Unprofessional bus driver

tomm4004

New Member
Perhaps I'm overreacting. Rode the Swan, Dolphin/Boardwalk bus back from MK at 11:30pm during Extra Magic hours on April 20th. Waited 15 minutes in long line and stood for the trip. The driver asked if anyone had any questions. A man yelled out, "Why aren't there more buses?" The driver replied, "There are enough buses. The question is, why aren't there enough drivers?"

The driver then proceeded to tell us that they were on two consecutive 12-hour shifts (3pm-3am) and that they were counting on us to talk and ask questions to help them get through it. The implication was that they needed us to help them stay awake. At least that's how I saw it. It was a little disconcerting thinking our driver was not fully alert with a bus crammed with people. I thought this was unprofessional, not to mention the simple fact of talking about their work conditions. As a guest, I don't want to know. You stick a microphone in their hands and they feel they have to right to talk about anything. Cast members should not volunteer their working woes to guests.

They then proceeded to tell us about their first visit to WDW in 1971 and how cheap it was compared to today. Then they pointed out how ugly the Dolphin Hotel was, but added that it wasn't owned by Disney and thus nobody at Disney had any say in the design (which isn't true. Eisner hired the architect and approved the design). Of course, some people on the bus were staying at the Dolphin, so the driver was insulting their choice of accomodations.

I certainly don't want my airline pilot coming on the intercom and asking us to sing to keep them awake. I don't even want the CM loading me onto Splash Mountain to tell me how long their shift is. The bus driver did say they were going on vacation soon. I hope it's a long one.

With regards to bus service in general, it's possible the driver was right but I think dispatch mix-ups are the problem. We only took a few trips but they were mostly unsatisfactory. We stay mostly at MK or EPCOT resorts to avoid buses but we did have two nights at AKL and so were not immune.

On April 13th, we made two trips to AK from AKL. Waiting times at the lodge were nine and four minutes. However, coming back our wait times were 24 minutes (at 1:30) and 31 minutes (at 5:30). That's a long time for a four minute ride. I could walk faster. They advertise 15 minutes wait times.

The next morning was worse. At 8:30am, we waited 35 minutes for the EPCOT bus. Multiple buses came for the other destinations. Only after a lady called the front desk did a bus arrive three-minutes later. Coincedence?

Well, on April 20th we went from Boardwalk to DD/TL. We waited 25 minutes, but people had already been there 20 minutes - making for a 45 minute wait. At one point, two AK buses showed up simultaneously. They were both empty because another AK bus had been there minutes before. Again, a guest called the front desk and a DD/TL bus came a few minutes later. Not everyone was able to get on (it was a hot day and lots of people were heading to TL), but the driver called for another bus.

I can only think that in the EPCOT and DD/TL cases the problems were caused by dispatch errors and not a lack of drivers. Why did they have three AK buses within a matter of minutes, whereas the other day we couldn't get a bus back from AK to AKL?

In the future, we will cut our reliance on the buses even further, and we certainly will not be riding them late at night!
 

pat in the hat

New Member
The wheels on the bus . . .

Although we drive to FLA, we almost never use our car once we arrive at our Disney resort. Since we usually travel over Easter break, we're used to waiting a bit for a bus; but, we haven't had too many bad experiences with really long waits! We're just glad to let someone else do the driving and appreciate the cool, clean ride! :wave:

While I do like having discussions with cast members, I would not expect them to air their grievances, especially over the company's "P.A. system" (microphone)! :eek: If I initiate a private discussion, I wouldn't have a problem with them telling me "straight up" how things are. But complaining in public about your employer, on the employer's time, to the employer's guests, is not a good show anywhere in the corporate world!
 
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marksniles

Member
tomm4004 said:
Perhaps I'm overreacting. Rode the Swan, Dolphin/Boardwalk bus back from MK at 11:30pm during Extra Magic hours on April 20th. Waited 15 minutes in long line and stood for the trip. The driver asked if anyone had any questions. A man yelled out, "Why aren't there more buses?" The driver replied, "There are enough buses. The question is, why aren't there enough drivers?"

The driver then proceeded to tell us that they were on two consecutive 12-hour shifts (3pm-3am) and that they were counting on us to talk and ask questions to help them get through it. The implication was that they needed us to help them stay awake. At least that's how I saw it. It was a little disconcerting thinking our driver was not fully alert with a bus crammed with people. I thought this was unprofessional, not to mention the simple fact of talking about their work conditions. As a guest, I don't want to know. You stick a microphone in their hands and they feel they have to right to talk about anything. Cast members should not volunteer their working woes to guests.

They then proceeded to tell us about their first visit to WDW in 1971 and how cheap it was compared to today. Then they pointed out how ugly the Dolphin Hotel was, but added that it wasn't owned by Disney and thus nobody at Disney had any say in the design (which isn't true. Eisner hired the architect and approved the design). Of course, some people on the bus were staying at the Dolphin, so the driver was insulting their choice of accomodations.

I certainly don't want my airline pilot coming on the intercom and asking us to sing to keep them awake. I don't even want the CM loading me onto Splash Mountain to tell me how long their shift is. The bus driver did say they were going on vacation soon. I hope it's a long one.

With regards to bus service in general, it's possible the driver was right but I think dispatch mix-ups are the problem. We only took a few trips but they were mostly unsatisfactory. We stay mostly at MK or EPCOT resorts to avoid buses but we did have two nights at AKL and so were not immune.

On April 13th, we made two trips to AK from AKL. Waiting times at the lodge were nine and four minutes. However, coming back our wait times were 24 minutes (at 1:30) and 31 minutes (at 5:30). That's a long time for a four minute ride. I could walk faster. They advertise 15 minutes wait times.

The next morning was worse. At 8:30am, we waited 35 minutes for the EPCOT bus. Multiple buses came for the other destinations. Only after a lady called the front desk did a bus arrive three-minutes later. Coincedence?

Well, on April 20th we went from Boardwalk to DD/TL. We waited 25 minutes, but people had already been there 20 minutes - making for a 45 minute wait. At one point, two AK buses showed up simultaneously. They were both empty because another AK bus had been there minutes before. Again, a guest called the front desk and a DD/TL bus came a few minutes later. Not everyone was able to get on (it was a hot day and lots of people were heading to TL), but the driver called for another bus.

I can only think that in the EPCOT and DD/TL cases the problems were caused by dispatch errors and not a lack of drivers. Why did they have three AK buses within a matter of minutes, whereas the other day we couldn't get a bus back from AK to AKL?

In the future, we will cut our reliance on the buses even further, and we certainly will not be riding them late at night!
I was at the MK on April 20th for the Extra Magical Hour and left early (around 11:30) and did you see the LINE for the Pop Century Resort? I was huge! It had grown so large that it had past the entry points for two other resort holding areas! We waited and waited and waited for a bus. They finally sent TWO buses at the same time. I was very surprised on how slow it was for the bus to come pick us up. The last few days of our stay we used our own car. It took us 10 minutes or so to leave the park and another 10 minutes to get to our resort.

Later guys!
 
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Fran98765

Member
On our last trip in August our bus service was worse then long wait times. Staying at CSR, we decided to eat dinner at ESPN club at BW. The ride there was a wild one.... we took a bus to DTD to transfer and the bus driver drove incredibly fast, he was apparently told to swing by one of the water parks that was closing, but he didn't even stop there, just drove by, granted there were no guests there, but still... a stop would be nice. Then he was called to go DTD again for some odd reason and when we arrived there he hit the bus in front of him. Didn't wait for the bus in front to pull out, just hit reverse and sped out of the bus spot again. We were relieved to arrive at BW finally. On the way back to CSR we again had horrid bus service, including a wait of almost an hour. The crowds at the bus depot were huge, it was probably 9-10pm and busses never even arrived for the parks for a long time, we were at the point where we would take any park or DTD bus to get back. I wish I had thought of calling a cab, it was extremely long of a wait.

But on your complaint, the bus driver has no business complaining about his job or any of the hotels/parks/price etc. That is not something that will get him far in his job.
 
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tomm4004

New Member
Original Poster
Fran98765 said:
Then he was called to go DTD again for some odd reason
This is the impression I get, that they are not on fixed routes but are sent according to need. Thus, wires can get crossed, which would explain two AK buses at the same time and no DD bus. I think they need a new system.
 
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celticdog

Well-Known Member
You guys need to relax. You're on vacation. Sit back and enjoy the scenery.

I've personally never had a problem with the buses. Sure there might be a few long waits, but it beats driving. The Disney bus/transporation system is easily one of the best organized and most efficiently run systems I've ever encountered.

Two thumbs up to Tyler and his co-workers.
 
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tomm4004

New Member
Original Poster
celticdog said:
You guys need to relax. You're on vacation. Sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Now, if the bus stops had scenery we'd be all set. Benches too at the parks would be nice. You're right, I'm on vacation. I don't want to spend thousands of dollars to stand at bus stops and have to phone to get a bus to come. People complain about standing for Timekeeper or 360 movies. I wonder how those people feel at the bus stops if the wait is 30 minutes?
 
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Dwarful

Well-Known Member
Well the more people driving their own cars will be short lines and no standing on the buses for us ! ;)

Seriously though, I have mentioned this in other threads. In june my husband & I rode the bus from Pop to MK w/our kids. My sister, brother and their families decided to drive instead that day to avoid the delays. We were to meet on MainStreet for a group photo. Well, we waited in the shops along MainStreet for over an hour! They had to park, catch the tram, then the lines for the monorail were out of the world so they went for the boat option, which ended up being an even longer wait for the monorail, because they waited for more people to board before leaving. So by the time we got to mk, went through security, got our stroller, grabbed some fastpasses and did some shopping they were arriving. So it all is relative. some days you might beat the crowds and it might save you a few minutes driving, other times, it might be faster to ride the bus. Disney still operates in the real world and so things happen, flat tires, surge of crowds (think of all the people who run for the exits when a rainstorm hits) etc., they do a good job transporting the number of guests that they handle on a daily basis and my hat goes off to them!
 
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Kadee

New Member
I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience. My family and I always use the bus system and we love it. I'm not saying that there have not been long waits; there have been. But it is SO much easier to ride the buses than to go through the hassle of driving. I applaude the bus drivers. They are not perfect (who is?) but they do a wonderful job.
 
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slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
Just playing Devil's Advocate here, and I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad, but there is a factor that (understandably) holds up buses even during the busiest of times...

Wheelchair-bound or special-needs guests.

It can take a while to get someone who needs special assistance on (and then off) one of the buses, and make sure their personal vehicle is totally secure before the bus moves. To make matters worse, usually when that back door of any bus opens (the bus that is not an entrance, strictly an exit), people just walk on. They might even take the space reserved for special-needs vehicles. And if you have a number of wheelchair bound guests all headed for the same park or hotel, that can cause massiv gridlock. Personally, whenever I saw two buses for the same hotel arrive within a few minutes of each other, I assume that's what happened, someone in a wheelchair can add a lot of time to a bus' route.
 
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Going back to the original post.... Sure maybe the bus driver shared a bit too much information but I really enjoyed in going to WDW in the early 90's and the bus drivers were so good in the morning. We always had bus drivers in the morning that would share information about upcoming attractions, tell trivia, and jokes. It was really fun to ride the bus. Now it seems we never get anyone like that. But I guess as long as they get me where I want to be safetly and efficiently then I guess that is all that matters.
 
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daveemtdave

New Member
We were leaving Epcot when a bus arrived - there were two people in wheelcairs and they had their families with them. We noticed these two girls cut to the front of the line and start talking to the lady in the chair and just assumed they were together. As they started to load, the driver had the front doors open and these girls proceded to board. After they were loaded, a few more us were able to still board the bus. I noticed these ladies were not sitting near the family they were talking to. As we were riding to our hotel, they were talking about it works everytime - then you know you get a seat also.
 
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dandaman

Well-Known Member
Hmmm... this seems to be the same guy that was at the Downtown Disney resort buses, who was probably the best bus driver we'd ever had. Of course, the only similarity at this point is the fact of singing... When we rode back from MK, he was telling everyone to sing (which was pretty fun), and he went, "OK, OK, solo time; The horn on the bus goes..." Well, that horn was pretty loud. :lol:
 
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Number_6

Well-Known Member
Dwarful said:
then the lines for the monorail were out of the world so they went for the boat option, which ended up being an even longer wait for the monorail, because they waited for more people to board before leaving.

Usually, if it looks like there is a massive line for the express monorail and the ferry looks like it'll be just as bad, I opt for the resort monorail. Usually one arrives within a couple of minutes, and there seem to be more than a few that don't realize it will get them to the entrance of MK, just after it stops at Poly and GF. Sure the trip is a little longer, but overall if you were going to have to wait 15 minutes or so in line for the express monorail, then you might as well be sitting for most of that time on the other monorail.
 
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Dwarful

Well-Known Member
Sure the trip is a little longer, but overall if you were going to have to wait 15 minutes or so in line for the express monorail, then you might as well be sitting for most of that time on the other monorail

Wonderful idea...can you ever ride the monorail too much??? I think NOT! I'll remember this idea for the upcoming trip!
 
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We had the coolest driver once


We were heading to our hotel after illuminations and the bus was at the stop, about to leave. When the driver saw us, shut the door, turned off the lights and laughed and pointed at us! :lol:


He then turned the lights on and let us on. He told jokes the whole way back, and pointed out that we pass the epcot ball 3 times before we get back to the hotel!
 
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