WINNIPEG — For years taxis have been one of the go-to choices to get from point A to point B, but soon Winnipeggers could have another.
Uber Canada representatives are in Winnipeg to talk about how the ride-sharing service could fill a gap in the market.
READ MORE: Uber Executive in Winnipeg Wednesday
“We think it would be a natural fit,” said Uber Canada public policy manager, Chris Schafer. “It’s about offering an array of choices for citizens. I want to create an opportunity for people to be able to live car-light or car-free lifestyles by offering them a service that is more affordable and more reliable.”
On Wednesday, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and the ride-share service company were looking to open the conversation among Winnipeggers and answer questions about the service.
The Chamber said it’s important to keep an open mind and open dialogue.
“Competition breeds innovation, it breeds service excellence,” said Executive Vice President, Loren Remillard. “So anything that brings more competition to the market place is healthy. Is that Uber or is that something else? That’s for Winnnipeggers to decide. The marketplace will determine who is more competitive.”
According to a 2013 report from the Conference Board of Canada, Winnipeg has the second-lowest number of taxis per capita compared to other large Canadian cities. Only Vancouver had fewer.
It also stated there are only six taxis available for every 10,000 people in Winnipeg.
Last month, Duffy’s Taxi and Unicity Taxi formed the Winnipeg Taxi Alliance to fight Uber’s potential move into the Winnipeg market.
“There is a concern. The big reason is fairness,” said Luc Lewandoski, spokesperson for the Winnipeg Taxi Alliance. “We think that as long as the rules are fair for the cab industry and the ride-share, if that’s something the government is going to look at, we think we`ll be able to compete quite well.”
READ MORE: Council votes to regulate ride-share service
Uber has faced opposition in a number of Canadian cities, most notably Calgary and Toronto.
But after a long fight with council in Toronto, Uber Canada appears to finally be making some headway.
Two weeks ago, Toronto city council asked city staff to develop new rules to accommodate Uber in its taxi and limousine bylaws.
Mayor John Tory’s motion compels Toronto’s Licensing and Standards Committee to revise its rules, with an aim to create “a level playing field” between traditional cabs and Uber, which has upended the city’s ground transportation industry since it launched in 2012.
“I’ve long been a champion for increased innovation, new technologies, and crowd-sourcing” said Mayor Brian Bowman. “But lets also be clear the Taxi Cab Board is responsible for regulating the taxi industry and my focus is on the priority of Winnipeggers.”
In Manitoba, the industry is regulated at a provincial level and the premier said the ride-share must follow the current laws that are in place or it will be penalized.
“If they want to work outside the rules that becomes a problem,” said Premier Greg Selinger. “We have an industry in town that is regulated, we are doing a review of that industry to improve service, so they have to follow the existing laws of the province.”
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