With Walt Disney World’s free ‘Magical Express’ bus service ending with the new year, two companies are now set to compete for Disney-bound passengers looking for a lift from Orlando airport to Disney resorts and nearby hotels.
Mears Transportation, which has been the contract operator for Disney’s service had already announced it would operate service under its own name, staking a claim the day a year ago that Disney announced the end of service.
A second company, Transportation Management Services, which supplies corporate transportation, announced this week that it will start a competing service under the name ‘Sunshine Flyer,’ with a fleet of train-themed buses whose drivers and staff will wear 1920s style railroad uniforms.
Both companies, however, share key differences with the old Disney offering: first, they are not free, and second neither can offer the most unique service of the Magical Express: visitors headed for the Disney resorts received special luggage tags before leaving home. At Orlando Airport, Disney staff would collect the bags and load them on the bus; customers would next see their bags already in their rooms after check-in.
The cost is also not a trivial issue. Mears is charging $32 round-trip for adults and $27 for children; Sunshine’s rates are $34 and $25. With either company, therefore, a family of four would pay $118, which may push a significant number of customers to other means of travel.
