The Village Transportation. Very Disappointed

[asianthree]

I have always used this service at least 4 to 6 times a year, and always had a pleasant ride. In July myself and 3 grandchildren had a taxi pick us up at our house and deliver us to LSL. Driver arrived 20 minutes late, and then told us he was taking us to Brownwood.
I informed him the shuttle driver would be waiting for us in LSL, he said he called the driver. Taxi driver was notably rude to not only me but children as well. Thank goodness we did not have luggage. When shuttle driver arrived he proceeded to chew me out that he waited in LSL and made everyone late. I tried to explain about taxi driver, but he was not hearing it. I called the office when I arrived up north, and office would have manager contact me. Two more phone calls, and nothing.

I just booked my ride back and explained the previous experience, not happy with driver, she actually laughed, and said wait for an hour take the next shuttle. What happen to customer service with them.

Are they the only game in town, or is there another service out there?

[CFrance]

We have always used a private service. Door to door, and you are the only ones in the car. You set your own time. If it's an inbound flight, they track it and are there when you need them. We travel long distances and have no patience for using multiple modes of transportation to and from the airport to and from a flight. It's a little more expensive, but if we're going to be gone for more than two weeks, that's the way we go.

I've tried to put their number on the forum before. Admin won't let the whole number show, but go here if you are interested: https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/private-transportation-orlando-international-235841/?highlight=witte#post1378637

[Bonnevie]

Village Airport Van - Airport Shuttle/Transportation for The Villages (https://www.villageairportvan.com/)

picks you up at your house.

[Henryk]

I have always used this service at least 4 to 6 times a year, and always had a pleasant ride. In July myself and 3 grandchildren had a taxi pick us up at our house and deliver us to LSL. Driver arrived 20 minutes late, and then told us he was taking us to Brownwood.
I informed him the shuttle driver would be waiting for us in LSL, he said he called the driver. Taxi driver was notably rude to not only me but children as well. Thank goodness we did not have luggage. When shuttle driver arrived he proceeded to chew me out that he waited in LSL and made everyone late. I tried to explain about taxi driver, but he was not hearing it. I called the office when I arrived up north, and office would have manager contact me. Two more phone calls, and nothing.

I just booked my ride back and explained the previous experience, not happy with driver, she actually laughed, and said wait for an hour take the next shuttle. What happen to customer service with them.

Are they the only game in town, or is there another service out there?

You were treated badly. Shame on them. I would have posted the name of the person who laughed at you. I would also have called back the next day and the day after that to talk to different managers.

[Trayderjoe]

Village Airport Van - Airport Shuttle/Transportation for The Villages (https://www.villageairportvan.com/)

picks you up at your house.

A second recommendation on this service. The caveat is they do pick you up at your home, however you could be the first of multiple pickups, or last of multiple drop offs. Consequently, you might get picked up very early for a flight, and "enjoy" riding through the various villages before heading to the airport. This might or might not be feasible for those with children traveling with them.

The driver usually calls the night before to "firm up" what time they will be picking you up (the initial time is an estimate which is usually not too far off).

I can deal with the early pick ups or last drop offs, what does irritate me is when the van shows up at a house and no lights are on and the person/people are not ready to be picked up. Keep in mind that even the driver's estimate is just that. He could be early (if the people in front of you are actually ready when he gets there) or a little late if the prior pickups were not ready.

One driver even asked people if they needed a pit stop, and he pulled into one of the service areas on the turnpike for a couple.

Friendly people and I have never had an issue. For sake of full disclosure, usually the Villages service is also good and I have never had a negative customer service experience with them.

[dewilson58]

Village Airport Van - Airport Shuttle/Transportation for The Villages (https://www.villageairportvan.com/)

picks you up at your house.


Another positive vote.

[johnboy]

There's always Uber & Lyft if there are drivers available.

[Jima64]

Sounds like they do not care since a new crop of victims move down every day. Bad customer service usually dooms a business.

[Ronnie61]

I'm not completely familiar with services in the villages although I have used the airport shuttle service. Is the taxi service related to the shuttle service?

[JGVillages]

You were treated badly. Shame on them. I would have posted the name of the person who laughed at you. I would also have called back the next day and the day after that to talk to different managers.

Get to the "OWNER" of the company. If he doesn't care then post his name and response. Word of mouth and this forum have justifiability either removed rude employees or doomed businesses that cannot operate with a successful service standard.

[shighsmi]

Yes it does pick you up and take you back to the house but after being on the van nearly four hours waiting to be dropped of at my house. I will never ride with them again.

[jagdl]

The Villages Transportation does not honor their contracts! On our last trip with them we paid an extra $10 for taxi ride to home. When we arrived at the shuttle at MCO at 10 pm the driver said he was told to collect another $26 cash from us because we lived on the other side of 42 from Mulberry and the taxi would be more. Our address was on the prepaid contract. Driver would not let us board until we paid the money. When we got to LSL we were not by a taxi but a shuttle that drove us around for over an hour within and outside of the Villages. I called the next morning and requested a refund on the extra money for 2 reasons 1) we had a contract and 2) we did not get our taxi even after paying $36 for one. She told me they had to drive us around to all the other stops because THEY DON'T HAVE TAXIs. What? The contract - she said they made an error but we had to pay for their error. As for the refund she would call back. They did not call back. Don't trust them just because you prepaid. In the middle of the night they will instruct their driver to not let you on the shuttle.

[dalecrenshaw]

I have always used this service at least 4 to 6 times a year, and always had a pleasant ride. In July myself and 3 grandchildren had a taxi pick us up at our house and deliver us to LSL. Driver arrived 20 minutes late, and then told us he was taking us to Brownwood.
I informed him the shuttle driver would be waiting for us in LSL, he said he called the driver. Taxi driver was notably rude to not only me but children as well. Thank goodness we did not have luggage. When shuttle driver arrived he proceeded to chew me out that he waited in LSL and made everyone late. I tried to explain about taxi driver, but he was not hearing it. I called the office when I arrived up north, and office would have manager contact me. Two more phone calls, and nothing.

I just booked my ride back and explained the previous experience, not happy with driver, she actually laughed, and said wait for an hour take the next shuttle. What happen to customer service with them.

Are they the only game in town, or is there another service out there?

The exact same thing happened to us when we were leaving The Villages in June to go to the Orlando Airport. The Taxi that was suppose to pick us up at a certain time, didn't arrive, even though I had called and confirmed it the day before. After 15 minutes, I called the Villages Transportation to ask where the driver was. They said he would be there in 10 minutes...25 minutes late. He called the shuttle and said he was taking us to Brownwood and to hold the shuttle as long as they could. He raced through the Villages and caught up with the Shuttle as it was leaving the station...needless to say, the shuttle driver and the passengers were very upset about the wait.

[Challenger]

The exact same thing happened to us when we were leaving The Villages in June to go to the Orlando Airport. The Taxi that was suppose to pick us up at a certain time, didn't arrive, even though I had called and confirmed it the day before. After 15 minutes, I called the Villages Transportation to ask where the driver was. They said he would be there in 10 minutes...25 minutes late. He called the shuttle and said he was taking us to Brownwood and to hold the shuttle as long as they could. He raced through the Villages and caught up with the Shuttle as it was leaving the station...needless to say, the shuttle driver and the passengers were very upset about the wait.

Have always used Villages Transportation and have been 100per cent please until out last trip in September when we had the same experience. Unfortunately I will now have to seek another service as I won't tolerate this kind of uncertainty .

Hope they are listening!

[EPutnam1863]

This is why I won't use service as long as I can drive. I leave on my own time and arrive back home on my own time.

Two times I did use the shuttle service provided by a local hotel even though I was not a guest at the hotel. I did have to pay ten bucks. It was great!

[graciegirl]

You were treated badly. Shame on them. I would have posted the name of the person who laughed at you. I would also have called back the next day and the day after that to talk to different managers.

I agree with HenryK and especially since I have read your posts for years AsianThree and know you are reasonable and patient.

[CFrance]

Have always used Villages Transportation and have been 100per cent please until out last trip in September when we had the same experience. Unfortunately I will now have to seek another service as I won't tolerate this kind of uncertainty .

Hope they are listening!
The reasons why I love our private car service... Several drivers, door to door, on time every time since we started using them in 2012, accommodates late flights & flight cancellations & rescheduling. $85, whether one or two. They brought our kids & child in for the same price. We always tip.

Jane Witte 352.406.3433.

[EPutnam1863]

The reasons why I love our private car service... Several drivers, door to door, on time every time since we started using them in 2012, accommodates late flights & flight cancellations & rescheduling. $85, whether one or two. They brought our kids & child in for the same price. We always tip.

Jane Witte 352.406.3433.

Tipping is a must! When we lived in Melbourne, we received numerous complaints from waitresses, etc. that the senior citizens were not generous tippers.

[Quixote]

We too prefer a private car service. However, on one occasion I was taking a young grandchild to the airport and had explained to the owner/driver what I was doing. He took me, and once we got there he said he would not wait for me if I waited with the child till he boarded (which is a requirement--and he knew it). So he left! Right from the airport I called Village Van Service--and they set me up on the very next van! In this regard they are extraordinarily reliable--even though most of the time we use a private service (obviously a different one...).

[tophcfa]

Village Airport Van - Airport Shuttle/Transportation for The Villages (https://www.villageairportvan.com/)

picks you up at your house.

Very reliable service, but not a great option if you live in the northern part of the Villages. You will always be one of the first of many pick ups or the last of many drop offs. It can easily double the time to/from the airport. This will only get worse as the Villages continues to develope to the south. If they would offer a van service exclusively for the Northern section of the Villages, I would not hesitate to use this service.

[tophcfa]

We have found the Villages Transportation Service to be great if someone can drop you off/pick you up at Lake Sumter. However, we have not had a good experience with their home pick up/drop off service. And they recently increased the price for this service. Private transportation or a one way car rental is the way to go if there are two or more travelers, but when traveling alone it is not cost effective.

[Fraugoofy]

I have always used this service at least 4 to 6 times a year, and always had a pleasant ride. In July myself and 3 grandchildren had a taxi pick us up at our house and deliver us to LSL. Driver arrived 20 minutes late, and then told us he was taking us to Brownwood.
I informed him the shuttle driver would be waiting for us in LSL, he said he called the driver. Taxi driver was notably rude to not only me but children as well. Thank goodness we did not have luggage. When shuttle driver arrived he proceeded to chew me out that he waited in LSL and made everyone late. I tried to explain about taxi driver, but he was not hearing it. I called the office when I arrived up north, and office would have manager contact me. Two more phone calls, and nothing.

I just booked my ride back and explained the previous experience, not happy with driver, she actually laughed, and said wait for an hour take the next shuttle. What happen to customer service with them.

Are they the only game in town, or is there another service out there?Also had a bad experience. They don't confirm with you that you actually have a ride! In this day and age and with technology they really need to get on board with the rest of the world in 2017 and let you book via an app...

Sent from my SM-N920R4 using Tapatalk

[Chi-Town]

Also had a bad experience. They don't confirm with you that you actually have a ride! In this day and age and with technology they really need to get on board with the rest of the world in 2017 and let you book via an app...

Sent from my SM-N920R4 using TapatalkWhen you use Uber you can see how good the technology of that app is. Visuals, updates, ease of payment, and follow up. So much here is manual. The Villages .net shows what's possible in a rural setting.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[JohnandDebbie]

Haven't used this company since they abandoned me at the airport one night after coming in from a long flight from China. Called to talk with the office manager the next day and she was completely worthless. Will NEVER use them again!

[collie1228]

I've never been happy with this service, which I've used three or four times, most recently in November. I don't like the fact that after pickup in Lake Sumter, they go to Brownwood and pick up passengers there. It takes about one and one half hours or more to get to the airport. The other service, Village Airport Van is even worse. I used them in the Summer, and the trip from the airport took the normal one hour and fifteen minutes, but I was number nine of ten passengers to be dropped off, and it took longer to be dropped off than it too for the drive from the airport to TV. Total travel time was nearly three hours. While I hate paying for parking, I'll be driving to and from the airport from now on.

[Happinow]

We have had a completely different experience with Villages Transportation. We have used them exclusively for the past 4 years and have never had a problem. We like that they have a schedule they follow and we know exactly when our ride will be at the airport to pick us up. The busses are comfortable and spacious. We have booked them for several pick ups and drop offs in the coming weeks.

[Villageswimmer]

We have had a completely different experience with Villages Transportation. We have used them exclusively for the past 4 years and have never had a problem. We like that they have a schedule they follow and we know exactly when our ride will be at the airport to pick us up. The busses are comfortable and spacious. We have booked them for several pick ups and drop offs in the coming weeks.


Agree. I like the absence of numerous stops as with Villages Airport Van. It’s unfortunate the names are so similar. Some confusion seems to exist between the two companies in this thread.

[Challenger]

We have had a completely different experience with Villages Transportation. We have used them exclusively for the past 4 years and have never had a problem. We like that they have a schedule they follow and we know exactly when our ride will be at the airport to pick us up. The busses are comfortable and spacious. We have booked them for several pick ups and drop offs in the coming weeks.

We also have been extremely pleased until our last trip scare when we used their pick up service and he arrived quite late

[OhioBuckeye]

I have always used this service at least 4 to 6 times a year, and always had a pleasant ride. In July myself and 3 grandchildren had a taxi pick us up at our house and deliver us to LSL. Driver arrived 20 minutes late, and then told us he was taking us to Brownwood.
I informed him the shuttle driver would be waiting for us in LSL, he said he called the driver. Taxi driver was notably rude to not only me but children as well. Thank goodness we did not have luggage. When shuttle driver arrived he proceeded to chew me out that he waited in LSL and made everyone late. I tried to explain about taxi driver, but he was not hearing it. I called the office when I arrived up north, and office would have manager contact me. Two more phone calls, and nothing.

I just booked my ride back and explained the previous experience, not happy with driver, she actually laughed, and said wait for an hour take the next shuttle. What happen to customer service with them.

Are they the only game in town, or is there another service out there?

From what you said the first driver sounds like he lied to you about them calling the 2nd drivers & telling him what happened. I hate getting into these conversations because some times you're only getting one side of the argument. Not saying you're not telling the whole story, but sometimes little facts are left out. Yea, I would go as high as an authority as I could go & make sure I got some satisfaction. Good Luck!

[Katss]

Just used Uber for the 1st time from airport to Villages as we have had great success with Uber in CA. What a treat--faster, cheaper, better, private car, friendly driver, door to door service. No more waiting an hour and a half for a big shuttle bus to fill up. Seems our flights never coordinate with shuttle service. In checking prices for return trip, it could be more expensive than the shuttle--still worth it. We schedule Uber ahead of time at home and have never been left with a "no car available" message.

[Kayeweathers]

I recommend Village Airport Van Service. They provide excellent service and it is door to door. You don’t need a taxi to shuttle. Call them at 352-241-2000 or go online at info@villageairportvan.com. Great company.

[Gsmello]

I have used them also for the past 3 years always on Time always pleasant

[asianthree]

Just booked a return trip for friend $15 for cab, and $40 for shuttle. That’s $5 more per cab and taxi since October

[Carla B]

Just used Uber for the 1st time from airport to Villages as we have had great success with Uber in CA. What a treat--faster, cheaper, better, private car, friendly driver, door to door service. No more waiting an hour and a half for a big shuttle bus to fill up. Seems our flights never coordinate with shuttle service. In checking prices for return trip, it could be more expensive than the shuttle--still worth it. We schedule Uber ahead of time at home and have never been left with a "no car available" message.

How much did Uber cost from the airport to The Villages?

[Dan9871]

How much did Uber cost from the airport to The Villages?
If you put the Uber app on your phone it will give you the cost. Right now from the southern end of the villages it is $138.31

[CFrance]

If you put the Uber app on your phone it will give you the cost. Right now from the southern end of the villages it is $138.31
Wow, that's really high. Our car service is $85, door to door.

[Bobev55]

We were VERY disappointed when we booked round trip,and then were told by very rude BOSS at airport we had no reservation when we arrived home from flight with wheelchair 82 yr old grandma and 7 yr old twins!

[graciegirl]

We were VERY disappointed when we booked round trip,and then were told by very rude BOSS at airport we had no reservation when we arrived home from flight with wheelchair 82 yr old grandma and 7 yr old twins!

With what service?

When The Villages owned and ran The Villages Transportation is was dependable and run well.

I am just betting they are sorry they sold the name along with the business. Just my stupid opinion.

[Marathon Man]

Agree. I like the absence of numerous stops as with Villages Airport Van. It’s unfortunate the names are so similar. Some confusion seems to exist between the two companies in this thread.

Agreed. My wife recently made a reservation with Villages Van to bring us home. She thought she contracted with Villages Transportation. Fortunately, I had a copy of the confirmation email, and all went well. We could easily have been standing at the airport debating with the driver.

[Katss]

If you put the Uber app on your phone it will give you the cost. Right now from the southern end of the villages it is $138.31
Our airport Uber trip TO the Villages was about $65. However, trying to schedule Uber BACK to the airport comes up at a ridiculous $155 If you position your pick up one step outside the villages (pick a place on 441 just off Buenas Aires or even any street in Spanish Springs ) the price drops back to the $65 range. Obviously The Villages has found a way to put a surcharge on Uber pickups inside the Villages. Outrageous and totally ticks me off that The Villages can't handle the heat of competition.

[graciegirl]

Our airport Uber trip TO the Villages was about $65. However, trying to schedule Uber BACK to the airport comes up at a ridiculous $155 If you position your pick up one step outside the villages (pick a place on 441 just off Buenas Aires or even any street in Spanish Springs ) the price drops back to the $65 range. Obviously The Villages has found a way to put a surcharge on Uber pickups inside the Villages. Outrageous and totally ticks me off that The Villages can't handle the heat of competition.

Do you have a credible support for this outrageous claim?

First of all, The Village Inc, The Morse corporation, sold the Village Transportation to another company several years ago. It appears to be the Morses business plan to establish the needed businesses to support the Villages and then to sell them as they have done with several restaurants and the Village Entertainment and the Newspaper. They are not dummies and they seem to have tried to get buyers who would run them to their standards but so far have not. They really did a great job running the Villages Transportation and I don't think the owners now even come close.

[Challenger]

Our airport Uber trip TO the Villages was about $65. However, trying to schedule Uber BACK to the airport comes up at a ridiculous $155 If you position your pick up one step outside the villages (pick a place on 441 just off Buenas Aires or even any street in Spanish Springs ) the price drops back to the $65 range. Obviously The Villages has found a way to put a surcharge on Uber pickups inside the Villages. Outrageous and totally ticks me off that The Villages can't handle the heat of competition.

Why are you blaming The Villages , when you have an Uber problem?

[asianthree]

Do you have a credible support for this outrageous claim?

First of all, The Village Inc, The Morse corporation, sold the Village Transportation to another company several years ago. It appears to be the Morses business plan to establish the needed businesses to support the Villages and then to sell them as they have done with several restaurants and the Village Entertainment and the Newspaper. They are not dummies and they seem to have tried to get buyers who would run them to their standards but so far have not. They really did a great job running the Villages Transportation and I don't think the owners now even come close.

Cost from airport is low because there are numerous Uber rides available. The driver does not know where you are going till pickup. Ride back from TV to airport is more due to the lack of Uber drivers in TV. There maybe be a Uber driver within few miles radius of SS so it would be less, again driver has no way of knowing where you are going till you hop in the car. Developers have no control over Uber drivers, they are independent contractors.

[Chi-Town]

Cost from airport is low because there are numerous Uber rides available. The driver does not know where you are going till pickup. Ride back from TV to airport is more due to the lack of Uber drivers in TV. There maybe be a Uber driver within few miles radius of SS so it would be less, again driver has no way of knowing where you are going till you hop in the car. Developers have no control over Uber drivers, they are independent contractors.Taken Uber many times outside The Villages. The driver knows your destination and how much the charge is. The app tells you who the driver is, what kind of car, and how much the charge. Also updates you on the time the driver will be at your pick up destination.



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[Chi-Town]

Knew people who were staying at the Waterfront. They went to City Fire for a while, and when they found out it closed st 11 they tried Uber to get them to Margarita Republic.. They said the driver informed them that The Villages would not let him take the fare. Could just be the driver's call or there is some control over Uber here.

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[Challenger]

Knew people who were staying at the Waterfront. They went to City Fire for a while, and when they found out it closed st 11 they tried Uber to get them to Margarita Republic.. They said the driver informed them that The Villages would not let him take the fare. Could just be the driver's call or there is some control over Uber here.

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Third party rumor or a driver who doesn't want to go out. Such a policy on public streets may even be a violation of federal restraint of trade issues.

My bet - there is much more to this story--

[Dan9871]

Third party rumor or a driver who doesn't want to go out. Such a policy on public streets may even be a violation of federal restraint of trade issues.

My bet - there is much more to this story--

Uber drivers are not required to accept pickups, unlike taxi drivers in some place who are required to accept pickups.

However if an Uber driver refuses pickups very often they will be dropped by Uber.

[Chi-Town]

Third party rumor or a driver who doesn't want to go out. Such a policy on public streets may even be a violation of federal restraint of trade issues.

My bet - there is much more to this story--Hopefully the driver, not a rumor. Probably didn't want the bother late of going from bar to bar.

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[asianthree]

Taken Uber many times outside The Villages. The driver knows your destination and how much the charge is. The app tells you who the driver is, what kind of car, and how much the charge. Also updates you on the time the driver will be at your pick up destination.



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Use it weekly, app tells you car, driver, but driver does not know where to until pickup. We know several drivers reason they don’t know destination is most would only pick the easy and quick. She once picked up at O’Hara soon as customer enter her app told her destination was Southfield Mi. Good money going to but no money going back.

[Chi-Town]

Use it weekly, app tells you car, driver, but driver does not know where to until pickup. We know several drivers reason they don’t know destination is most would only pick the easy and quick. She once picked up at O’Hara soon as customer enter her app told her destination was Southfield Mi. Good money going to but no money going back.Did not know that the driver does not know the destination. Thanks for that info. Checked out why and the main reason given is that they would only want the longer and most profitable rides. Short trips are poorly compensated on the Uber payout structure.

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[STEVEN THOMPSON]

A second recommendation on this service. The caveat is they do pick you up at your home, however you could be the first of multiple pickups, or last of multiple drop offs. Consequently, you might get picked up very early for a flight, and "enjoy" riding through the various villages before heading to the airport. This might or might not be feasible for those with children traveling with them.

The driver usually calls the night before to "firm up" what time they will be picking you up (the initial time is an estimate which is usually not too far off).

I can deal with the early pick ups or last drop offs, what does irritate me is when the van shows up at a house and no lights are on and the person/people are not ready to be picked up. Keep in mind that even the driver's estimate is just that. He could be early (if the people in front of you are actually ready when he gets there) or a little late if the prior pickups were not ready.

One driver even asked people if they needed a pit stop, and he pulled into one of the service areas on the turnpike for a couple.

Friendly people and I have never had an issue. For sake of full disclosure, usually the Villages service is also good and I have never had a negative customer service experience with them.
I just used them for my daughter12/30/ 2017.
I was concerned pick up time they gave was not early enough. 3:45 for a 6:43 flight. I called and could not pick up any earlier.
Driver was 10 min, late then had one more pick up 12 min away. I was extremely concerned she would miss the flight.
Jet blue was recommending getting there 3 hours before due to airport terminal renovations.driver went to terminal B first.
Jet blue is terminal A.
Bottom line she got to the gate 10 minutes before boarding. Now that's close and nerve racking.
I prefer village transportation---- which goes to Sumpter landing First then Brownwood then directly to the Airport.
****** I could not use them , the flight was to early to fit their scheduale.. I would prefer them

Stick with Villages Transportation. Lake Sumpter to Brownwood then directly to the Airport.
The villages Airport Van does not give enough time to get there for the flights, times are to tight.