelchairs, guest demand, special events). I've seen it first hand. Some guests are super lucky and always catch a bus within a 10-15 min wait and some guests always come at the wrong time and have to wait for the bus for at least 25 min. (if you're impatient, I highly recommend leaving your resort earlier than most of the other guests do, like 7:30-9am, but you might have to also consider extra magic hours etc).

Bendy buses will only be reserved for high capacity resorts like Art of Animation, Pop, All Stars.

If I'm correct, the silver buses are actually the white buses with a silver paint job. The red reflective striping is applied to the body along with the lettering and other decor. The reason for no more silver buses is that it's just easier for them to strip the existing white buses of the old design and then apply the new design without having to fully repaint the white into silver.

The red color is reflective. Take a night photo with flash of the bus and you'll see it glow.

 

[dstrawn9889]

Here's some information about the buses:

Yes, the buses are owned by Disney. The really old Disney buses that looked like space shuttles have millions of miles racked up on them. Most of them were taken out of service due to the inconvenience of loading ECVs/Wheelchairs. The newer buses are easier to load for everyone since they are lower to the ground and much easier to load those ECVs/Wheelchairs.

The WDW transportation is highly organized but it is not immune to factors beyond its control (traffic, ECV/wheelchairs, guest demand, special events). I've seen it first hand. Some guests are super lucky and always catch a bus within a 10-15 min wait and some guests always come at the wrong time and have to wait for the bus for at least 25 min. (if you're impatient, I highly recommend leaving your resort earlier than most of the other guests do, like 7:30-9am, but you might have to also consider extra magic hours etc).

Bendy buses will only be reserved for high capacity resorts like Art of Animation, Pop, All Stars.

If I'm correct, the silver buses are actually the white buses with a silver paint job. The red reflective striping is applied to the body along with the lettering and other decor. The reason for no more silver buses is that it's just easier for them to strip the existing white buses of the old design and then apply the new design without having to fully repaint the white into silver.

The red color is reflective. Take a night photo with flash of the bus and you'll see it glow.

allright, here i go
copied from another board and another member keeps detailed records of the fleet
Len90@subsonicradio.com---

2650-2663, 2680-2684, 2689: All retired and three were converted for use as the Character Caravan buses which went around to resorts bringing characters to the lobby. "Purple Stripers" - used for cast shuttles and training
2664 and 2665: Only 35' buses with the 2600 marking. Known as the "Pluto Shuttles" ran the manager shuttle from the Pluto parking lot

GMC RTS:

2701-2712: 1980 models 2708-2712 are 35' long
2713-2717: 1981 models that are all 35' long
2718-2738: 1982-1983 models with 2718-2720 being the last of the 35' buses. Rest are 40'
2739-2743: 1987 models
2744: 1980 model ex GMC production test bus.
****ALL THE ABOVE HAVE BEEN RETIRED****
2745-2780: 1979-1981 models that were bought used by Disney in 1998. They were completely rebuilt and are either ex Dayton Ohio, Detroit Michigan, or Miami Florida.
****ALL HAVE BEEN RETIRED FROM GUEST SERVICE****

TMC RTS:

4701-4727: 1988 Models (6/2012 4726 still seen transporting guests)
4728-4758: 1989 Models
4759-4780: 1990 Models
4781-4788: 1991 Models
4789-4804: 1992/1993 Models (unknown cutoff numbers)
4805-4814: 1994 Models
***ALL REMOVED FROM GUEST SERVICE***

NOVA LFS (low-floor)

4815-4832: 2000 Models
4833-4861: 2001 Models (4841 seen in new livery)
4862-4885: 2002 Models
***Leased new between 2000 and 2002. They are 40' in length and 102" wide***
4953: 2006 Model... rumored to be a demo bus or replacement for one of the 4815-4885. Marked as a regular bus so rumor 2 seems more likely.
5000-5009: 2010 models

Gillig Low Floor buses: 40' in length and 102" wide

4886-4929: 2004 models
4930-4952: 2006 models
4954-4962: 2007 models
4963-4983: 2008 models: Change in Fluorescent Tube lighting starts.
4985-4999: 2009 models
5010-5022: 2010 models
5023-5069: 2011 models
5071-5120: 2012 models
5121-5145: 2013 models (all delivered in the grey paint with new graphics)

Articulated Buses: (all delivered in the grey paint with new graphics)
5146-5151: 2013 NFI XD60

5152-5157: 2103 Nova LFS ARTIC

Demo Buses:
4984: 2008 DesignLine Hybrid bus. It was a Demo and returned to DesignLine after being unsuccessful.
5070: 2012 Nova ARTIC demo bus. Tested on MK routes to value and moderate resorts. Returned after successful test.

SUMMER 2011 UPDATE:
I have gone ahead and updated the fleet roster with the numbers for the 2011 buses and the probable numbers for the rumored 42 Gillig Low Floor buses that are on order for 2012. The latest talk is to expand the fleet to be close to 400 buses which I find impossible as they are also talking about removing the RTS from front line service. The idea is to keep some around yet as spares and to have available if there was to be a major need for buses. I will say that I noticed a large decrease in the RTSs presence this year. I was only able to get one trip over my 13 days on an RTS. The Novas are out in full force along with the Gilligs now.

SUMMER 2012 UPDATE:
Fleet roster updated a little to reflect the changes and to adjust for the articulated demo bus over the spring. I also added the information regarding RTS buses with a "C" following the bus number. I left the information for the 2012 buses the same as last year with a note that the newest one I spotted was 5106. The RTS was out in full force this year with plenty around and in fact close to half of my trips were on RTSs. Makes me wonder if Disney was running them for one final time or is just going to run each bus that has no MIM until it breaks completely... We shall see. However, the RTS will carry on for another year or so buses like 4788 and higher still have their MIM system. I personally feel like there is a good chance of seeing a few of them around for at least the next year or two.

SUMMER 2013 UPDATE:
Updated the roster with my findings on my trip from 5/10 - 5/18. I was able to find out that the test with the articulated bus was relatively successful and there are 10 articulated buses on order that should join the fleet either later this year or sometime next year for use on the MK to value/moderate resorts routes. The success of the test is another reason why MK is seeing a new bus loop added at this moment. The 2013 buses are also due to start arriving during the summer and no number on how many were ordered. The RTS was still fully prevalent and I didn't see any sitting around idle. Probably some were disposed of already but there still were plenty around and transporting guests. It should be interesting as I do predict all the new buses will be coming in with the new scheme. There still are only one or two in it and they were only used for cast members when I was there.

SUMMER 2014 UPDATE:
Roster updated to match the current fleet and what I saw when there 7/17-7/23. As I predicted last year, the 2013 buses all came in with the new colors. The new buses will all be a silvery-grey with that red stripe so the bus look matches the drivers uniform again. Anybody remember the purple pants a few years ago? The old buses are gradually being transferred over to the new look. Seems like Disney is doing the sensible thing and doing the oldest buses first. The 2000-2002 Nova LFS' are the first to be seeing the new scheme. It looks like the buses being refurbished into the new scheme are going to remain painted white with the new markings. A few of the Nova LFS' were painted in silver, but I think those were the test buses first done to see the new colors. The RTS is barely alive right now. Just a few remaining and very seldom were they being used for guest routes. Most were just on the road for driver training. I personally never had one so this was my first trip to Disney World where I didn't have to walk up any steps onto the bus. No new 2014 buses were seen around the property. Shades of Green looks to have replaced the Novas with new Gilligs. Lots of buses both new and older had broken Magic in Motion systems with no announcements or music playing. So far reading back on my prior updates I have been pretty good in predicting. I assume most buses to be changed over to the new scheme within the next year so the big Disney in red and transit in purple will be a thing of the past very soon.

NEW YEARS 2014/2015 UPDATE:
No new buses for the 2014 calendar year. Fleet stands at 323 right now with all of the RTS fleet being gone. It felt weird not seeing the original Disney buses on property. 50 new buses are supposedly on order with 20 of them being the articulated buses.

 

[Nmoody1]

i'll takenany coloured bus... ideally one without someone in an ECV jumping to the front of the line with 8 of thier family who then take up a load of seats!