I attempted to use the new Yellow Cab Village Shuttle coming in for a flight on Thursday night recently. Upon making the reservation, we were informed that the van would arrive at 8:30pm at Ground Transportation pickup spot 'B49'. My flight was scheduled to arrive into Orlando at 8:20pm. They were provided with my contact information as usual for any shuttle service so in the event that any changes happened, I could be notified.
Then my troubles began.....
I arrived on time, 8:20pm with no checked luggage, stopped briefly to use the restroom and then went directly to the designated shuttle area B49 as I was instructed, the time is now 8:30pm. The van had not arrived yet, but that was okay, I can wait a few minutes. About 15 minutes later of standing and watching every other shuttle service vehicle come and go, I started to wonder if I had accidentally provided them with the wrong date or time. So I called the Yellow Cab Village Shuttle Bus phone number (not to be confused by The Villages Shuttle Service). I was informed by a nice lady that the driver was on his way and would arrive very soon. Then after 30 minutes, I am really starting to wonder what is going on. The whole reason I opted to use this new service was to avoid waiting 70 minutes for the The Villages Shuttle Service which would not pick up people until 9:30pm. I was only coming down for the weekend so for me, my time is very important and I was eager to get to the Villages at a reasonable hour that evening. I then called back twice, only to receive their voicemail which sounded like I had called someone's house, not a real business. By then I called my relative who was awaiting my arrival and had suggested I use this new service. They had already called twice to confirm my pickup. By 9:25pm, both my relative and myself were fed up. They had my phone number, but did they call me to tell me they would be late for any reason? No. They just left me sitting outside the airport wondering if and when I might be picked up, not the way anyone would want to start their weekend getaway.
My relative was able to make contact after a third phone call to the new shuttle service and they seemed confused and uncertain as to why the driver had not arrived. Despite their efforts to salvage the situation with me, I remained doubtful that I would actually reach the Villages. Finally I decided by now that I needed to take action or I might be stranded for even longer. I accessed The "Real" Villages Shuttle schedule on my cell phone and headed down to B16 to see if they had room for one more on their 9:30pm shuttle. Luckily for me they did and I was on my way. We informed the Yellow Cab service that I would not be waiting any longer and that I was going to use the regular Villages Shuttle.
This was not a positive experience, but I realized the Yellow Cab Village Shuttle Bus service was new and may be subject to problems. Toward the end of my stay, I decided to let them make it up to me by driving me to the airport for free for the way back. I always believe in giving second chances. So the night prior to my departure, we called to schedule my pickup time. My flight was scheduled for 4:47pm. They suggested a pickup time of 1:15pm but said that the driver would contact us the next day (departure date) to confirm the pickup time. This was because they have muliple pickups to make so they couldn't quite lock in the exact pickup time yet. Having not heard from the driver or service, I decided to call them at 12 noon the day of my departure to confirm my scheduled pick up time. I was informed that I would be picked up at 1:30pm. Around 1:25pm I decided to go wait out in the garage to ensure a timely pickup and minimize wait time for any other passengers onboard the shutttle. Just then the phone rings from the driver indicating he would be arriving at 1:45pm. Despite our concern about getting to the airport early enough, he told my relative he would have me to the airport by 2:30pm. Unless I was getting picked up in a Heliocopter, we knew that this would not be possible. At 1:55pm he finally shows up without saying too much and certainly without apology. We get to the airport by 3:15pm. This was adequate time for me. However if I had not been a seasoned traveler with a pre-printed boarding pass and using the expert travel line, this might have left me in a panic state. I tipped my driver, because I thought maybe the guy could have a family to feed etc, and was on my way.
From this point forward, I will only be using the Villages Shuttle Service, even with its slightly qwerky schedule, I know at least they will be there when they say they will.
Maybe I will try the Yellow Cab service again in a year after they get more dependable, if they survive that long.
Good luck to the rest of you!