Taxi firms want city, province to give them edge over Uber, Lyft

Taxi companies have urged the City of Winnipeg and Manitoba government to promote them under buy local policies amid the trade war with the United States.

The Winnipeg Community Taxi Association, which represents Unicity Taxi and Duffy’s Taxi, said the governments should boost them over Uber and Lyft, both of which are American-owned and operated.

The association wants city and provincial purchases of vehicle-for-hire services to use local companies exclusively. It has asked both governments to review their regulatory frameworks, claiming they have “unfairly” allowed U.S-based companies to take over the market.

“This is a time to promote local businesses, including the taxi industry,” said Unicity general manager Abhishek Tara.

A city spokesperson said it is working with the provincial and federal governments to align procurement strategies and advocate for solutions that protect municipal operations and economic stability.

Mintu Sandhu, Manitoba’s public service delivery minister, said he knows first-hand the challenges the taxicab industry faces.
Before he was elected in 2019, Sandhu was the president at Unicity Taxi.

“I encourage Manitobans to use local, because those people will be spending the money here in Manitoba and helping the local economy and the jobs here,” he said. “Right now, more than ever, we need people to spend here in Manitoba.”

Mintu spent much of the day Wednesday debating Bill 42, which introduced amendments to the Government Purchases Act that prioritize Canadian suppliers.

In Toronto, three taxi companies and a local ride-sharing service asked council last week to include the industry under its buy local campaign.

Winnipeg’s taxi association launched an advertising campaign titled “Doesn’t get more Canadian than a Winnipeg taxi” last month.

Tara said both Unicity and Duffy’s are 100 per cent local and 100 per cent Canadian.

“Our industry is made up of hundreds of small business taxi owners,” said Duffy’s Taxi general manager Ram Valluru. “We are proud to serve everyone in our community with standard taxis, and unlike Uber and Lyft, we have wheelchair-accessible vehicle taxis.”

Tara said the popular ride-hailing companies have taken a big chunk of taxi revenue.

The former provincial Tory government changed the regulations to allow for insurance to be sold to ride-sharing operators, which opened the market to Uber in 2018.

“The same regulatory measures placed on the taxi industry should be implemented on the other American companies,” Tara said.

Cabbies must have a separate taxi driver’s licence and complete training, something ride-hailing drivers do not require.

“We have strict regulations that we have to follow that they don’t have,” Tara said.

All drivers have to complete accessible and cultural training and submit background checks, as per city regulations. The city is also working to implement new driver training across the board.

Earlier this year, the city’s annual vehicle-for-hire industry report suggested the office will “likely be looking at a (personal transportation provider) driver and vehicle licensing regime in the near future.”

It would hold ride-hailing services to the same standard that taxi and limousine drivers are held to, specifically when it comes to verification documentation while helping to ensure that taxis and ride-hailing companies operate under the same guidelines.

“It’s prudent, from a safety standpoint, that we’re holding the companies responsible for gathering this information to account,” department manager Grant Heather said in January.

“We have seen some deficiencies… the one way to kind of improve that is to have the city do it all.”

Meanwhile, Winnipeg’s taxi companies have had to up their technology game.

Unicity and Duffy’s now have mobile-based apps like other ride-sharing companies, that allow users to input credit card information to ensure contactless payments. Both apps have tracking services, estimated fares, wait time, vehicle options and the ability to see the driver’s name and picture.

Unicity’s app also features a live tracker.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca