Where's the bus?

[Granny Jill A]

I would like to see some kind of information boards at the resorts that will let you know how long you have to wait for the next bus to wherever.....

They could equip each bus with a GPS unit, if they don't already have them, and the ETA would be posted on a board in the lobby of each resort.

What do you guys think of the idea?

[crltkcagle]

I was thinking the same thing on our last trip! Something like Epcot has to tell you how long the waits are at the rides. They could do the same thing for the buses. And btw I wish all the parks had the board like Epcot, it would make life so much easier!

[BluewaterBrad]

Very good idea! :mickey:

[VWL Mom]

Great idea :number1:

I also noticed there was no dispatcher at WL on our last few trips. Previously you could check with them if a bus was coming.

[laprana]

I love this idea! :thumbsup: It would make it so much easier to decide whether we wanted to wait for a bus or just take the old rental car.

[Imagineer1981]

That would be a great idea. It would definitely make people less aggitated when waiting in line...except when the bus comes, 19 people in a wheel chair party get on the bus first and then you have to wait for the next bus, which the sign reads 15 minutes...AAAAHHHH!!!!

[Coleby]

I was thinking the same thing on our last trip! Something like Epcot has to tell you how long the waits are at the rides. They could do the same thing for the buses. And btw I wish all the parks had the board like Epcot, it would make life so much easier!


You do know that the other parks do list the wait times right? They just aren't as fancy as EPCOT's. The MK one is right down main street before you turn towards the CP. The one in HS is to the left when you turn to go to TOT.

But I do agree, a bus schedule showing times would be great!

[joonyer]

I thinks that's a great Idea, and it would be fairly easy, technologically, to put into place. :thumbsup:

[BluewaterBrad]

That would be a great idea. It would definitely make people less aggitated when waiting in line...except when the bus comes, 19 people in a wheel chair party get on the bus first and then you have to wait for the next bus, which the sign reads 15 minutes...AAAAHHHH!!!!


Been there!! Gotta chill and go with the Flow!! :thumbsup::mickey:

[Daisy'sMom]

That would be a great idea. It would definitely make people less aggitated when waiting in line...except when the bus comes, 19 people in a wheel chair party get on the bus first and then you have to wait for the next bus, which the sign reads 15 minutes...AAAAHHHH!!!!

Having a sister that has been in a wheelchair all her life, I resent these kind of remarks. What would you do, have them put her on and hope the rest of her party gets on also. So they get on first. The disabled have enough to swallow just getting through each day. I would hate to see them suffer at WDW too. :ill:

[WDWdriver]

The "wheelchair party at the bus stop" topic has already been thoroughly discussed on these boards - several times. :beat:

Let's try to stay on the OPs subject this time, which is, how can Disney better inform resort guests of bus arrival times.

[SBETigg]

I think it's an excellent idea. I love it.

For example, I usually stay at the GF or Polynesian. Say I'm at DTD and a bus is coming sooner for the Poly but I'm staying at the GF, I might jump to the Poly queue and monorail or walk the rest of the way over. On the other hand, this might be one reason why they don't do it. But I think it's a great idea. Good thinking!

[joelkfla]

It would be nice, but the way the buses currently run, it's nearly impossible to predict. There are just too many variables: load factor, driving speed, traffic signals, guest interaction, and (probably most of all) wheelchairs.

The target is to get a bus at every stop for every destination every 15-20 minutes throughout the day (more often at peak travel times), and yet, as you all know, wait times of 30 minutes or even more are not uncommon, for just those reasons.

I must add that I am speaking only from my personal experience as a driver. I do not in any way represent Disney management, nor do I have any knowledge of future plans or enhancements.

[WDWdriver]

Thanks for the insight, Joel.

[Daddy Mouse]

The technology for a GPS system to pick up on the nearest bus headed to the resort or park (It would require triangulations) doesn't exist or does Disney not think it's important enough to implement yet if the technology does exist. Is it possible for this to take place?

Bus A: Heading to the DHS and then to the POP
1. They are 10 min from DHS. The time for POP loading may read 12 Min and could change if another bus “B” could enter the system sooner heading back to the POP. Instead of a count down, the time could change from 12 min to 6 min because the GPS for the bus stop heading to the POP picked up a closer bus. Posted on Buses would show the time to get to their destination. Drivers would have to input destination codes that would have to emit a different signal to each destination’s GPS.

[Septbride2002]

I don't mind waiting at the resort for the bus - but I do get aggravated waiting at the parks for a bus. It never seems to fail that we'll be in the line waiting for our resort bus and 3 Old Key West busses will have come and gone before 1 of our resort busses get there. That is where I would like the sign telling me how much longer it is going to be. :D

~Amanda

[GrumpyFan]

Great idea! And I think it could be done, relatively easy. My GPS that I have tells me up to the minute when I will arrive at my destination, and usually does a good job at it, even with traffic delays added in. So, Disney could implement similar technology at their bus stops. I think it would make a great addition, and help with guest satisfaction. If done right, they could also use it internally (if they're not doing it already) to measure their performance and how quickly they get busses where they need to be.

[hrss7gc]

My partner and I were discussing the same thing a couple of years ago on our visit. Disney could team up with a sponser such as TomTom because they already have the technology. You can subscribe to a service that lets you track any other person on your list. So how hard would it be for them to put monitors up that show the route that would allow you to see where the buses were.

[joonyer]

This technology already exists and is being widely used. Many companies use GPS tracking to monitor the location of their vehicles, minute by minute, to make sure their drivers are staying on route and on time. In fact you can buy one for your own car to keep track of your teenagers, or that sneaky spouse who you think is having an affair.

Be careful, Big Brother just might be watching you!

[joelkfla]

The buses already have GPS, and they are already being tracked (sort of) at a central location. Drivers already enter a route code into the onboard data terminal. That's what triggers the destination signs (Disney calls them "marquees") and the automated spiels and stop announcements (when they work.)

The problem is coming up with the software to evaluate all of the variables I listed in my previous post, reliably track the buses, consider passenger load and capacity, finally decide which bus to send where, and communicate that to the onboard terminal. So far, they haven't gotten it to work. It's not a simple as it sounds.

Remember, WDW Transportation is not a typical city bus system, which has predictable demand and a few dozen routes running on fixed schedule. Our demand varies widely depending on park hours, weather, economic factors, holidays, entertainment schedules, and on and on. With 4 parks + 2 water parks + DTD, and 23 resorts, there are hundreds of route variations, which change depending on the time of day. And I doubt that any other transportation system deals with the load fluctuations and the number of handicapped guests that we do.

Management has been working to automate scheduling and dispatch for 2 years, but what they're attempting has never been done on so complex a system.

[GrumpyFan]

Given a little further thought, I believe the Buses on Demand which is supposed to dynamically route buses to "hot spots", probably would cause issues with a scheduling system as well. I'm sure it's not as easy as it sounds.

Joelk, when/how does central dispatch inform drivers of what their next pickup will be? Is it pre-defined for your entire shift, or is it stop by stop?

[Mrs Bus Driver]

What an interesting thread (to me anyway). Having driven school buses :bus: for 15 years I'd like to put in my :twocents:. One of the reasons you can't simply have buses on demand is in order to do it you must have buses on stand-by :wait:. Meaning doing nothing, so that they can be sent where needed when needed. Now I'm sure that Disney already has a few standing by for breakdowns and what-not. But on demand buses would require even more, not cost effective. IMHO I've always been impressed with Disney's bus system, but I go off season. :mickey:

[TheRustyScupper]

1) No bus system has such a system of notification.
2) Bus systems are just too complicated.
. . . routes might change
. . . buses might be re-routed to/from your resort
. . . traffic might let buses be earlier or later
. . . buses might fill before you and skip your resort
. . . some drive a little slower than others
. . . etc
3) Even if they did, what purpose would it serve?
4) You would still wait for the bus.
5) Besides. MOST of the time buses run on a 20-minute schedule, or less.
6) Now,
. . . it must be determined who pays for the system
. . . it adds no extra value
. . . it does not bring in added revenue

NOTE: About the only places you see "next vehicle" indicators are on trains. They have tracks and signals, so the signals know where the train is. Doesn't work this way with buses.

[GrumpyFan]

I still think it could be done. But, have to agree, there's no real value in it, other than maybe guest satisfaction. However, if there were problems with the proposed system, then guests would probably complain more. If they could just get consistent with a 20 minute interval for each destination, I think that would go a long way to guest satisfaction.

[Granny Jill A]

The problem is coming up with the software to evaluate all of the variables I listed in my previous post, reliably track the buses, consider passenger load and capacity, finally decide which bus to send where, and communicate that to the onboard terminal. So far, they haven't gotten it to work. It's not a simple as it sounds.

I totally agree that nothing is ever simple.
But, I was thinking of an information system that would let guests at the resorts know approximately when to expect the next bus to EPCOT or wherever they might want to go.
It doesn't have to be down to the minute precise, just a ballpark figure so you can gauge if you have enough time for a bathroom break :D

I hate it when I walk out the door and see a bus leaving the parking lot, not knowing which bus I missed. Sometimes folks who are waiting will know, sometimes not. :confused: