Minimum number of riders needed to run a coaster

Iceman3 said:
Where did you hear this. It sounds like hogwash to me.

I heard it during ops training, read it in the training manual, and was tested on it during operations training at both SFOG and SFOT.

Suprised they enforced this recently at SFMM as I thought the corporate policy dissolved shortly after Premier came in. It was an annoying policy for both guest and op but would result in a write up if not followed. Ironically the typical guest that would make a huge fuss about switching would be a guy trying to ride alone in the last seat wearing a shiny polyester jacket covered in coaster patches. They'd say "that sounds like hogwash to me!" :)

Cropsey said:
Ironically the typical guest that would make a huge fuss about switching would be a guy trying to ride alone in the last seat wearing a shiny polyester jacket covered in coaster patches. They'd say "that sounds like hogwash to me!" :)

:)

I still think it sounds like hogwash! Plus I dont have a shiny polyester jacket covered in patches. To much flare for my taste :)

The two Six Flags Parks I worked at didn't have any numbers needed to run the coasters on normal operating days, and people where allowed to sit where ever they wanted. When the trains first came out of re-hab and needed to be broken in or when it was cold out we would adjust the loading depending upon the coaster.

It's funny to me that this happened so soon after I started this topic, but at Knott's on 1/14, they ran Montezooma's Revenge multiple times with 2-4 riders each time. I never saw the Boomerang run with less than 8 people so I don't know if they also would have ran it with less than the minimum of 6 they usually say then need. Possibly policy change, lol? I have no idea, but I got to ride every time I tried to so I'll take it.

I'm glad you were able to get on it. MR is actually one of my favorite coasters at Knott's. I went last winter and also was able to ride with very small loads -- four or five at one point, I believe.

I'm glad too. When I went to KBF on 9/5/08, I rode MR twice and came back and tried to ride 2 more times later in the day. They had a ride op at the entrance telling people that it was closed due to low park attendance. Hopefully the fact that they ran it with less than 6 people this time is an indication that the minimum is no longer being enforced. It also would have been interesting to see what would have happened if the Boomerang had less than 6 riders since it is the only other coaster I have ever seen them use a minimum on.