Poor service of the Village Airport Van
 

Just wanted to post my experience with the Village Airport Van. We landed at 8:30pm New Year's Eve, got our luggage and was outside checking into our PRE-PAID RESERVED ride home to the Villages. There was one van parked and being loaded. About 25 people were waiting. That van finally pulled out after 15 minutes and 2 more vans pulled up to be loaded. Hence started MASS CONFUSION. One van got loaded fully, the other partially. They sat there for over 20 minutes, when finally the driver and the check in lady unloaded, 6 people from the fully loaded van. 5 more minutes went by then they loaded six new people on this van. 5 more minutes before it pulled out. The partially loaded van was still sitting there. Finally another 5 minutes and an empty van pulls in. Another 10 minutes to load this van. Finally at 10;10 we left to head back to the Villages. Got home at 11:55pm! There were still 30 people waiting curbside and the partially filled van was still waiting! The Three Stooges could have done a better job! We will never, ever use this service again!

The best service by far is The Villages shuttle bus. It will bring you to either Brownwood or Lake Sumter Landing and you can get a taxi home.

No hassle like the Villages Airport Van.

I’m calling their operations manager Tomorrow!! I’ve heard the above complaint numerous times since arriving. My complaint is a concern of reckless driving. Speeding, No turn signals and passing semi’s in poor visibility. Late at night with Rain and fog. I arrived at my Fernandina door in 40 minutes. He was even driving a minimum of 45 in a 25 through The Villages and around the roundabouts. This happened to me with two different drivers. One was the week before Thanksgiving and the second on the day after Christmas.

We have never had that kind of experience wth them. In fact, after hurricane irma, they go me to our house when other services were having problems and might not have been able to deliver. I will be the first to admit that the van service makes way too many stops for residents living in the northern part of TV, but they will get you home. We will book the Villages transportation service that picks/drops at LSL/Brownwood when the schedules work out and someone can pick/drop us off at the town square, but we often use the Van service when thats not in the cards. Both are viable options depending on the particular situation. Nothing is ever perfect, just need to pick the best option for the situation and go with it.

I usually like the Villages Airport Van and I understand they are extra busy during the holidays, however, when they try to squeeze in as many people as they can WHEN ALL TEN SEATS NEED TO BE FILLED, according to them. I was the last person to get on the van (I was number 10), I squeezed my way to the back row on the end, however, the man in the middle was very large and took up more than 1 seat so I was left with 1/2 a seat. I was literally hanging off the seat for the whole trip, about an hour and half. It was very uncomfortable and my back was hurting by the time I got home. The guy in the middle even said as I got in, "good thing you're small". Well I wasn't small enough to fit in what was left of a seat for me. I should have refused to get in that van, next time you can be sure I will.

What Taxi? I was told the Villages Trans does not have taxi service. You have to use some outside cab company. I was trying to get from my house to The Villages Buses at Sumter Landing that were hired to take our group to Port Canaveral.

There is a lot of confusion on names

Villages Transportation (Villages with an S) definitely has taxi service. Have been using this service for 7 years 20 to 30 times without a single blip.

Left a message this morning for the operations manager at the Village Airport Van to call me back and discuss my safety concerns. Obviously.... NOT CONCERNED!!
Never Called!!

Same same here....I've sat waiting for over 45" and NO explanation from driver other than "waiting for dispatch"...crazy. Now... I use Village Trans ONLY

We have been loyal riders with Village Airport Van service, but my last trip with them was to say the least, unpleasant. I was pushed to the very rear of the van where a couple were sitting. The woman was very pleasant, the man was extremely unpleasant and told me there was no room for me and boy was he right. Despite his wife telling him to move, he refused to do so and I had to sit on the far edge of the seat and balance myself on the wall of the van. If you travel with the van you will know that the far back seat dips slightly in the middle and is raised on the edge of the seat and that is what I sat on for the whole ride home, plus I had to listen to this person complaining about everything .... and I do mean everything. We will use one of the private hire people in future, there are many recommendations for excellent drivers and it will be worth paying the small extra amount to get home in comfort.

Mr. Village Van, you have become too big and you will lose your business if you do not start taking care of it!

I have never had a problem with the service itself. Only problems I have ever had is with inconsiderate people that are on the vans.

We have used the airport van service with mixed results. A couple fine experiences, a couple nightmarish ones. Our last trip, we used one of the private concierge services and it was terrific, both ways. We were the only passengers, it was on time, comfortable and very pleasant. Same price.

Really, who did you use and it was 80 dollars for 2 people ?

Do a search. People, myself included, have posted so many names and numbers of private car services we're getting tired of repeating ourselves!

I also came home on the 31st, but earlier in the day. Our driver told us so many hundreds of people were coming in that day it forced the company to rent vehicles for the vast numbers as well as to call in drivers who were supposed to have that day off. I believe you had a poor experience, but I can honestly say I have never been disappointed.

It can be blamed on everything from extra holiday travel to big people jammed into small seats but it is incompetence at it best. We were traveling in mid May a few years ago, no holiday. We got our luggage at about 5 p.m. It was after midnight by the time we were dropped at our door by a rude driver who went too fast in the 25 zones and tossed us all over the place, hitting speed bumps so hard that we bounced up from our seats and slammed back down. My back hurt so bad by the time we got home. We are from Mulberry area, arrived home after midnight. The driver thought we were the last when he learned that a lady in the back had fallen asleep during our 5+ hour time in the van, both loading and unloading, and he missed taking her home down near Palmer. The only reason he knew she was there was because her suitcase was still in the back when he took our bags out. He has a list and a route and knows where every one gets taken to, he just missed her. AND last but not least, he talked politics all the way. He talked to himself because no one was talking with him or answering his 'nasty words' against my party. My husband told him that he had had enough of his political views. We have never ridden with them again.

We were almost left behind because our driver thought we were in the previous van. However the van driver who was leaving saw this and stopped the other driver leaving in his empty van. When we questioned the driver why he would leave without us. He said he forgot to turn on his communications with dispatcher and thought we were in the other van. Too many customers and service is getting sloppy. May go back to original shuttle or a private service.

My husband and I never use this van due to their unreliability and the fact you drive around the Villages and surrounding area dropping off people before you finally arrive home. You could be driving around for an hour or more!

The author of this post is being kind. Attempting to secure your pre-paid transportation from Orlando International Airport to The Village with The Village Airport Van was total chaos. Our driver attempted to place the blame on the amount of aircraft arriving at or near the same time. However at one point six (6) vans were waiting to be loaded while 25+ Villagers waited and 3 - 4 confused Village Airport Van employees discussed varying ideas on how to load the vehicles. The lady behind the lap top blamed the problem on a "glitch". Previous ride to the airport a week earlier was not much better. Van arrived at our home 15 minutes late, then proceeded to a motel on route 301 for another pick up. After waiting for ten (10) minutes at that location, it was determined the driver had gone to the wrong location (motel & city). Bottom line we had planned to arrive at the airport three (3) hours prior to our flight's scheduled departure to accommodate construction in progress with passenger transportation within the terminal building, instead we arrive two (2) hours prior to departure. Had we not had Pre TSA boarding and our flight not been delayed, we would have missed the flight. The was our first time utilizing Village Airport Van service, and it will be the last.

Ohiobuckeye
 

Personally I don't think your complaining will do any good because it's a business of TV. The only way You're going to beat this is if everybody starts not using The Villages Transportation, then maybe a light bulb will come on above their heads & they'll figure out that there's something wrong & wonder why nobody is using their money maker! Remember it's not TV thinking about the poor citizens of TV because if they weren't making money on this it wouldn't be in business now! Sorry Villages that I'm so negitive.

This is a private business, TV has nothing to do with it

Since Signature Van Service went out of business The Village Van Service not only have raised their prices but their service has deteriorated.

At first looks sounds like a snafu, but it would be interesting to find out some of the circumstances. Out of the initial group how many were reserved customers and how many were walk on . If 50/50 it would answer a a few questions. Being a holiday probably added to the problem. If they were expecting 12 for a vanload and 25-30 show...not gonna work. It may have took a while for dispatch to 1 find a driver 2 a van 3 process any walk on payments, 4 figure best route to get everyone to their destination in a timely manner. Your explanation may very well have been a giant fiasco or could have been remarkable given the circumstances. Think about it.

When they first started up as an Airport service they were a "gift". The Villages was much smaller then and you did not have to traipse all over TV picking up and dropping people off. Now, it is a disaster. I live near 466 which means I may be the first to be picked up and the last to be dropped off ............. I could put up with that, but the last time we took their Van to Orlando they actually came off the highway to pick people up outside TV.

It is not rocket science people - employ someone who understands the demographics of TV and books their transportation vans accordingly.

Same experience on my last trip. Sat on half of a seat with a large woman in the middle who had a dog in her arms who kept licking me and she thought it was cute.

You were fooled and got probably what you thought was the shuttle operated by the Villages. I almost made that mistake once but the Villages shuttle has never let us down - ever!

You get what you pay for
 

After reading all these, I'm even happier that we use a door to door service called Superior Limousine Service 352-552-5546 Whether we are cruising or going to either of the two Orlando airports and whenever we book:wave: they are always on time, no matter what.
You've worked hard to enjoy retirement...go ahead and treat yourself, leave less for the kids and grand kids.

Please let me know what service you used. I need a private van pick up in March. I have 7 pieces of luggage a dog and three adults! I don't want to put others out with all of us.

In the near future I hope to see that The Villages Transportation will begin service to and from the Orlando/ Sandford Airport.

I have used them for four years. Nothing but the best of service. Highly recommend.

As of today 1/17/18 still haven’t received a return phone call! A concerned shuttle driver listened to my concerns and took my business card to pass onto their manager. Still nothing!

LOLZ You get what you pay for. Did anyone booking this service not realize they were booking a multiple person/location shuttle van service. for a price that is substantially less than private car service?

Just booked a rental car for one day. Pick up at the airport and return to Leesburg!! Half the price of a Villages trip!!! :crap2:

I do have to say something good about them. Hubby had an emergency to fly to San Diego this past week. They picked him up at home 2:30 a.m. for his 6:00 a.m. flight. We are first on since we live in the South end. They did pick up others but he was at the airport in plenty of time to catch his flight. He said Villages transportation can't get you there for a 6 a.m. flight. He came home this morning after taking a red eye from San Diego. They were there at the airport at 6:00 a.m. to get him. He was their only passenger and his plane arrived 1/2 hour early and they were already there waiting.

This service has both it's pros and cons versus the Villages Transportation. It's pros are that they operate every half hour 24 hours a day and that they pick/drop you off at your home for no additional fee, which comes in handy when no one is available to pick/drop you off at LSL or Brownwood. It's biggest con is that it makes way too many stops and if you live north of 466 you will be one of the first pick ups and last drop offs and you will have a very long ride in a van that often gets very crowded and is not that comfortable in relation the the Villages Transportation buses. Bottom line is that when the flight schedule lines up with the somewhat limited schedule of the Villages Transportation and you have someone to pick/drop you off at LSL/Brownwood, the Villages Transportation is the best option. When flight schedules don't line up and/or you need service to/from your home, the Van service is the better option despite it's shortcomings. The Van service can be a pain, but they will get you where you need to go. We use both depending on the situation when we travel as a single. When you travel with two or more people, a private car service or one way car rental is the better way to go. You can usually find a full size 4 door pick-up truck one way rental for about $130. If you have 4 people with golf clubs that is a great deal. Enterprise has a rental office in LSL and Hertz has an office in SS.

You summed it up perfectly!

I guess there must have been at least four of you. I'd sure like to see your numbers. I rented an Enterprise car TV to Orlando - $70, Van was $35 + tip. Not that I'm endorsing Village Van.

I stopped riding with them after I discovered that we could not open the side door from the inside. (A passenger came running to catch the van and the inside latch had been disconnected.) I asked the driver about it and he just shrugged his shoulders. If you ride with them just make sure they don't roll it over or have a fire.

Airport Transportation
 

Defintions:
We understand that.............

1. Village Airport Van, picks up at your door, has a yellow stripe and seats about 8 or more"

2. Village Transportation picks up at Sumter and Brownwood, not at your door. Seats 20 or more?

Some of the private ones, smaller, may be OK. We rode with one that was asking for a major accident every 4 minutes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, wow,,,,,,,,,,,, How careless can you get? Scary and I mean Scary! bbbbbb
:MOJE_whot: :MOJE_whot: