Ride-hailing apps like Uber take growing slice of Winnipeg vehicles-for-hire pie
Taxis gave about two-thirds of rides last year, compared to 9 out of 10 in 2020
More Winnipeggers are using ride-hailing apps than ever before.
It's only been a few years since services like Uber came onto the Winnipeg scene, but they've already taken a big chunk of the vehicles-for-hire business in the city, according to a City of Winnipeg report.
They accounted for more than a third of vehicle-for-hire rides taken last year, according to the 2023 Winnipeg Parking Authority business plan.
In 2020, traditional taxis provided nine out of every 10 vehicles-for-hire rides. That dropped to about three-quarters in 2021, and fell further to about two-thirds last year.
Yashsvi Yashsvi has driven for Uber for more than a year, and saw a big increase in the number of people taking rides through the service last year.
"In winter, everyone wants to go in an Uber, right? They don't go for a taxi, they don't go for a bus ride because [they] take too much time," he said.
The number of registrations for personal transportation vehicles — including through ride-sharing apps and other services like limousines — doubled between 2019 and 2022, from 529 in 2019 to 1,082 in 2022, according to the report, though it acknowledges some vehicles may be counted more than once if they're registered with more than one dispatcher.
More drivers, less business
Services like Uber might be taking a bigger share of the rides, but that doesn't mean individual drivers are seeing a surge in business.
Yashsvi has seen a drop in the number of rides he's getting in recent months, and he blames the increasing number of drivers on the road.
"These days it's very bad," he said.
"Last year was very good, but after New Year it's all very slow."
While Yashsvi would drive for Uber nearly every night of the week last year, now he's reduced that to only Friday and Saturday evenings.
"That's why I'm looking for other jobs. So I don't need to drive Uber, because I am paying like $310 insurance for Uber, and if I'm not driving Uber, [then] I am paying like $310 for nothing, right?"
The Winnipeg Parking Authority is also considering a plan to turn some downtown loading zones into drop-off and pick-up spots for vehicles for hire during certain hours.
The report says that could happen sometime between now and 2025.
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