Local Transportation in the Villages
 

We will be moving to Citrus Grove after Christmas and will be flying back and forth from Connecticut in the mean time.

So, we will not have a car until the move. Rental Car prices are through the roof, so we are going to take a van to TV.

Is there local taxi, LYFT or UBER service from Citrus Grove to stores in Lady Lake??

I don’t know what rental car prices are now and I don’t know what you mean by back and forth , but it seems to me a car rental or even a golf cart rental would be cheaper then using a cab or Uber unless you are going to limit yourself to one trip to stores and never go anyplace else all day

Rent a golf cart from J & J golf carts

Why not just buy a golf cart?

getting around the villages in the very beginning
 

just my humble opinion, but I would buy a used golf cart the first week you are here.
Here is why:

My wife and I went through this back in early April when we were commuting frequently from Boston. I should more accurately say my wife went through this as she carried the burden of setting up the home.

We tried a variety of strategies, including rental cars which was tedious with the line ups at MCO plus the cost.

About 4 weeks after the move we bought a used golf cart for 5k. Instant relief! The ease to go get groceries and little items for the house was a big weight lifted.

About 8 weeks after the move we bought a used car for 10k. This gave us the flexibility to get around on longer trips to further parts of the Villages.

In sum, you need some sort of wheels to get around and renting either a car or golf cart just delays the inevitable. Both vehicles we bought have held their value and we could turn around and sell them if we want for the same price we paid for them.

Also if you are doing to and from airport runs. Groome transportation has the nicest new vehicles and at $35 door to door you can tip the driver $5 in cash each way and its $40 one way traveler. I meet tons of great people on this caravan too with similar commuting stories. I have tried to them all Villages Airport shuttle, Groome and Workman. Groome is my favorite but rest assured none of them are bad. Writing this I have a 3:45am pickup tomorrow for 6am flight so I can get back to Boston for work tomorrow morning by 9am

If they are wanting to get from "down south" to the commercial stretch on 441/27 in Lady Lake, a golf cart will not suffice. Some of those stores are reachable by cart (although it would be a VERY LONG cart ride from their home) but many are not. I would certainly agree that having a cart from day one would simplify their lives but if the primary issue is buying things for their new home, I would try to buy everything online. Amazon, Wayfair, and Houzz are all good options for home furnishings.

Good luck with your move!

kathy

Car rental is ridiculous the world over.
Last time we came to TV 2019/20 our car rental was £500. a month.
Just been quoted from same source £2057. for same period.
At present exchange rate, ($1.36 to £1) that's $2591.
Golf carts are the way to go.

Sumter County, Florida
7375 Powell Road
Wildwood, FL 34785
Ph: 352-689-4400
FX: 352 689-4401

Sumter County does have a transit bus and you could call the number above to see if they cover your area. I regularly see the bus outside Publix on Wedgewood Lane.

Transportation in TV is basically cabs, hire a car, or use Uber. Very lacking in a community of this size.

Good luck. Last week Groome failed to pick me up in a 3 am to 3:45 a.m. window. They sent 2 emails confirming the time. The problem is there is absolutely NO way to contact Groome outside of business hours. At 4:13 I jumped in the car and barely made my plane. When i got home, I had a call on my machine from Groome that they were picking me up at 4:53. No way would I have made my plane.

Excellent advice above, buy or rent a golf cart, or a used car to leave here, you can sell something pretty easy if you don't want it after a few months

buy a good used car and be done with it. In the end, it will be much cheaper than any other option. you can always get a golf cart later

I’ve actually been checking on rental car prices recently and they have come down substantially. I usually use Priceline for the best deals.

From Citrus Grove to Lady Lake like OP was talking about....
would be like KathySpears said...doable although it would be a VERY LONG cart ride from their home...
:ohdear::ohdear:

Buy a golf cart.

My wife and I want to come down next spring to look for a house. We are planning to come for a month. Half vacation and half working (we are not retired quite yet). We have heard about shuttles from Orlando (Villages Airport shuttle?) and Groome is mentioned. Could you please be more specific. As stated renting cars at the airport is crazy expensive. We will rent a place with golf cart and rent a car near the villages as needed. We would love to know how best to get from the airport to TV. Thanks so much!

Car Rental
 

Totally agree. Car rentals are through the roof. They sold a lot of their car during the Pandemic and are now short in their inventory. Unfortunately at the present time, used cars are also overpriced. Good luck!

As for ride services - Lyft, Uber, etc. No

For any Uber usage here in the TV, forget it. Their prices are way too high ($45 one way to Brownwood from SS, that was before gas prices went up. Expect much higher nowadays. They typically come from Ocala so they have some distance to cover, $$$.).
Not many use them here, we have Golf Carts.

Village Taxi is up here in SS (352 753 1415) , they charge $20 for a pickup but for shorter distances only.

For Airport pickup use Groome (352 539 9664) their rates were $33 for a pickup.

Car rentals, we all know about the jump in prices. Out of Orlando you can get cars fairly easy, one way travel is up charged, they want the cars to stay attached to Orlando. One way rentals from here in TV, they discourage it and you will pay a higher rate.

I started hitch hiking again.
lol

Just remembered another tidbit.

Do connect on the UBER & LYFT websites, they are renting cars now too. No idea on their rates.

Cart
 

All you’ll need is a used golf cart. Rent one locally, or buy one. Then it’s an easy ride from Citrus Grove to Brownwood for furniture shopping, restaurants, entertainment, etc. Groceries are about a 15 minute ride over the Chitty Chatty bridge to Publix at Lake Denton Plaza along with Walgreens and more restaurants. All easily done.

With rental car prices so high, check out prices of pick up trucks. My brother did that last month and saved quite a bit.

Dave’s Airport Transportation recommended
 

We have used Dave’s Airport Transportation tel.: (352) 223-4696 many times with great success. Usually need to book at least 3 weeks in advance. They are licensed and insured as a private car service and currently charge $75 for one person and $100 for two persons one way to or from the Orlando Airport. They pick you up on time and you are the only persons transported. Workman’s Transportation is about $45 per person last I recall, but you are in a van with people from all over The Villages and can expect to be driven ten or twenty miles out of your way to pick up other passengers who are nowhere near you.

Uber is expensive in The Villages. But an airport ride is $80-$120, depending on the time of day. So for two or three people, I would choose the convenience of Uber. If you find an Uber driver you like, get the phone number and schedule your own trips. Works for me.

Getting around without Uber or a car rental….
 

I have a 2014 Yamaha for sale. It’s very clean, gets serviced every yr. I’m asking $5800 ….. Call me at 352-303-4805 if interested

Appreciate all the responses, I'm all set. We decided to stay with the car rental.

We already have a new cart on order.

Thanks you All..

Thanks for all the quick responses the suggestions helped.

We have a new cart on order and We are going to stay with the car rental.

Workman is $35 to Orlando.
Only 2 stops...Lake Sumter or Brownwood.
You can arrange for home pickup.

Don't forget most places deliver.
 

I agree 100% but I would add that most places deliver for a reasonable charge. New furniture etc.

Where is best place to rent and buy golf carts?

Minimal taxi service and limited Uber/Lyft, etc. Seriously condos golf cart, but you won't be able to get to the shops outside TV. Geneit not necessary, but if you to go once or twice then rent a car. There is a Hertz location in SS and an Enterprise in Lake Sumter Landing. Both are golf cart accessible. Get THE FREE Villages App, not the one you pay for!

We like Workman Transportation. They go to MCO about once per hour most days, will pick up and drop off at Brownwood or Sumter Landing. For a few dollars extra, they will take you to your house.

I have found them very dependable and comfortable.

Workman Transportation |

kathy

Workman is the best option as it leaves ON TIME and on a regular schedule from Sumter and Brownwood. (Don’t know about Spanish Springs.) I almost missed my flight last time thinking the door to door service would be nice. However, they stopped at far too many doors!!

I took Workman on Saturday. Very pleased. For $15 they pick you up at your door. Used Village Airport Van for over 5 years. Pre-covid they were great. But they have added so many other service locations - additional revenue for survival - that you might be on the van for 2 hours or more depending on how far north you are going. That doesn't count the fact that you might sit in the van for 20 minutes before leaving the airport. I also switched due to the set schedule.

My neighbor said they ride on their camel to the airport to save money:ohdear:
.