New buses coming soon

[FastPasser.]

Loved working the late bid as running the westclock shuttle

Did not enjoy doing any of the CM shuttles, and I did them all, but not because of the CMs, they were fine. It's just that I got my energy from interacting with Guests, loved that part of the job.

Late night was always best.

For me, mornings were the best. The sun is out, everyone is happy, upbeat and looking forward to a great day at the parks.

Did you retire from the Disney company or had enough after 3-1/2 years?

 

[pooh2001]

Maybe a whole new fleet of buses by 2022

 

[saturn5]

Did you retire from the Disney company or had enough after 3-1/2 years?

Burned out, Transportation was my escape from a bad area manager in f&b, and burned out. Now located in Houston TX with flying benefits so it all worked out!

 

[Dan Murphy]

all I had to do was back up my wheelchair into the backrest.

Hi Ray. Good to see you. No ECV anymore?

 

[RaySharpton]

Hi Ray. Good to see you. No ECV anymore?

Hey, Dan. How are you doing? I still have a mobility scooter, but I love my new wheelchair.

 

[scrappinginontario]

What fun this thread has been to read! So much knowledge here!

I began driving in 08.

For those wondering which bus is the RTS model, here it is below..

Maybe it's just me but I thought it had the best lines of the three models. It wasn't just a rectangular box like the newer buses. And unlike the newer buses it had more seats than standing room. I liked the the higher drivers position.

Overall, the new buses, the Gilligs, are a better bus They're capable of carrying more passengers, albeit because of fewer seats, they have a better ride, are quieter, easier boarding for both people and ECVs. Most drivers prefer the Gilligs. Oh, and no cockroaches.

Thanks for the pics. Phew! I'm not a roach fan so thankful these buses are gone...although I'm sure the roaches have only gone elsewhere.

Do you have any pics of the Gilligs the drivers like?

To the drivers out there, is there any truth to the rumour that WiFi might be coming to the buses? As an International visitor it would be a huge improvement, especially with mobile ordering coming to Pop. It would allow me to grab that late night dinner on our way back to the room.

TIA!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hey, Dan. How are you doing? I still have a mobility scooter, but I love my new wheelchair.

Doing well, Ray, thanks. Next time when I'm there when you are, I'll have to check out your new chair.

 

[joelkfla]

What fun this thread has been to read! So much knowledge here!

Thanks for the pics. Phew! I'm not a roach fan so thankful these buses are gone...although I'm sure the roaches have only gone elsewhere.

Do you have any pics of the Gilligs the drivers like?

To the drivers out there, is there any truth to the rumour that WiFi might be coming to the buses? As an International visitor it would be a huge improvement, especially with mobile ordering coming to Pop. It would allow me to grab that late night dinner on our way back to the room.

TIA!

All that's left of the single buses are Gilligs & Novas. The Gilligs are perfectly rectangular boxes, and have steps between the front & rear sections. The Novas have curved windshields, and a ramp up to the rear section. After all the new buses arrive, Gilligs may be all that's left.

The articulated (accordion) buses are Novas and New Flyers. Same deal: Novas have a curved windshield, New Flyers don't.

 

[FastPasser.]

Do you have any pics of the Gilligs the drivers like?

Here you go.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thanks @joelkfla and @FastPasser.

 

[RaySharpton]

Just curious after reading everyone's posts.

Do any of you remember the Disney bus that had the side door with metal steps that changed into, I think, a lift? I don't think it changed into a ramp.

It always fascinated me the way it looked when it transformed from metal steps.

 

[joelkfla]

Just curious after reading everyone's posts.

Do any of you remember the Disney bus that had the side door with metal steps that changed into, I think, a lift? I don't think it changed into a ramp.

It always fascinated me the way it looked when it transformed from metal steps.

Those were the RTS buses. They were the last high-floor buses that Disney ran.

It was neat the way they converted, but the lift broke down a lot.

 

[RaySharpton]

Are there any before and after photos of them folding out and back in?

Those were the RTS buses. They were the last high-floor buses that Disney ran.

It was neat the way they converted, but the lift broke down a lot.

 

[FastPasser.]

 

[RaySharpton]

Thanks, FastPasser. Yep, that's the one. Not as amazing as I thought looking at it now.

Technology sure has changed.

 

[FastPasser.]

Not as amazing as I thought looking at it now.
Technology sure has changed.

The lift was over designed but I thought it was a clever design.

In addition to being easier for the Guest in the ECV/WC, as well as the driver, a nice thing about the ramp system on the low floor buses versus the lift design on the RTS buses was that even if the ramp didn't function, it could be deployed manually by the driver.

A nightmare scenario on the buses with the lift was that if the lift jammed while it was being used, the bus is not going anywhere. As Joelkfla mentioned, it did break down a lot. If it couldn't be un-jammed, a replacement bus had to be sent to take the passengers to their destination. It happened to me more than once.

 

[RaySharpton]

Hi, FastPasser.

I thought that it was a clever design, too.

Now I remember it seemed a lot shinier like the metal ribs on an escalator. But I am sure WDW buses were much cleaner than those in the video.

I remember being mesmerized watching what looked like regular stairs morph into a ramp. I had never seen anything like that and this was before my mobility issues.

And I know what you mean by a nightmare scenario, too. A long time ago, I was at Disney's Old Key West Resort and I saw a Disney Magical Express have a lift problem. It seems that they were having issues with it folding back up because it dug into the brick pavement at the OKW front drop off area of the resort.

It actually pushed the bricks down into the ground.

When I returned, I saw yellow construction tape and orange cones surrounding the area with a sunken hole where the lift pushed down. It was about a one-half foot deep and had a footprint of what might have been the rear of the lift. I guess the lift was able to go lower than the surface area and use the weight of the whole bus to sink the hole into the ground.

And on my last trip, I saw two instances where the Disney bus driver had to use something to lift the ramp open manually because it wouldn't electronically open.

That is the nice thing about those ramps on emergencies not having to rely on electronics.

Thank you again.

The lift was over-designed but I thought it was a clever design.

In addition to being easier for the Guest in the ECV/WC, as well as the driver, a nice thing about the ramp system on the low floor buses versus the lift design on the RTS buses was that even if the ramp didn't function, it could be deployed manually by the driver.

A nightmare scenario on the buses with the lift was that if the lift jammed while it was being used, the bus is not going anywhere. As Joelkfla mentioned, it did break down a lot. If it couldn't be un-jammed, a replacement bus had to be sent to take the passengers to their destination. It happened to me more than once.

 

[joelkfla]

Another problem was a switch on the underside of the lift that was tripped when the lift was solidly down on the pavement. If the switch wasn't tripped, the safety barrier wouldn't flip down.

I guess the switches got finicky in their old age, and if the pavement wasn't quite level, the barrier wouldn't open. Unofficial SOP, that was learned by all drivers OTJ, was to take the book of daily log sheets, roll it up into a wad, and jam it under the lift. Newbies often took 2 or 3 tries to find the sweet spot, but old-timers usually got it on the 1st try. Occasionally one book wasn't thick enough, and the driver of another bus had to be enlisted to contribute his log book to the stack.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

Hopefully, the onboard WiFi will be there, too (though I know we are talking Disney WiFi).

Wi-Fi on the buses? That is new news to me.

 

[FastPasser.]

Unofficial SOP, that was learned by all drivers OTJ, was to take the book of daily log sheets, roll it up into a wad, and jam it under the lift. Newbies often took 2 or 3 tries to find the sweet spot, but old-timers usually got it on the 1st try. Occasionally one book wasn't thick enough, and the driver of another bus had to be enlisted to contribute his log book to the stack.

Oh man, talk about a blast from the past, I'd forgotten all those good times.