Disney Transport is a mass public transit system of the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, Florida. The transportation system provides free service to guests and consists of a monorail system, buses, watercraft, a proposed gondola system and parking lot trams. Most of the routes operated by Disney Transport are buses that run along the resort's public roads maintained by the Reedy Creek Improvement District and private roads. All of these modes of transportation do not charge a fare, which makes the entire network free to use.
Video Disney Transport
Buses
Except where monorail or ferry service exists or walking is practical, direct bus service is provided from every hotel to every park and to Disney Springs, as well as between parks. The buses are fare-free, and anyone staying at a Disney resort can use the complimentary service between the parks and the resorts, though people who are not staying at a resort can also use the bus for free. Bus service to and from parks typically starts 45 minutes before the park opens and ends an hour after the park closes; buses from the resorts to Disney Springs run until 2 a.m. Bus stops are located near park entrances; near Disney Springs' Town Center entrance; and along roadways inside the resort (for more expansive resorts) or near the resort's entrance (for smaller resorts).
Features
At some resorts, there are screens that indicate when the next bus to a given park will be arriving. This technology tracks the buses through GPS technology to give projected wait times, though buses usually run at intervals of no more than twenty minutes. On board the air-conditioned, ADA-accessible buses, announcements are played to indicate points of interest and bus stops. These announcements use GPS to determine which announcements should be played at which locations. Although the buses are ADA-accessible and can fit two wheelchairs/motorized wheelchairs per vehicle, people with strollers must fold these strollers before boarding the buses.
Along Buena Vista Drive between Epcot Center Drive and the Disney Springs Lime Garage, new bus lanes were installed between 2014 and May 2016 as part of the renovation of Disney Springs. These allow buses headed to/from Disney Springs and Typhoon Lagoon to use their own, exclusive right-of-way in the median of Buena Vista Drive, thereby enabling bus rapid transit routes to be run to Disney Springs and Typhoon Lagoon. These bus lanes also have prioritized traffic signals, which will allow buses to travel more quickly through intersections along this corridor.
Routes
While the bus system is a hub-and-spoke paradigm, it is more akin to a traditional aviation hub-and-spoke model than to the traditional public transit hub-and-spoke model because it has multiple hubs, both primary and secondary in nature, with the routes themselves usually being non-stop. The four theme parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom, as well as Disney Springs, operate as the five primary hubs. Each of these five hubs have service to the 22 resorts, as well as to the other hubs. There are some routes that do not have direct bus service, mostly when the same route is served by monorail, ferry, and/or walkway. An example of this is the service from Epcot to and from either the Magic Kingdom or Disney's Hollywood Studios, which have monorail and ferry connections respectively, as well as from Disney Springs to the parks (though one-way service from the parks to Disney Springs is provided after 4 p.m.).
The two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, as well as ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, operate as secondary hubs, with service only to some of the resorts and no connection to the other hubs. ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex serves as the smallest of these hubs, with service only on select days, going to and from Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, or All-Star Sports. Direct transportation between the spokes (the resorts) is not provided, unless they happen to be on the same bus route. Buses also are used for internal resort guest transportation within several of the larger resorts. Disney Transport buses also carry cast members around the resort. The Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) acts as the primary hub for the Walt Disney World Monorail System, as well as a transfer point to watercraft service. The TTC is no longer served by Disney Transport buses, however it is one of only two transfer points from Disney Transport to Orlando's Lynx service (the other transfer point, Disney Springs, requires a 0.5 miles (0.80 km) walk between the two services).
Typically, no service is provided between Disney Springs and other attractions, except for Typhoon Lagoon, which is an intermediate stop on all of the Disney Springs routes. This is because of the risk of visitors driving to Disney Springs to park for free there, to avoid paying for parking at the theme parks. However, since August 30, 2016, bus service from each of the parks to Disney Springs is available after 4 p.m. to accommodate guests who want to shop after going to the parks, though return service to the parks is not provided.
Beginning in 1983, buses' destinations were marked by a small colored flag on the front of the bus. At the time of the flags' introduction, the resort consisted of two parks, four hotels, the TTC, and the Disney Shopping Village; there were also three bus routes that ran exclusively within the Fort Wilderness Resort. Handbooks were provided so travelers could match the flags with the destinations. However, this became increasingly impractical as more parks and hotels were added, and the flags were retired from the buses in 1995. Now, the destination or destinations are displayed on the electronic route marquee on the fronts and sides of each bus. Newer buses (made from 2015 onward) also have marquees on the backs of each bus.
Fleet
Disney Transport operates a fleet of Nova Bus LFS, Gillig Low Floor, and New Flyer XD60 Xcelsior bus models. They have approximately 350 buses in their fleet with a further 50 Gillig buses on order as of 2014, which would expand their fleet to 400 buses. This is an expansion from the 319 buses it had in 2012, and from approximately 289 in years prior. Since 2013, some buses have sported a new red-and-gray, or red-and-white, paint scheme with a new "Disney Transport" logo, with more buses to be repainted over the coming years. This is a change from previous livery, in which buses were painted white with a red "Disney" logo and the word "Transport" in yellow-on-purple text next to the logo.
Disney Transport has been expanding its fleet with new Gillig buses, and in 2014, it introduced new articulated New Flyer XD60 Xcelsior buses as a pilot project to increase capacity on certain routes. Some of its buses run on a cleaner renewable diesel fuel, and in 2013, Disney Transport began testing the use of all-electric buses on its routes. The fleet currently is the third largest fleet of any Florida transportation system, behind Miami's Metrobus and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.
The Disney Transport bus depot is located at 2451 Recycle Way, Orlando, FL 32830.
Current active fleet
As of December 2016, there are 390 vehicles in Disney Transport's fleet.
Past fleet
Maps Disney Transport
Monorail
There are also three monorail lines from the Transportation and Ticket Center to either Magic Kingdom or Epcot, which comprise the fare-free Walt Disney World Monorail System. The three lines, and the rolling stock of twelve Mark VI monorails, are maintained by Disney and form part of the Walt Disney World transportation system. The monorails are ADA-accessible and stroller-accessible, though there is a vertical gap between the monorails and the platforms, so wheelchair users must use a portable ramp, located at each station, to board the monorail. The monorail system opened in 1971 with the Magic Kingdom "Resort" and "Express" monorail lines; the former runs in a loop between Magic Kingdom and the TTC via the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary Resorts, while the latter bypasses the resorts and goes directly between the TTC and Magic Kingdom via a parallel loop. The Epcot line was added in 1982. As of 2013, the system is one of the most heavily used monorail systems in the world with over 150,000 daily riders.
Watercraft
The resort also maintains a fleet of watercraft providing additional access between various Disney resorts and parks. These ferries are also free to ride. While some route duplication does take place (for instance, the Disney Springs water taxis to the Disney Springs Resort Area duplicate buses to these same resorts), the watercraft provide an alternative way to travel from one location to another.
Strollers can be transported aboard all of the boats, and the ferries, motor cruises, and Friendship Boats are ADA-accessible when water conditions are favorable. Wheelchairs need to be folded for water launches and water taxis.
Routes
The boats with the highest capacities are the large ferries that traverse the Seven Seas Lagoon between the TTC and the Magic Kingdom. The three ferries are clad in different trim colors and are named for past Disney executives: the General Joe Potter (blue), the Richard F. Irvine (red) and the Admiral Joe Fowler (green).
Motor launches and cruises link several places in the Seven Seas Lagoon, using colored flags to indicate the route. Launches link the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian and Polynesian Resorts via the Seven Seas Lagoon, using the Gold Route. These launches also connect the Magic Kingdom to Bay Lake via a water bridge to reach Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, using the Green Route. There is also a Blue Route motor launch between the Wilderness Lodge and the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, via the Contemporary Resort. A Red Route motor launch/cruise travels from Magic Kingdom directly to the Wilderness Lodge.
Water taxis, which also have colored flags as route indicators link Port Orleans - French Quarter/Riverside (blue), Old Key West (green), and Saratoga Springs (yellow) to Disney Springs along the Sassagoula River. A fourth route, the red-flag route, ferries passengers around Disney Springs.
Friendship Boats also connect the International Gateway entrance of Epcot to the BoardWalk Resort; the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts; the Swan and Dolphin Resorts; and Disney's Hollywood Studios. They also connect Epcot's Future World to Morocco and Germany in the World Showcase.
Parking lot trams
Disney Transport is also responsible for maintaining the fleet of parking lot trams used for shuttling guests between the various theme park parking lots and their respective main entrances (except at the Magic Kingdom, where the trams drop guests off at the Transportation and Ticket Center). Because the trams require guests to transfer from one's wheelchair and to fold all strollers and wheelchairs before boarding, they are not ADA-accessible. Both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot parking lots have two tram lanes, with the Magic Kingdom trams serving the "Heroes" and "Villains" sides of the lot, while the Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom parking lots have only one tram lane.
The original tram tractors, which were built by United Tractor of Chesterton, Indiana in 1969, ran on compressed natural gas. However, these tractors experienced many problems and were prone to frequent breakdowns. A new fleet of tram tractors, which were custom designed and built by Disney, were put into service in 1972. These tram tractors, which originally ran on diesel fuel until they were converted to run on compressed natural gas in the late 1990s, remained in service for forty five years. In late 2016, a new tram tractor began being testing at Disney's Animal Kingdom which ran on propane in order to make it quieter and more fuel efficient. Following successful testing, Disney upgraded the entire tram tractor fleet to the new propane-fueled tractors throughout 2017.
Skyliner
The Disney Skyliner gondola system was announced during the D23 Expo in 2017. The proposal was announced as part of the unveiling of 23 improvements to Disney Parks. The three-line system will connect Disney's Pop Century Resort, Disney's Art of Animation Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, and the new Disney Riviera Resort to Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot.
Minnie Van
The ride-hailing service named after Minnie Mouse began testing in July 2017, with the first Minnie Van service being offered to guests staying at Disney's BoardWalk Resort, Disney's Yacht Club, and Disney's Beach Club at the end of that month. As of November 2017, guests staying at any Deluxe resort can use the service. Unlike the public transportation, the Minnie Vans charge a flat fee to transport guests anywhere within the Walt Disney World property. The vehicles are Chevrolet Traverse SUVs with capacity for up to 6 passengers. In August 2017, Disney announced that ride-hailing service Lyft will be used to call a Minnie Van while on property, though guests need to be first be invited to use the service in order to access it.
Incidents
From September 25, 2013 to September 25, 2015, Disney Transport has been involved in 27 total accidents that have been reported to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, including two fatal accidents and nineteen others involving injuries.
Notes
See also
- Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
References
External links
- Official website
- Unofficial Map
Source of article : Wikipedia
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