What is up with the Disney bus drivers???
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DogLady · 10-07-2005, 09:03 AM

I'd first like to say we had a blast BUT i was wondering if anyone else has had any recent experiences with the disney bus drivers messing up on their route???
ALL the bus drivers were grumpy, many never made any announcements while we were on the bus and half the trips we took the bus drivers made errors in their route. One guy turned right too soon and we drove through a gas station, he started out grumpy but then laughed that was the first time he had taken the wrong turn in 10 yrs of driving.
Then another guy missed the bus entrance to the hotel, then he missed the next bus entrance and one of the passangers had to tell him where to go, as we got off we hoped he was able to make it back to the bus station.
After a while it became a joke with us, would we make it to the hotel and was the bus driver going to be grumpy or not.
We had never experienced this before, it was actually quite the opposite of what we had experienced on our 4 other trips there.
Considering how much money you spend there, seems they would want to be sure to hire friendly drivers.
I'd like to write a letter but don't know where to send it.
Noreen

bradk · 10-07-2005, 09:06 AM

nope, never had any problem remotely like that. a couple didn't say anything, but most were very nice, had a good conversation with a few of them (including one who almost didn't let me on because the bus was full, but he made some room). and one just 'plane' crazy.

the only complaints i have about the bus system is that if i had known the value resorts were always the furthest stops, i probably would have sprung for a moderate.

DebbieR · 10-07-2005, 09:52 AM

Just returned Sept 8-15 and never had a cross or confused bus driver all the time we were there. I was wondering does anyone know how many buses are in the Disney fleet, including the airport run as well as between parks?

DogLady · 10-07-2005, 10:12 AM

must has just been a fluke, cause we had never had this problem before either. Surprised me though that they were ALL grumpy or had very little to say and few announcements, one guy didn't even announce what stop we were at.
Noreen

loobyoxlip · 10-07-2005, 10:39 AM

I didn't have any grumpy drivers our last trip. In fact, we sat in the front on one bus from DD to CSR and the driver talked my ear off the entire way. He kept telling every person that got on the bus 'Coronado. Coronado. Coronado Springs. Are you going to Coronado?' Then he told me he did that b/c every time there's bound to be someone get on the bus going to somewhere like AKL (b/c they share the same bus # stop at DD) Well we left Marketplace and when we pulled up at West Side, one couple came up from the back of the bus and asked 'Will this bus get us to the Animal Lodge?'

I was laughing so hard.

**DopeyGirl** · 10-07-2005, 12:22 PM

Last October, we had the longest ride back to All Star Movies EVER. I swear it felt like at least 45 minutes . . . and I am sure it was NOT just because we had just left MNSSHP!

We had a driver that confessed to us, as we pulled up to the bus stops, that "the reason the trip back from the MK was so long was because I forgot where I was going and got lost! I am truly sorry for that!"

He was very nice and very apologetic for that . . . and while we haven't come across any bus drivers who were particularly "unpleasant" we have had our share that just don't really converse much with the guests. Even a few of those "quiet" bus drivers have told us to "have fun" or "have a great day" as we exited the bus, though!

bradk · 10-07-2005, 12:26 PM

the buses that operate for DME are owned and operated by Mears, so not sure how many there are.

not exactly sure how many Disney Transport buses there are either, but it's in the neighborhood of 235.

DawnDenise · 10-07-2005, 01:36 PM

Have only had one bad experience with a bus driver and that was on our last trip in Arpil. He had to come to stop really quick (which is hard for a bus to do) and when he did, a family that was standing ended up falling includng two kids about ages 4 and 5. The bus driver didn't apologize or stop to see if they were okay.

We have had some quiet drivers but have also some that were GREAT! On my honeymoon in 2000, we hopped a bus to Ft. Wilderness for HDDR and the guy kept saying this was the bus to Tampa knowing that it would panic me becuase this was my first trip to WDW in 18 years. (we were the only ones on the bus)

Then in April, we had a guy that stopped for us at MK trying to get back to CBR since DH left his wallet in the room. He radioed dispatch and got permission to take us back to CBR before he started his normal route for MGM.

millie · 10-07-2005, 02:49 PM

No...never had a problem with the ANY bus driver in Disney...we've even had a few who asked trivia questions and gave out stickers to the winners.

**DyanKJ130** · 10-07-2005, 05:33 PM

[ QUOTE ]
No...never had a problem with the ANY bus driver in Disney...we've even had a few who asked trivia questions and gave out stickers to the winners.

[/ QUOTE ]

No problems here either. Last trip we had a driver that asked trivia questions (no stickers though) about Walt Disney's life. My son had to do a biography report/presentation that year and knew all the answers! The other guests were laughing hysterically & the bus driver told DS that when he finishes college (he was just shy of 12 at the time - just turned 13 last month), he should go back to Disney to be the CEO!

**Eeyore Tattoo** · 10-07-2005, 08:28 PM

[ QUOTE ]
No...never had a problem with the ANY bus driver in Disney...we've even had a few who asked trivia questions and gave out stickers to the winners.

[/ QUOTE ]
We had Trivia drivers too!
It was a blast!
Deb

DogLady · 10-07-2005, 10:25 PM

Funny, the SOG drivers seem to be alot more friendly than the disney drivers. Could have been just a fluke that we got all the grumpy and confused drivers, it was pretty comical actually, each time we got on we'd joke about what mishappen would occur on this bus.
I really wish disney would send surveys to people to get opinions and feedback.

Joy J · 10-07-2005, 10:59 PM

Noreen, I'm sorry that you ran into so many grumpy bus drivers on your trip but it sounds like perhsps you just had exceptionally bad luck. In all my trips to WDW, I've yet to have any really negative experiences with any of the bus drivers and many of them have been truly magical. I'll never forget a few in particular who conducted trivia games or sing-songs en route and one inventive driver who reminded all the kids on the bus to make sure they leaned into the turns whenever we turned right or left to help her out. And of course my favorite driver of all was the one who, out of the blue, game me a gorgeous Cast members Thumper pin as I was boarding the bus. I only hope our next trip in November continues this tradition of excellent Disney bus drivers.

Joy

Wild4Diz · 10-07-2005, 11:32 PM

I only had one mildly grumpy driver on my trip 9/21-29/05 and he ended up being pretty good once he got going. I did notice however that he was a very impatient driver

!

I didn't have one driver the entire time say anything except the stop. I always thanked them when I got off and I always got a smile and a thanks back, but none of them were overly fun or told stories or trivia or anything like that.

I noticed that many of the drivers were being very strict about people not standing and I actually had one driver that refused to go until everyone was sitting down - there were enough seats but we had to squish together a bit.

There was one driver that pulled up at MGM that was going to Epcot. I was waiting with two other families to go back to the Contemporary and the driver stopped at our stop and got out of the bus and asked if everyone was ready. We all kind of looked at each other and asked aren't you going to Epcot? She said yes. We then told her she needed to be up one stop and she said that's strange I wonder when that changed. I assumed that it hadn't changed, but at least she was pleasant about it. She then pulled up to the correct stop.

I can't really complain about the service. I never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus and I didn't have any drivers get lost.

Disney Franatic · 10-08-2005, 09:34 AM

[ QUOTE ]
a family that was standing ended up falling includng two kids about ages 4 and 5. The bus driver didn't apologize or stop to see if they were okay.

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I fell into an aisle on a Disney handicap bus with raised seats a couple of years ago at our resort bus stop. Someone yelled to the bus driver to wait because I was hurt. The bus driver never got out of her seat nor asked if I was okay. My family helped me get off the bus and went for help in the resort lobby. It turned out I had broken my wrist. I was told later when I wrote to Disney about the accident, that the bus driver is not equiped to help the passengers. Come on - she could have asked if I was okay and radioed for help. That was the last I had ever heard from Disney on the subject. I hope they spoke with the bus driver. I won't sit in the back of those buses with the raised seats anymore!