It has been a tumultuous existence for the Minnie Van service at Walt Disney World, a Disney-owned and operated point-to-point transportation option that launched in 2017. A favorite project of now CEO Bob Chapek, Minnie Vans was Disney’s answer to many of your guests who choose not to use the provided, free (and honestly, often unreliable) transportation options that Disney offers their guests and instead book an Uber, Lyft, or similar transportation method to get around The Vacation Kingdom of the World. Minnie Vans were considered expensive by most guests, and they were also hard to come by when you really wanted them, such as the park’s opening and closing hours. After 3 years of bleeding money, cast members believe the service is coming to an end.
According to cast members, having been suspended since March and hoping they would return to work soon, his leadership is now suddenly informing drivers that “they should update their resumes.” It is inevitable that part of the cast will transfer to other departments, but the belief among employees is that nearly 200 of them will be laid off.
Disney claims that termination of service is for the safety of the drivers, but the drivers who contacted us did not seem convinced of this due to the financial performance of the Minnie Vans outside of the airport’s premium transportation offering. Similar services from Lyft and Uber have found ways to continue operating during the pandemic.
Minnie Van’s fleet was leased through an agreement with Disney’s corporate partner Chevrolet and will likely be returned to them soon.
Disney has yet to announce Minnie Van’s layoffs or termination of service, but it seems likely due to reports from several cast members. We will certainly update it as any official information is released.
