Winnipeggers were on track to take a record number of trips in taxis, ride-share vehicles and limousines throughout most of last year.
Those vehicles provided 7,346,457 trips between January and September 2024, for an average of 816,273 trips per month, an annual city update on vehicles for hire stated.
“If the industry continues to provide trips at the current pace (once all data is assessed), 2024 will set a new record high. This is an average increase of 10.9 per cent (in) trips per month over 2023,” Randy Topolniski, general manager of the Winnipeg Parking Authority, wrote in the report.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
The city had an average of 2,686 ride-share vehicles available in 2024 up to the end of August, an increase from an average of 2,038 in 2023.
The parking authority oversees local vehicles for hire.
There were 8,879,397 trips — an average of 739,950 per month — throughout 2023 and 6,679,718 total trips in 2022.
Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, links the industry’s growth to the rising cost of owning and maintaining a personal vehicle.
“I think it’s a positive thing (that the industry can provide options). Vehicles are expensive to own and operate. And people … (are) taking different ways to get around,” she said.
Since immigration has greatly contributed to Winnipeg’s recent population growth, the data might also indicate many newcomers are not yet able to afford their own vehicles, Lukes (Waverley West) said.
Lukes said increasingly stringent laws against impaired driving, including a change that saw police require breath samples from all drivers pulled over at recent holiday checkstops, might also be a factor.
She said she hopes that triggers an improvement in road safety, despite the fact police reported an “alarming” increase in impaired drivers this holiday season. That included six impaired drivers being arrested and another 29 given roadside suspensions in one week in December.
“The tougher legislation related to impaired driving, I think, has also been a factor in (the surge in vehicles-for-hire rides), and that’s positive,” Lukes said.
The councillor said the city data bodes well for the industry, showing a strong demand for taxis and ride-share vehicles, which supports many jobs.
“I’m very pleased to see that there’s good uptake,” she said.
Topolniski suggested the addition of more vehicles for hire is making the industry more competitive and providing more options for the public.
“The overall level of customer service continues to improve, as does the availability of vehicles and accessibility of on-demand service,” he wrote.
The report noted the city had an average of 2,686 ride-share vehicles available in 2024 up to the end of August, an increase from an average of 2,038 in 2023.
The city report also linked the surge in rides to increased air travel, more transportation choices and greater use of vehicles for hire to attend medical appointments.
Ride-share vehicles accounted for 56.6 per cent of the total trips last year (up from 50.4 per cent in 2023), while taxis provided 43.2 per cent (down from 49.4 per cent in 2023.)
“It should be noted that taxi companies in Winnipeg continue to do well and provide some of the highest trip totals in Canada,” Topolniski wrote.
However, he indicated some challenges have emerged as the industry grows.
The report said there are some “concerning deficiencies” among some personal transportation providers (PTP, a category that includes ride-share vehicles and limousines) related to vetting and compliance of drivers and vehicles, but it did not specify exact problems.
It said that vetting issues are becoming less frequent, but a risk to the industry and passengers remains.
“The (vehicles-for-hire) office will likely be looking at a PTP driver and vehicle licensing regime in the near future. This is common in other jurisdictions,” Topolniski noted.
Lukes did not have additional information about the audits. City officials were not available to answer further questions Friday.
The city will also set new rules for digital advertising in vehicles for hire.
“With vehicles for hire looking for additional opportunities to create revenue streams, as well as having an audience in their vehicles … the opportunity exists for dispatchers to have vehicles install tablets that can play ads and provide information to passengers,” the report noted.
The vehicles-for-hire office also plans to create an online vehicle inspection reporting program and an online complaint reporting portal.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
X: @joyanne_pursaga
Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.