Minnie Van bad service.

[joelkfla]

Tim Trakker posted a vlog yesterday where he tried out a Minnie Van from CSR front lobby to CBR. The Lyft app said the MV would arrive in 4 minutes, but it took 20! Then the MV driver missed the turn into CBR and had to turn around at Bonnet Creek Resorts.

 

[rg35]

Not sure what the takeaway is here.

Human drivers make mistakes?

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I thought Minnie Vans were perfect in every way according the prevailing view on here.

 

[Missyrose]

Tim Trakker posted a vlog yesterday where he tried out a Minnie Van from CSR front lobby to CBR. The Lyft app said the MV would arrive in 4 minutes, but it took 20! Then the MV driver missed the turn into CBR and had to turn around at Bonnet Creek Resorts.

Did he do any follow-up with Disney on his bad trip?

 

[joelkfla]

Not sure what the takeaway is here.

Human drivers make mistakes?

Sure, anyone can miss a turn, but the talk has been that MV drivers are highly trained with comprehensive knowledge of WDW and it's road system, and therefore more reliable than the average Uber/Lyft driver.

More concerning is the car arriving in 20 minutes after being quoted a 4 minute ETA. That pretty much wipes out the advantage over buses.

Did he do any follow-up with Disney on his bad trip?

I don't know, but probably not. If you watch Tim's videos, he's pretty easy-going and takes life as it comes.

 

[nkereina]

Not sure what the takeaway is here.

Human drivers make mistakes?

When Minnie Vans are charging what some perceive to be an exorbitant fare, you'd expect drivers who are well versed in Disney property. Couple the wrong turns with a 16 minute pick-up delay, it makes the hefty price tag a harder pill to swallow.

Everyone's experiences will vary, but if I experienced this on my first trip with a Minnie Van, I'd be hesitant to use it again.

 

[Dawn68PA]

I’ve taken tons of Minnie Vans, never had an issue.

Too bad about the massive price hike. They’ve probably lost us as customers over that.

 

[caitycaity]

His video made me not want to try them on my upcoming trip. Why spend more?

 

[jo-jo]

But what happens to the cost if the drive misses turns and the trip is longer than necessary ?

Are the rides predetermined point A to point B cost X amount ?

 

[nkereina]

But what happens to the cost if the drive misses turns and the trip is longer than necessary ?

Are the rides predetermined point A to point B cost X amount ?

I think so. I know with Uber, Uber provides a route for the driver on the GPS and that's what the cost is based off of. If the driver decides to go off-route because of whatever reason, they don't get paid more because of it. I assume Minnie Van works the same, but I haven't used one yet to know if they also are provided a route by Lyft that they should follow. If they are given a route, its puzzling how the Tim Tracker's driver made the wrong turns.

 

[Melissa Perez]

If the driver decides to go off-route because of whatever reason, they don't get paid more because of it.

I just read a NYTimes article that actually Uber drivers are paid by Uber based on a combo of distance x time so actually they've noticed drivers taking longer routes and the cost being paid by Uber (versus the rider). But, that only happens after they pick up the rider, so it doesn't sound to be the issue here. It does however make me stop and see what routes my drivers are taking me on though !!!

 

[nkereina]

I just read a NYTimes article that actually Uber drivers are paid by Uber based on a combo of distance x time so actually they've noticed drivers taking longer routes and the cost being paid by Uber (versus the rider). But, that only happens after they pick up the rider, so it doesn't sound to be the issue here. It does however make me stop and see what routes my drivers are taking me on though !!!

Interesting. So drivers are deliberately taking longer routes to get more money? Doesn't seem sensible by Uber. I do know that I once took what should have been a 20 minute Uber ride and turned into a 90 minute Uber ride (accident, traffic), and it cost me $36. I felt bad that the driver spent that much time on my ride and didn't make very much off it. But I have no idea whether Uber compensated him further afterwards though.

 

[Melissa Perez]

Interesting. So drivers are deliberately taking longer routes to get more money? Doesn't seem sensible by Uber. I do know that I once took what should have been a 20 minute Uber ride and turned into a 90 minute Uber ride (accident, traffic), and it cost me $36. I felt bad that the driver spent that much time on my ride and didn't make very much off it. But I have no idea whether Uber compensated him further afterwards though.

My mistake - its WSJ but heres the article https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-drivers-take-riders-the-long-wayat-ubers-expense-1534152602

 

[MinnieMSue]

I saw his video. We took a Minnie van once and had an amazing driver. She waited in a rainstorm while we tried to find the pickup spot and she stood in the pouring rain and held car door open for me. She was gracious and knew so much Disney info. She had worked there for a very long time and was an original Minnie van driver. We enjoyed that ride very much. Sadly the price increase was too high.

 

[Clare Voince]

I saw the vlog too, and I think it was just bad luck. No service is perfect. To me, the advantage of the Minnie Van was not speed, but service. Uber/Lyft was like getting a taxi, and the Minnie Van was like getting a chauffeur.

 

[goofy4tink]

CSR to CBR is a straight shot. Even my direction challenged dh could make that drive. Not to mention it's pretty well marked. I know that Disney says to expect longer waits for a van to arrive due to the limited number of them. But, if the app says 4 mins away, then one should be able to expect that van to arrive in under 5 mins. I would imagine that the driver got lost getting to CSR. I thought that the MV drivers were well versed in getting around Disney property!!!

 

[AngiTN]

I guess I don't expect every single driver to know every single inch of property and the roads.
The delay getting there could have been from an accident, you never know. And I know the roads around CBR have been under quite a bit of construction so it could have also been a construction delay.

But I can tell you that I've had many, many rides, not just traditional Uber/Lyft but Minnie Vans too, take longer to reach me than the initial estimate. I'd say that the times they reach me within the estimated time is extremely low.
I don't know this traker fellow (but man do people here seem to follow him) so I've seen the report, but did he say the 4 min wait time showed up after he accepted the ride, or was it the estimate when he went to start the request.
That is something else that has really been off. And that does annoy the heck out of me, because I often use that to help me know when I need to make the request.
I hate that I can open the app, select a route, select a vehicle size and see the estimate that a car is 3 min away and then go to make the actual request and get a notice that my ride is 10 min away. And then have it actually take more like 12 min. That's 10 more min than I was expecting based on the estimate at the request screen. Now, I know an estimate is an estimate but I do fail to understand how the estimate is so far off. And the Minnie Van requests work the same way since they go through Lyft too. It doesn't necessarily connect you with the vehicle closest to you. We even tested that once. Standing in the parking lot at HS, next to a Minnie Van that was available, no other one around. I made the request and got assigned a different vehicle. So we had to stand there and watch the one in the parking lot wait for another rider to get matched to them and wait for our ride. No idea how they assign vehicles but proximity must not be the primary feature. Minnie Vans do work different in that aspect, they don't have to accept a ride, they are assigned to the drivers too.

 

[nkereina]

I saw the vlog too, and I think it was just bad luck. No service is perfect. To me, the advantage of the Minnie Van was not speed, but service. Uber/Lyft was like getting a taxi, and the Minnie Van was like getting a chauffeur.

I guess I don't expect every single driver to know every single inch of property and the roads.
The delay getting there could have been from an accident, you never know. And I know the roads around CBR have been under quite a bit of construction so it could have also been a construction delay.

But I can tell you that I've had many, many rides, not just traditional Uber/Lyft but Minnie Vans too, take longer to reach me than the initial estimate. I'd say that the times they reach me within the estimated time is extremely low.
I don't know this traker fellow (but man do people here seem to follow him) so I've seen the report, but did he say the 4 min wait time showed up after he accepted the ride, or was it the estimate when he went to start the request.
That is something else that has really been off. And that does annoy the heck out of me, because I often use that to help me know when I need to make the request.
I hate that I can open the app, select a route, select a vehicle size and see the estimate that a car is 3 min away and then go to make the actual request and get a notice that my ride is 10 min away. And then have it actually take more like 12 min. That's 10 more min than I was expecting based on the estimate at the request screen. Now, I know an estimate is an estimate but I do fail to understand how the estimate is so far off. And the Minnie Van requests work the same way since they go through Lyft too. It doesn't necessarily connect you with the vehicle closest to you. We even tested that once. Standing in the parking lot at HS, next to a Minnie Van that was available, no other one around. I made the request and got assigned a different vehicle. So we had to stand there and watch the one in the parking lot wait for another rider to get matched to them and wait for our ride. No idea how they assign vehicles but proximity must not be the primary feature. Minnie Vans do work different in that aspect, they don't have to accept a ride, they are assigned to the drivers too.

I think most people are fine with a Minnie Van driver accidentally making a wrong turn or being delayed from time to time. Its inevitable. But if they are charging what they charge and promoting Minnie Van to provide exceptional service, then perhaps more training of the property is in order. If I'm paying $15 for an Uber ride and encounter wrong turns and a 15 minute delay - so be it. But with Minnie Van, I'm likely paying double that so my standards and expectations are set higher as well. You get what you pay for.

 

[JimMIA]

My mistake - its WSJ but heres the article https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-drivers-take-riders-the-long-wayat-ubers-expense-1534152602

That fundamentally-flawed WSJ story has been the laughingstock of drivers on social media for months. There are two huge mistakes in this obviously-slanted story:

• The statement that Uber/Lyft take about 25% of the fare paid by the passenger and the driver gets the rest. That is totally false, and has been totally false with both companies for more than a year. That is some terribly sloppy, biased reporting. All drivers get paid a fixed rate per mile and per minute, no matter what the fare is. The change was made in the summer of 2017 by both companies.
  • In many cases, the company is actually getting 50%-60% of what you pay.
  • The only exceptions to the fixed rate pay are surges (rapidly being eliminated, and the driver gets only a part of any surge) and driver promotions which have no effect on rider fares.
• The reporter assumes that the "straight-shot" route is always the quickest route.
  • Nothing could be farther from the truth, and in many, many cases the companies' own GPS instructions direct the driver to an alternate route to provide better service.
  • In addition to searching for a faster route, both companies dictate routes which offer the greatest chance of matching on shared rides (Uber Pool and Express Pool, and Lyft Shared). Matched rides are at least double fares for one driver payment, and the companies love them. I've been sent as much as 20 minutes out of the way to pick up a shared rider (and then that rider was a no-show).

 

[JimMIA]

But what happens to the cost if the drive misses turns and the trip is longer than necessary ?

Are the rides predetermined point A to point B cost X amount ?

With Uber/Lyft, it generally will make no difference in your fare. About the only exception might be if you change your destination, or add a stop during the ride.

However, MinnieVan rides are priced by mileage only -- $15 + $2.75 per mile. So if the mistake led to additional mileage, yes, that probably would result in a higher fare. If that happens, complain to Lyft and an adjustment will be made.