Phonedave
Well-Known Member
It was a strategy to sell expensive character buffets, overpriced dvc, etc.
I can see this before alot of other suggestions that get thrown around…but still kind of a long shot
It was also a way to get people to WDW without a rental car. You could always taxi or black car, but with DME it was a lot easier to use the "free" service.
I know the first few times I went as a family (pre-DME) we rented a car. That allowed us to leave the property and do other things (i.e. spend money elsewhere).
A free service that removes that forces a guest to spend money on property was a genius idea.