Winnipeg City Hall plans to launch a pilot project for taxi passengers to pay part of the fare in advance when taking a ride during night time.
Starting this spring, the city intends to test a new system which will oblige passengers to pay a minimum fee in cash, by debit or credit card at the beginning of the trip.
The city hopes that the prepayment will reduce the likelihood of conflict over tariffs and ensures that drivers end up with even some money if passengers run off without paying in full, said Grant Heather, car rental manager in Winnipeg.
All passengers will have to make an advance payment, no matter where they are in Winnipeg or what they look like. According to Heather, at the end of the trip, passengers will have to pay the rest of the fare if the driver is not satisfied with the prepayment.
This practice will become permanent if the pilot project is successful.
The transportation system is a very important part of Winnipeg`s daily life because thousands of people use it every day to commute to work and back home, they rely on the system and people need to be able to catch that taxi or a bus on time and get to work or home to their families.
Bowman said that the city council should be prepared to take political risks to shake things up for the better, and that, although he calls 2019 the “year of transit,” the council will have to go beyond the current authority.
Bowman said he and his counterparts from more than 20 cities across the country are asking for concrete investment in public transit. All levels of government need to work collaboratively on the issue, he said, but the dialogue with the feds is going well so far.