Minnie Vans Gone For Good?

[spock8113]

This is because Mary Barra is the GM CEO and now on the Disney Board: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/leaders/mary-t-barra/
"During her first year as CEO, General Motors issued 84 safety recalls involving over 30 million cars. Barra was called before the Senate to testify about the recalls and DEATHS attributed to the faulty ignition switch. Barra and General Motors also came under suspicion of paying for awards to burnish the CEO and corporation's image during that time. The recalls led to the creation of new policies encouraging workers to report problems they encounter in an attempt to change company culture."
"In 2017 she pushed GM to develop the Chevy Bolt EV, beating rival Tesla in developing the first electric car priced under $40,000 with a range of 200 miles." The previous GM (Government Motors) electric cars: The EV-1 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-death-of-the-ev-1-118595941/
And the recent Chevy Volt: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-restructuring-plant-idUSKCN1NV2MH
and now GM is closing plants under Mary Barra

GM to close five plants in U.S., Canada - UPI.com

General Motors announced plans Monday to close five plants in the United States and Canada in 2019, idling thousands of blue- and white-collar workers.

www.upi.com

So if the Minnie Vans are going, there's a history behind it and a reason they are there to begin with.

 

[TrojanUSC]

This is because Mary Barra is the GM CEO and now on the Disney Board: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/leaders/mary-t-barra/
"During her first year as CEO, General Motors issued 84 safety recalls involving over 30 million cars. Barra was called before the Senate to testify about the recalls and DEATHS attributed to the faulty ignition switch. Barra and General Motors also came under suspicion of paying for awards to burnish the CEO and corporation's image during that time. The recalls led to the creation of new policies encouraging workers to report problems they encounter in an attempt to change company culture."
"In 2017 she pushed GM to develop the Chevy Bolt EV, beating rival Tesla in developing the first electric car priced under $40,000 with a range of 200 miles." The previous GM (Government Motors) electric cars: The EV-1 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-death-of-the-ev-1-118595941/
And the recent Chevy Volt: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-restructuring-plant-idUSKCN1NV2MH
and now GM is closing plants under Mary Barra

GM to close five plants in U.S., Canada - UPI.com

General Motors announced plans Monday to close five plants in the United States and Canada in 2019, idling thousands of blue- and white-collar workers.

www.upi.com

So if the Minnie Vans are going, there's a history behind it and a reason they are there to begin with.

No, the reason they are there to begin with is because Disney was losing a fortune to Uber/Lyft and wanted a piece of the Ride Share pie. They also saw a market for moms who either believed clickbait articles about how dangerous Uber was and/or who needed the assurance of multiple car seats available. It was this that led to MinnieVan, any correlation to GM was only secondary.

 

[Lilofan]

At the post show at Epcot Test Track where the car models are on display has one more addition , a used just newly cleaned and waxed - Minnie Van!

 

[Jon81uk]

If Disney is being super cautious, I can see the MVs going away for awhile. It’s a small, confined environment with close sitting and a need to totally disinfect between rides. Not worth the liability most likely

In that sense they are "safer" than a bus as you are only in the confined space with your own family, whereas a bus has strangers. The buses aren't being disinfected between rides to my knowledge either.

 

[GrumpyFan]

This is because Mary Barra is the GM CEO and now on the Disney Board: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/leaders/mary-t-barra/
"During her first year as CEO, General Motors issued 84 safety recalls involving over 30 million cars. Barra was called before the Senate to testify about the recalls and DEATHS attributed to the faulty ignition switch. Barra and General Motors also came under suspicion of paying for awards to burnish the CEO and corporation's image during that time. The recalls led to the creation of new policies encouraging workers to report problems they encounter in an attempt to change company culture."

So if the Minnie Vans are going, there's a history behind it and a reason they are there to begin with.

Seems very tenuous. I see nothing about her being CEO and on the Disney board that would make them close down Minnie Vans.
If anything, I would think her being on the board would mean they have a better chance of staying.

 

[GrumpyFan]

In that sense they are "safer" than a bus as you are only in the confined space with your own family, whereas a bus has strangers. The buses aren't being disinfected between rides to my knowledge either.

Except for the fact that the driver will now be in close contact to many people throughout the day, meaning they could catch and unknowingly spread the virus to everyone who rides in their car. This would make for a big liability potential.
I guess they could put a partition in the cars, kind of like some cabs do. Maybe they're just delaying restarting them while they do something like this.

 

[GrumpyFan]

Except for the fact that the driver will now be in close contact to many people throughout the day, meaning they could catch and unknowingly spread the virus to everyone who rides in their car. This would make for a big liability potential.
I guess they could put a partition in the cars, kind of like some cabs do. Maybe they're just delaying restarting them while they do something like this.

Interestingly, I've seen a couple of pictures of the buses, and I'm surprised to see the drivers are NOT more enclosed or partitioned. I guess the thought there is that the buses are more open and it's not needed as much? Still, it will be interesting to see if the MVs return and if so, what modifications will be made.

 

[Creathir]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I did not want to start a new one.

Take this with a huge grain of salt, as the source most certainly cannot be verified, but other sites are reporting that the Minnie Van drivers are being called back for retraining.

Supposedly this is in order to facilitate a replacement service for Magical Express.

Perhaps an insider may be able to shed more verifiable insight.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I did not want to start a new one.

Take this with a huge grain of salt, as the source most certainly cannot be verified, but other sites are reporting that the Minnie Van drivers are being called back for retraining.

Supposedly this is in order to facilitate a replacement service for Magical Express.

Perhaps an insider may be able to shed more verifiable insight.

Perhaps this one seems fairly easy to deduce...if true.

But forget Disney “Leaks”...the place you need to look with this one is Mears. What are THEY doing?

It also seems “premature”...why are drivers needed for “retraining” at this point?

 

[Creathir]

Perhaps this one seems fairly easy to deduce...if true.

But forget Disney “Leaks”...the place you need to look with this one is Mears. What are THEY doing?

It also seems “premature”...why are drivers needed for “retraining” at this point?

I doubt the bit about being needed for Magical Express replacement.
If anything I would say it is to get back into the ride share game.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I doubt the bit about being needed for Magical Express replacement.
If anything I would say it is to get back into the ride share game.

I would agree...

“I used to get this included...now I pay though the nose for it...” (regarding magical express)...

...is a bridge too far. Even for Disney.

 

[mgf]

It also seems “premature”...why are drivers needed for “retraining” at this point?

My only thought would be if they needed a different class of DL for whatever Disney has planned. Ex: Maybe they are adding mini-buses?

This whole situation is just....odd.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

My only thought would be if they needed a different class of DL for whatever Disney has planned. Ex: Maybe they are adding mini-buses?

This whole situation is just....odd.

You heard it here first...”goofy buses”

$100 each way

 

[CastAStone]

I doubt the bit about being needed for Magical Express replacement.
If anything I would say it is to get back into the ride share game.

I would agree...

“I used to get this included...now I pay though the nose for it...” (regarding magical express)...

...is a bridge too far. Even for Disney.

Much more likely IMHO is someone said why are we leaving this money on the table when we can just put up plexiglass like we have done in the rest of the park?

 

[Magic Feather]

The only DME replacement run by Disney that I’ve heard considered is a 1 family per car, premium service with a higher price point. Almost exactly like the old airport Minnie Van Transfer.

That said, this is waaaay too early to be bringing back people for an offering that wouldn’t need to start until 2022.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Much more likely IMHO is someone said why are we leaving this money on the table when we can just put up plexiglass like we have done in the rest of the park?

That didn’t work the first time...

Unless they think covid is gonna sell a $200 round trip airport shuttle now?

Or maybe they just want to drive the rental market/parking fees.

Master of puppets...as usual.

The only DME replacement run by Disney that I’ve heard considered is a 1 family per car, premium service with a higher price point. Almost exactly like the old airport Minnie Van Transfer.

That said, this is waaaay too early to be bringing back people for an offering that wouldn’t need to start until 2022.

Agree...no sense in “restarting” the shuttle service now. Travel restrictions will also remain in place for the whole year.

 

[cm1988]

Relevant post on another WDW fan site

Minnie Vans were Lyft (and probably will be, again, post-pandemic). Mears still has "yellow cabs" and vans available from bell services. Usually 2 or more cabs are waiting for passengers; often a van as well.

Whatever you choose... Disney bus, Mears van/cab, Lyft, Uber... please mask-up for your own health, and out of courtesy for the driver.

 

[Obobru]

I can see it now

"We have decided to discontinue all resort buses and monorails for your safety and convenience. In order to provide a safe resort wide transportation system we will be restarting the popular Minnie Vans* Vacationers have more options to choose from than ever for transportation, including Minnie Van* services that save time and offer more flexibility to go where they want, when they want"

*Minnie Vans start at $20 per mile, $1 per second waiting fee applies, use of child car seats will attract a $50 per seat upcharge and will include one complimentary cup cake per seat, luggage is subject to a $20 per piece handling fee, a fee of $100 for any off site drop offs excluding the airport which will be subject to a fee of $50, all trips from Disney Springs to any Walt Disney World Theme Park will incur a parking fee supplement of $25 as we know you parked your car for free to avoid the fees at the park. All prices are subject to change at the last minute including when you are in journey to your destination.

 

[homerdance]

The only DME replacement run by Disney that I’ve heard considered is a 1 family per car, premium service with a higher price point. Almost exactly like the old airport Minnie Van Transfer.

That said, this is waaaay too early to be bringing back people for an offering that wouldn’t need to start until 2022.

But there is no reason they wouldn’t restart the Minnie Van service before the MDE retirement. Disney knows there is a demand for it and if it can make money there is no reason to not have it, even if only for airport rides.

 

[Parker in NYC]

*Minnie Vans start at $20 per mile, $1 per second waiting fee applies, use of child car seats will attract a $50 per seat upcharge and will include one complimentary cup cake per seat,

I guffawed.