Winnipeg may allow digital advertising inside taxis and other vehicles for hire

Winnipeg may allow taxis and other vehicles for hire to install tablets that display digital advertising and provide information to passengers.

In an annual report to city council, Winnipeg's vehicle for hire manager recommends the city amend bylaws to allow digital advertising inside cabs, Uber vehicles and those of other licensed companies.

"With vehicles for hire looking for additional opportunities to create revenue streams, as well as having an audience in their vehicles — and as technology continues to improve — the opportunity exists for dispatchers to have vehicles install tablets that can play ads and provide information to passengers," vehicle for hire manager Grant Heather says in the report, published on Friday.

The annual report also says ride-hailing companies like Uber are now more popular than cabs in Winnipeg.

As of 2024, there were 589 cabs on the road in Winnipeg in any given month, as well as 2,712 vehicles operated by Uber and similar companies, the report says.

Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing companies took passengers on 57 per cent of rides during the first eight months of 2024, the report states. Taxis had 43 per cent of the market.

In 2023, the split between the two was closer to 50-50.