There is a version of a Disneyland trip that starts before you ever reach the park gates. You land at John Wayne or LAX, you get to your Anaheim hotel, and then you figure out how to bridge the gap between where you are staying and where you want to be.
For tens of millions of visitors over the years, that bridge was the ART shuttle. The Anaheim Resort Transportation system, operated by the Anaheim Transportation Network, built itself into the daily infrastructure of the Disneyland Resort visitor experience so thoroughly that for many guests it simply became part of what a Disneyland trip looked like — you stayed at a nearby hotel, you caught the ART bus, you arrived at the resort without needing a car or a rideshare or a parking space. That version of the trip ends tomorrow. March 31, 2026 is the final day of ART service.
The Anaheim Transportation Network is shutting down after failing to stabilize its finances, and more than 8 million annual riders are now navigating a transition period in which the replacement infrastructure is not yet fully in place. At the same time, Walt Disney World is dealing with its own transportation story, where a temporary verification policy at Disney Springs is restricting bus access to resort hotels in ways that have generated significant guest frustration. Neither situation is without a workaround, but both require Disney visitors to plan their transportation more carefully than they may have been expecting to.
What Happens When ART Stops Running
The Anaheim Transportation Network will cease all operations after March 31, 2026. The wind-down has been in progress since February 9, when ATN began scaling back its service as the City of Anaheim began searching for a replacement. That search has not yet produced a successor system ready to step in immediately.
The void ATN is leaving is significant. The system connected Disneyland Resort, dozens of nearby hotels, the Anaheim Canyon Metrolink Station, downtown Anaheim, and the Platinum Triangle, serving as the primary transit option in a resort district that sees more than 25 million visitors annually. The single most heavily used route was the Toy Story Parking Area shuttle to Disneyland's main entrance, which accounted for roughly 83 percent of ATN's total ridership this fiscal year — just under 7 million riders on that route alone.
Disney has told the OC Register that shuttle service for its guests will continue, though no specific details have been announced. The Garden Grove Tourism Improvement District is launching a new shuttle service between the Disneyland Resort transit hub and 10 nearby Garden Grove hotels, funded through hotel-stay assessments and rider fees. The Orange County Transportation Authority has noted that many of ATN's routes are already covered by existing OC Bus service, which provides a partial bridge for some of the gap.
Beyond those immediate responses, the longer-term picture is less defined. Anaheim officials are exploring whether a single operator could eventually take over ATN's broader role, but city representatives have been explicit that no such replacement will be ready in the near term. A coalition of major hotels is developing an independent shuttle network, though hotel representatives have acknowledged that replicating ATN's service structure will cost significantly more than what ATN was charging.
Anaheim's transportation future is also being shaped by Disney's long-range DisneylandForward expansion plan, which includes a new 6,000-space parking structure, a transportation hub, and a security screening area on the east side of the resort. A demolition permit filed last month indicates that early development work on the parking structure is already underway. The eventual completion of that infrastructure will reshape how guests arrive at and move through the resort, but it will not resolve the immediate gap left by ATN's shutdown.
The realistic near-term picture for Disneyland transportation is a fragmented system of public buses, individual hotel shuttles, Disney-operated options, and rideshare — a patchwork that replaces what was, for all its financial struggles, a centralized and familiar service.
Disney Springs Bus Access Now Requires Verification at Walt Disney World
Separately, a transportation policy change at Walt Disney World has been generating its own wave of guest reaction. Cast members at the Disney Springs bus loop are scanning MagicBands and checking credentials before allowing guests to board buses bound for resort hotels.
Three credentials qualify: an active resort hotel reservation, a confirmed dining reservation at the destination resort, or a confirmed recreation activity like a boat cruise. Guests without one of those cannot board. The check happens before boarding at the loop. Standard theme park buses, the monorail, the Skyliner, and all other Disney transportation routes are running normally. Only the Disney Springs to resort hotel bus service requires verification.
Cast members on site have told guests this is a temporary Easter period measure. Disney ran a similar verification process from Disney Springs around New Year's, giving the policy historical precedent. The stated reason is parking management — preventing guests from parking at Disney Springs and using the bus network to travel elsewhere during a period of high demand.
How Guests Have Responded to the Disney Springs Change
The reaction on X has covered a wide range of perspectives. Some guests accepted the policy immediately. “They typically do transportation restrictions like this during peak periods. So right now would make sense,” one commenter noted. “This isn't the first time that they enforced this,” added another. Others pointed to what they see as the root cause: “Yes — I saw earlier that people are taking the resort buses from Disney Springs and using the resort pools which is taking away from the guests who are staying on property.” One went further: “I saw this coming. They'll eventually make this permanent because people are jumping on buses to resorts they aren't staying at. It's becoming a security risk. I knew this was coming. We can thank influencers and former guests giving tips to do this. They've ruined it.”
The pushback came from guests who felt the policy catches the wrong people. “If true, this policy will only hurt Disney's bottom line. Locals and Passholders have long enjoyed the tradition of visiting resorts to see their Easter and holiday decorations. They spend money on food and merchandise just like those with resort and dining reservations,” one argued. Another reflected: “The resort monorail used to be just for resort guests too. It was nice.” One framed it around the financial stakes for hotel guests directly: “Think about this if you're going during a busy time of year, people are paying so much money for the hotels they don't want a bad experience!”
Planning Your Trip Around Both Situations
For Disneyland Resort guests, the most pressing immediate question is how you plan to get between your hotel and the park. If your hotel is among the ten covered by Garden Grove's new shuttle, that service is your clearest near-term option. If not, OC Bus routes, rideshare, and any hotel-specific shuttle service your property offers are the available alternatives. Checking your hotel's current transportation offerings before you travel is worth doing now rather than after you arrive.
For Walt Disney World guests, if using resort hotel buses from Disney Springs is part of how you plan your days, having a qualifying dining reservation at your destination resort will satisfy the requirement. Even a lounge reservation or quick service booking may work. Boat service and rideshare remain available for guests who prefer not to book.
Both coasts are navigating transportation disruption simultaneously, and the common thread for guests is the same: confirm your transportation plan before you arrive rather than assuming what was available on your last visit is still in place.
Our Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World transportation guides are kept current as these situations develop. Check them before your trip, confirm your options for getting to and around the resort, and give yourself the best possible shot at a trip that goes according to plan from the moment you land.
