Wheelchair on the bus

We'll be going to WDW late in Aug., and this year we're traveling with my
mom. She's going to be in a wheelchair that she's bringing with us to WDW.
She doesn't use one in her day to day life, though -- mostly on vacation,
or if someone takes her to the mall, or to a ball game, for instance.
She's sometimes self-conscious about being in a wheelchair. She's been to
WDW in a wheelchair several times, but I'm contemplating taking the bus to
MK, and I'm pretty certain that's something she hasn't done. I want to
take the bus from our resort (POR) to MK because I think it would be much,
much easier for her than doing the car/tram/monorail routine, but I'm
concerned that the special accommodation for a wheelchair on the bus might
make her uncomfortable.

So I'm hoping someone who's been on the buses in a wheelchair, or even
someone who's just seen someone in a wheelchair get on and off a Disney
bus, can describe for me what happens, how long it takes, how much it might
appear to inconvenience other riders, etc. We almost always take our car
to the parks, so I haven't ever seen a guest in a wheelchair board one of
the buses!

Any information, thoughts, tips, etc. would be appreciated. :-)

-- Alpha

I've only been on a bus where this happened a couple of times, and
I've never felt the urge to time it out. To take a guess, I think it
would probably take about 5 minutes at most for the bus-leaning,
driving the chair on board and latching it to the floor. On the newer
buses [which are very prevalent in the fleet now], each secured chair
takes away one seat platform of 3 or 4 seats. So unless it is a really
crowded time, it doesn't impact the capacity too much.

While the monorail part of the car/tram/mono that you mention wouldn't
be too bad, the tram part would be tough- especially with a crowd. And
there is a pretty strong advantage of being able to bus directly to
and from your resort without getting caught up in the crowds that have
to go to the parking lots.

Rodney says:

> First of all, please try to reason with her if she says she will feel
> uncomfortable. There is absolutely no reason she should. If people
> give her any sort of "looks", it's their problem - not hers!

:-) She's gotten better about it over the years, but sometimes a new
situation can throw her off a little.

> From what I have
> observed, the older buses have a more complex system that requires the
> driver to operate a lift and this takes longer. The newer buses kneel
> and have a remotely-operated ramp so most passengers in wheelchairs can
> load themselves. Other than letting the wheelchair-bound passengers
> load first, it takes very little extra time.

Hmm, sounds like we better cross our fingers for a newer bus. Thanks for
the info, Rodney. :-)

-- Alpha

Mike Tuchman says:

> One of the first items there is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which gives lots
> of useful information and links. You can scan through for threads
> which might interest you.

Thanks for pointing this one out to me. This might be a good place for me
to point her to.

-- Alpha

NickM says:

> While the monorail part of the car/tram/mono that you mention wouldn't
> be too bad, the tram part would be tough- especially with a crowd. And
> there is a pretty strong advantage of being able to bus directly to
> and from your resort without getting caught up in the crowds that have
> to go to the parking lots.

Exactly. She remarked to me after a visit last year that it's just so much
hassle for her to get to MK. All the transfers start to wear her out
before she's even gotten to the park. The bus is really the way to go.

-- Alpha

Sam says:

> Can she walk a wee bit?
> I was in one after knee surgery, but was able to hippity-hop onto the
> bus while my wife folded the wheelchair chair.

She can walk a bit, and she can even manage some stairs. Stairs on a bus
are often pretty tall though; that's what makes me a little unsure of
whether she could manage it.

-- Alpha

On Jul 16, 1:06 pm, Alpha <notr...@> wrote:
> Sam says:
>
> > Can she walk a wee bit?
> > I was in one after knee surgery, but was able to hippity-hop onto the
> > bus while my wife folded the wheelchair chair.
>
> She can walk a bit, and she can even manage some stairs. Stairs on a bus
> are often pretty tall though; that's what makes me a little unsure of
> whether she could manage it.
>
> -- Alpha

The newer Disney buses have no stairs to enter.

Rodney says:

> That's another good thing about the new buses - there are pretty much no
> steps. Take a look at these photos:

Oh, this is awesome! Thanks very much Rodney for giving me those links. I
had no idea that the new buses have no steps. Yay!

-- Alpha

Julie says:

> The buses, with ANY kind of chair are
> much better than driving, not just to MK, but to any of the parks.

Really? The Epcot handicapped parking lot is pretty convenient. What
makes the bus a better option there?

> If your mom wants to talk to someone directly have her write.

Thanks for the offer!

-- Alpha

Here's what happens:
1. you go to the head of the line so you always get a seat.
2. The bus driver lowers a ramp type elevator while a loud signal 'beeps'.
Sounds like a truck backing up. Everyone is watching.
3. All the kids will be sighing because a wheel chair holds up the whole
process, some of them, adults too, complain verbally.
4. If your Mom needs the wheel chair, as Rudeney says, it's their problem
not hers.

Take the bus and enjoy your visit.






"Alpha" <notreal@> wrote in message
news:Xns996ED6687D993alphawave@199.45.49.11...
> We'll be going to WDW late in Aug., and this year we're traveling with my
> mom. She's going to be in a wheelchair that she's bringing with us to
> WDW.
> She doesn't use one in her day to day life, though -- mostly on vacation,
> or if someone takes her to the mall, or to a ball game, for instance.
> She's sometimes self-conscious about being in a wheelchair. She's been to
> WDW in a wheelchair several times, but I'm contemplating taking the bus to
> MK, and I'm pretty certain that's something she hasn't done. I want to
> take the bus from our resort (POR) to MK because I think it would be much,
> much easier for her than doing the car/tram/monorail routine, but I'm
> concerned that the special accommodation for a wheelchair on the bus might
> make her uncomfortable.
>
> So I'm hoping someone who's been on the buses in a wheelchair, or even
> someone who's just seen someone in a wheelchair get on and off a Disney
> bus, can describe for me what happens, how long it takes, how much it
> might
> appear to inconvenience other riders, etc. We almost always take our car
> to the parks, so I haven't ever seen a guest in a wheelchair board one of
> the buses!
>
> Any information, thoughts, tips, etc. would be appreciated. :-)
>
> -- Alpha