ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Riding-sharing service Uber is one of the busiest and most profitable at Disney World.
Channel 9's Jamie Holmes learned that Disney appears ready to step into the ride-sharing game and roll out its own ride-sharing service, where cast members transport guests from hotels to theme parks using electric vehicles.
Eyewitness News reported last summer when Disney had a survey question about the ride-sharing option within the park.
According to internal documents obtained by WDW News Today, the cast members need to have a year experience with the park and be “very knowledgeable” about Disney property and offer vacation assistance.
"I think the realization is there should be no one on Disney property, no third party company, offering something and making a profit Disney can't operate themselves,” said Tom Corless, with WDW News Today.
Uber makes a lot of money off Disney trips to and from the park. The ride-sharing service said it had to rework its own model to accommodate the demand for Disney.
Passengers requesting rides from Uber are no longer assigned a driver based on which one is closest. Instead, Uber switched to a taxi-style system meaning a ride request goes to the driver who has waited the longest around the transportation and ticket center.
Uber told Eyewitness News that they have a great working relationship with Disney, and did not know about the potential plans from Disney.
Disney officials have not disclosed a price point, but the theme park has the power to undersell any competitor.
“I mean they own the property. They can make their own rules,” said Corless.
Corless expects the service to roll out within the next two months.
Disney has not released any official information.
Cox Media Group
