Bus Drivers

[Brer Fox]

I was just curious on how the bus drivers are. I've been to WDW around 16 times since 1998. And I know for a good while the bus drivers would talk to you and ask you trivia questions as they drove you from your resort to park, park to park etc. But they quit doing that a few years back and I have always wondered why. I haven't been to WDW since 2007 and I was wondering if they have started doing that again or if it hasn't changed and they still don't talk to you anymore.

[faline]

Very few bus drivers actively interact with passengers any more though, occasionally, you still come across one or two who do so.

[DonaldsBFF]

We only ever had one bus ride where there was any driver interaction. I think the drivers name was Len. He was a real hoot though! Honestly the last time we went I think most of the drivers were foreigners. When they would announce the stops on the intercom you couldn't really understand what they were saying. Maybe that is why much of the interaction has stopped.

[lawgirl]

We didn't experience much driver interaction, but I'll have to say, on the whole they were all very friendly and very nice. On the bus to the MK, it was pretty packed, and my dad ended up standing close to the driver's seat. They had a nice 20 minute conversation all the way to the park! But we didn't have anyone come over the intercom and talk much.

We did have the absolute nicest bus driver ever. I can't remember where we were headed or what day it was. But he was the sweetest, nicest driver I've ever had. It really made our day that much more magical.

[Mr.K]

We just got back from WDW last week and very little interaction.

Several years ago, we had a few bus drivers give us trivia and were very interactive.

[Zawadi]

They are few and far between.

A couple of years ago we had one who, on the Yacht, Blizzard Beach, AKL run gave his own spiel on Blizzard beach and his description of Summit Plummet had us in stitches.

On our last trip we were heading to AKL from the Yacht Club. The idea was to change at the AK, which was about to close. We were the only ones on the bus and the driver, Vic, radio'd for clearance to take us directly to the AKL.

[Gator]

Yeah, I miss the old drivers. They would interact quite a bit during the vacation. Now, none of them do. I wonder if it's policy, or if the drivers just get tired of asking the same trivia questions trip after trip.

[Melanie]

With the pre-recorded intercom/announcements, the bus drivers don't need to be as interactive as they once were. Such a shame!

[arbie_c]

My first trip to WDW back in '93 the bus drivers were so much fun an made the bus rides entertaining. We really enjoyed that the next few trips were like that and then it's like someone pulled a switch & they were just regular drivers without the jokes and entertainment. Don't get me wrong they can be very nice but I sure miss the fun that they use to bring to the bus rides.

[11290]

With the pre-recorded intercom/announcements, the bus drivers don't need to be as interactive as they once were. Such a shame!

I think it may go back to early 2010, when there were some bus "incidents" (accidents) that were perceived (rightfully or not) to be a result of "inattention to the road". At that time a relatively "no nonsense" manager left a MK business unit to take over the bus part of transportation (since left and reassigned to go to an overseas park under construction) and a lot of changes were forthcoming concerning bus safety. Not to say this was one of them though.

Since that time a lot more automated dialogue was installed in the bus systems. You still find some that interact with the guests a bit but not as many. I think it just has a lot more to do with safety concerns and the desires of the current manager.

[Main Street Jim]

Yeah, it's certainly not "required" by Disney for any Cast Member to interact with the guests; a lot of us do/did, though, because we *loved* what we did. A LOT of the Cast, though....just don't understand *how* to interact; they get trained in their assigned areas...and that's it. I know, though, that when I trained my Cast on attractions, we spent some time learning/teaching how to interact and talk to the guests.

I guess it's all in how they're trained. I do know that "Traditions" - the "indoctrination" course to *being* a Disney Cat Member - has been cut down severely since the time I went through. It used to be a three- or four-day course; now, it's one day in Traditions and a half a day introduction to your work area. :/

[Lindsey310]

I have noticed this too. No more trivia.
The most interaction we had in september 2012 was him telling us which bus stop to return to.

[DizneyRox]

Remember folks, the candidate pool for CMs has all but disappeared in Orlando. Disney is pulling 'talent' from surrounding areas and has lowered their standards for qualified CMs.

They used to be able to be a bit more picky. They used to get a lot more people that were all about Disney, and now it's just a job for most.

Could be this necessitated the bus spiels we have now...

I'd rather get to my location in one piece, but sometimes you can't even get a hello out of some of the drivers. There could be a happy medium.

[AmandaChan]

every now and then you get that special bus driver that tells you things you didn't know, asks you about your trip, etc. but everyone that i can remember has always been professional and courteous. i'm sure that can be a stressful job sometimes.

[#1donaldfan]

I remember those drives....they were so good, so funny and at times very informative. I really do miss them as they interacted. I don't recall seeing to many foreign drivers of late. Anyway, we have had some great ones..... late at night, everyone tired and trying to sleep and all the sudden he plows over the speed bumps (POR) as you enter in front of the resort....what a jolt to wake you.....fun times !!

[jwallace378]

It's a shame that the bus drivers aren't the same anymore. I can remember back in the 90's and the early 2000's, the bus drivers were great. There were some drivers that should've been stand-up comics! After a long day at the park, I can remember a few of them would start sing-alongs on the busses! Those were the good old days!