fractal
Well-Known Member
yes! one of my pet peeves as well!
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Magical Express..Do you tip the driver?
- Thread starter Jimmy Thick
- Start date
yes! one of my pet peeves as well!
darthokeefe
New Member
Wow, I am constantly amazed how cheap people are. Yes of course u should tip the driver. The service costs nothing at the time ...help a brother out. The same person who skimps on a 5 dollar tip will spend 75 dollars on a overpriced sweatshirt or bottle of wine at dinner. The drivers didnt set up the tip system ...society did.
darthokeefe
New Member
Cheap
Tom
Beta Return
Do you know what the drivers are paid hourly, or as a base salary? I don't, but it would be interesting to know what Mears pays their drivers. I imagine they're union, so they're probably not doing too bad. And if they're not union, they're still probably doing fairly decent. It's not a role like a waiter/waitress where your pay is intended to be offset by tips. The drivers are paid to safely transport guests around. If they go above and beyond, and do something extra for me, I'll definitely tip them. But for the most part, they're just my driver when it comes to DME.
DisDadEddie
Active Member
I do tip the Magical Express driver if he helps use with our bags and stroller.
jnavarre17065
New Member
THEY ARE NOT DISNEY EMPLOYEES - They make next to nothing for wages and rely on tips for their income, just like a waiter. Unlike a waiter though people do not know that they rely on your tips to support their family, which is why they make sure to let you know that tips are appreciated. The Magical express is operated by Mears Transportation(not Disney). On glassdoor, indeed, salary.com, etc. you will find that these drivers only get a wage of 7 to 9 dollars per hour. They are commiting 40 to 60 hours of their week to transporting vacationers to their destinations and without tips at the end of the day they barley have made enough gas money to get back home.
Hope this clears it up, Thanks have a great vacation.
jnavarre17065
New Member
THEY ARE NOT DISNEY EMPLOYEES - They make next to nothing for wages and rely on tips for their income, just like a waiter. Unlike a waiter though people do not know that they rely on your tips to support their family, which is why they make sure to let you know that tips are appreciated. The Magical express is operated by Mears Transportation(not Disney). On glassdoor, indeed, salary.com, etc. you will find that these drivers only get a wage of 7 to 9 dollars per hour. They are commiting 40 to 60 hours of their week to transporting vacationers to their destinations and without tips at the end of the day they barley have made enough gas money to get back home.
Hope this clears it up, Thanks have a great vacation.
Tom
Beta Return
Are you a Mears driver? If not, are you friends with one or are you related to one? Your very first post is a tad harsh. I've never had a DME driver who actually brought up the "tips" topic. I've only ever seen the sign that says tips are permitted or welcomed for excellent service.
Have a great vacation too!
Awww, crap. Do I have to type my entire reply again, since you responded to both of us with the exact same post? And your only two for that matter.
copcarguyp71
Well-Known Member
We ALWAYS use a car service upon arrival! They meet you, help with bags and there is less chance that when you actually do get to your resort that half the bus will get off and rush to check-in. I do tip that driver as he is usually cordial, engages in conversation and caries the bags. It is well worth the small price of the service. We use ME on our return because who really cares if the trip back is slow?
Tom
Beta Return
How much is car service?
And I agree completely on the return trip. I always hope we're the first pick-up, and that the drive takes a while, because I'd rather be sitting on a bus (or ANYWHERE) than in an airport. Especially MCO.
copcarguyp71
Well-Known Member
Around $65 one way and they will make one stop if you like at a grocery store for sundries, water, in room snacks etc...well worth it.
JWG
Well-Known Member
Never thought about it... I would tip if they did something above and beyond. If they drive the bus, open and close the door - then probably not. Bus driver is not a traditional "tip" position - meaning they can't pay lower or below minimum wages because it's a "tip" position. Therefore, not expected. Based on what school bus drivers make near us - I can't imagine they're doing horribly. Not millionaires, but not McDonald's fry cook either.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
I am not a Mears driver and I don't know anyone that is. I know a guy who worked for an airport parking shuttle service. He basically got paid minimum wage by the company knowing that a lot of people tip about $1 a bag. This is similar to waiters or bartenders who can actually be paid below minimum wage since they are earning tips. A public bus driver or a pilot flying a commercial airline is never tipped so their salary is not based on receiving tips. On my way to the airport I dropped all of my luggage and my family at arrivals and then parked. I still tipped the guy a few bucks even though I had no bags.
If I go I tip $1 a bag. If you don't have any bags handled by the driver you shouldn't feel obligated to tip. I probably still would throw the guy a buck or 2 even without bags It is a nice gesture but if the guy was rude and didn't handle your bags then he shouldn't get a tip. The point of tipping is to reward good service.
If I go I tip $1 a bag. If you don't have any bags handled by the driver you shouldn't feel obligated to tip. I probably still would throw the guy a buck or 2 even without bags It is a nice gesture but if the guy was rude and didn't handle your bags then he shouldn't get a tip. The point of tipping is to reward good service.
Uncle Lupe
Well-Known Member
Yes. I wanted to tip on the way to the resort we did have 3 carry -ons stowed. But i did not have any small bills at the time. Usually I have the opposite problem. We sat in the front and the driver just did his job. They only thing I could understand was that everything he told us to do was for the "safety". Leaving the resort we had the same carry-ons and sat in the front again. This time the driver did his job but was personable and was asking out daughter to point which way she wanted to go? At Old Key West we would have driven thru a golf course. That time I did tip. Not just because I had the bills but he went beyond just driving the bus. Granted we were the only ones he could talk to but he gave us that last drop of magic.
Tom
Beta Return
These are the precise situations when I too would not tip vs tip.
A very long time ago when my husband was in college; he used to drive a shuttle bus to and from the airport for one of the rental car places. He got paid next to nothing from the company and really did depend on the tips to make his money. Sometimes he would come home and tell me that someone gave him a $20 tip which totally made his week. Other times he would tell me that someone would tell him that they were in a hurry to catch a flight and he would go above and beyond to make sure they got to the airport as fast as possible and then they would not tip him at all. I guess when I am on vacation, anyone who handles my bags in any way gets some kind of tip. If the person was particularly friendly or entertaining, I do give them more though.
captainkidd
Well-Known Member
It depends. If we take ME at the beginning of the trip, then no. He's not handling our bags, he's just driving us. At the end of the trip, yes, I usually give him about $5.00.
Donaldfan3000
Member
I would not tip the bus driver if he asked for a tip. If he was a really good bus driver and didn't ask for a tip i would tip him.
Sweet Melissa
Well-Known Member
I tip if he handles my luggage, which doesn't usually happen. Once I tipped a very funny driver who had the whole bus in stitches the whole ride there.