Disney Transport Bus Roster

[JenMuse]

Honestly, I actually miss the old brown seated orange and white buses we would take through Fort Wilderness to get to Pioneer Hall. I almost took a boat ride over there just to ride one of those buses...figure Len can appreciate that inclination.

I'm almost ashamed to admit I didn't pay much attention at all to the buses I rode this last trip!

[Goofyfan]

Len sure knows his busses...lol

[Len90]

Wow so I have definitely been hiding under a rock for the past week or two. This new bus scheme is going to take some time to get used to. After all we have been seeing the same thing for the past 15+ years now. All in all, it should be interesting and it FINALLY sheds some light on the new costume Disney Transport bus drivers got about 2 years ago now. In addition this will be an easy changeover for the newer buses as the interior colors will match up. Older buses like the LFS and original Gillig Low Floors may end up looking like odd balls as they have the purple seats and green near the back doors (novas). It makes me wonder if Disney will end up refurbishing the interior or will they just let it go like they did with the RTSs when they changed to the big letters from the brown stripe. Then we also have to wonder if this new scheme will officially mark the end of the RTS bus as those have been slated for retirement for years now, but still keep pressing on. I seriously doubt Disney will waste money painting those. Definitely a lot of things to keep our eyes out for with this changeover.

So far we have confirmed sightings of two different Nova LFS buses in the new scheme with those pictures. The first definitely has some unique headlights since that is a more modern front end on an older bus. Probably one that was in an accident...

Another small update is Disney finally getting into the 21st century and is installing screens at the resort stops to tell you when the next bus should be arriving. From the pictures I have seen, looks like some thought was put in for making it look professional and not like a city mass transit system.

[Amy]

...Another small update is Disney finally getting into the 21st century and is installing screens at the resort stops to tell you when the next bus should be arriving. From the pictures I have seen, looks like some thought was put in for making it look professional and not like a city mass transit system.

I really like this idea! It will give you a good indication if you have time to run back to the room for something you forgot, or make a quick bathroom stop, or go grab a drink before the bus comes

[Len90]

...Another small update is Disney finally getting into the 21st century and is installing screens at the resort stops to tell you when the next bus should be arriving. From the pictures I have seen, looks like some thought was put in for making it look professional and not like a city mass transit system.

I really like this idea! It will give you a good indication if you have time to run back to the room for something you forgot, or make a quick bathroom stop, or go grab a drink before the bus comes

It might be able to provide that, but keep in mind (from what I understand) these boards are only going to be at the resort bus stops and not in the lobby or anywhere else. It might give you some time but I think the main purpose is to avoid having guests going on a different bus and questioning the driver where their bus is.

[Amy]

...Another small update is Disney finally getting into the 21st century and is installing screens at the resort stops to tell you when the next bus should be arriving. From the pictures I have seen, looks like some thought was put in for making it look professional and not like a city mass transit system.

I really like this idea! It will give you a good indication if you have time to run back to the room for something you forgot, or make a quick bathroom stop, or go grab a drink before the bus comes

It might be able to provide that, but keep in mind (from what I understand) these boards are only going to be at the resort bus stops and not in the lobby or anywhere else. It might give you some time but I think the main purpose is to avoid having guests going on a different bus and questioning the driver where their bus is.

Yeah, seeing the times at the bus stop is what I meant. I found myself at the bus stop a few times wondering whether I should run back to the room for something. Having an estimated arrival time for the bus would make that decision a little easier. We never really had to wait long for buses at the All Star resorts so it never was a big concern.
I can see it being helpful for guests making sure they are getting on the correct bus as well.

[cy1229]

...Another small update is Disney finally getting into the 21st century and is installing screens at the resort stops to tell you when the next bus should be arriving. From the pictures I have seen, looks like some thought was put in for making it look professional and not like a city mass transit system.

I really like this idea! It will give you a good indication if you have time to run back to the room for something you forgot, or make a quick bathroom stop, or go grab a drink before the bus comes

These would be REALLY cool if they showed in real time where the bus for that particular resort / theme park is. It would probably alleviate some of the "what's taking so long" remarks. Kind of like being able to see in real time on your smart phone where the plane you'll be boarding is currently. Or HEY! a touch-screen that showed all of the parks for that particular bus, and you could touch the park you want to go to, it will tell you approximately how long it will be to get there, you can ask it how full the bus is, it tells you approximately (%age) how full the bus is, yada yada yada.

[Amy]

...Another small update is Disney finally getting into the 21st century and is installing screens at the resort stops to tell you when the next bus should be arriving. From the pictures I have seen, looks like some thought was put in for making it look professional and not like a city mass transit system.

I really like this idea! It will give you a good indication if you have time to run back to the room for something you forgot, or make a quick bathroom stop, or go grab a drink before the bus comes

These would be REALLY cool if they showed in real time where the bus for that particular resort / theme park is. It would probably alleviate some of the "what's taking so long" remarks. Kind of like being able to see in real time on your smart phone where the plane you'll be boarding is currently. Or HEY! a touch-screen that showed all of the parks for that particular bus, and you could touch the park you want to go to, it will tell you approximately how long it will be to get there, you can ask it how full the bus is, it tells you approximately (%age) how full the bus is, yada yada yada.

That would be awesome cy1229! But highly unlikely to be implemented I would guess

[cy1229]

That would be awesome cy1229! But highly unlikely to be implemented I would guess

We need a new thread. "If I was in charge, I would ..."

[Soarin08]

...Another small update is Disney finally getting into the 21st century and is installing screens at the resort stops to tell you when the next bus should be arriving. From the pictures I have seen, looks like some thought was put in for making it look professional and not like a city mass transit system.

I really like this idea! It will give you a good indication if you have time to run back to the room for something you forgot, or make a quick bathroom stop, or go grab a drink before the bus comes

I like it!! Very nice detail.

[I am Sulley]

I have always been a huge fan of the WDW Transport Bus system.

Len90
As an English bus & Disney enthusiast I have searched hard since my visit 12 months ago for information on the Disney Buses. Having found this info is great but can I go down a related "road" by asking: Do you have similar information about the Disney Cruise Line & Disney's Magical Express vehicles?

Not sure about the new livery design, but hey another good reason to keep saving to come back again!

[dstrawn9889]

well... DCL express and Magical Express are NOT disney property, they are Mears Contract, am i right, Len? anyway they are operated by another group... makes it harder to keep track of 'em

[Len90]

Len90
As an English bus & Disney enthusiast I have searched hard since my visit 12 months ago for information on the Disney Buses. Having found this info is great but can I go down a related "road" by asking: Do you have similar information about the Disney Cruise Line & Disney's Magical Express vehicles?

Not sure about the new livery design, but hey another good reason to keep saving to come back again!

First off, welcome to the board! I haven't really ever researched the Disney Cruise Line or Magical Express fleet since they are not Disney owned or operated. As dstrawn9889 pointed out, they are under contract through Mears Transportation. I just know that they are all Van Hool C2045s. I am unsure of the years, but I would assume they can at most be 12-13 years old now since the C20 was introduced in 2000.

well... DCL express and Magical Express are NOT disney property, they are Mears Contract, am i right, Len? anyway they are operated by another group... makes it harder to keep track of 'em

Correct! It is usually easier to keep track of companies like MTA or NJ Transit since they are large mass transit fleets. Smaller and private fleets are not really known that well.

[I am Sulley]

Len90 » Mar Fri 01, 2013 3:54 am
Took a few minutes to look through the bus pictures on I Am Sulley's flickr. Nice to see a lot of pictures of the RTS'. Last summer they were becoming pretty rare and I am starting to think they will be obsolete with the new look Disney Transport has gone with.

Hope you don't mind but moved all this bus talk to a more appropriate page.
Glad you found my photos in the end.
I made sure I got some good RTS shots as it was all RTS when we first went to WDW in 1998. Although I do recall watching a low floor vehicle being moved across the EPCOT bus parking area, unfortunately too far away to get a photo of it.

[Len90]

The Disney Transport fleet was exclusive to the the RTS until 2000 when they started purchasing new Nova LFS buses. At that time the RTS was being produced by Nova as well, but Disney went for the low floor option.

Low Floor in 1998? The only thing I could think of is that it was a demo bus. However, there was no number assigned to it. The fleet numbering is consistent from the RTS to the LFS. Do you remember anything about that bus?