Winnipeggers have asked for competition when it comes to who to turn to for a ride, and they’re being given that as of March 1.
At least four ride sharing companies are set to hit the streets of Winnipeg after March 1.
RELATED: Winnipeg taxis make changes ahead of ride-sharing competition arriving
Calgary-based company Cowboy Taxi and Edmonton-based company TappCar expect they’ll have drivers giving riders a new option on who to use come Friday, March 2.
Cowboy Taxi Ltd. CEO, Mo Benini, said, it’s time a new player or two enters in to Winnipeg’s market that has been a monopoly for quite some time.
“When you don’t have competition and you’re the only business running, you tend to ignore customer service,” Benini said.
He said in just the 24 hours since he expressed his company will be coming to Winnipeg, he’s had over 100 drivers reach out to show they’re interested in being part of the company and giving Winnipeggers a new option for a ride.
RELATED: MPI ‘confident’ it can find way for Uber, Lyft to come to Manitoba
“We still have screening to do, they still have to pass background checks. We have to talk to them and see if they’re the right fit for the job,” Benini said.
He said, on Thursday he’ll be able to make sure their vehicles are insured, inspected, and safe before he can put them on the road hopefully by Friday.
Winnipeggers who spoke to Global News said while many of them haven’t had bad experiences while in Winnipeg taxis, it’s getting the taxi and the reliability that is their concern.
“We ensure we’ll be there on time,” Benini said.
Benini said the cost will be more affordable for Winnipeggers as well. Not including fees for time spent waiting in traffic for either company, after a calculation based on the rates provided, a ride from Bridgewater Centre to Bell MTS Place by taxi would cost nearly $23.00 and with Cowboy Taxi it would be just under $19.