Uber plans to drive into Winnipeg this spring

Ride-hailing giant Uber says it is coming to Winnipeg before the end of spring. 

The company is in the process of setting up shop in the city and is recruiting drivers in order to be operating in Winnipeg in the coming months, Michael van Hemmen, head of Uber's Western Canada operations, said in an interview with Marcy Markusa on Information Radio Tuesday morning.

Uber has seen tens of thousands of Winnipeggers already download its app, showing there is a demand for the ride-booking service, van Hemmen said. 

"We see a high level of interest here and frankly, we want to be part of the solution to people not having to own personal vehicles," he said. 

They don't have a firm number for how many drivers they will need to launch by the summer, but it's in the "many hundreds," van Hemmen said.

Mayor Brian Bowman tweeted a photo Tuesday morning of him meeting with van Hemmen Monday about the company's plans to enter the Winnipeg market. 

After the City of Winnipeg and the province passed laws that would allow ride-hailing services to enter the market, Uber tried to launch in Winnipeg in 2018, but couldn't reach an agreement with Manitoba Public Insurance on an insurance model.

At the time, Uber and competing ride-hailing company Lyft said they would be willing to insure their drivers in Winnipeg, as long Manitoba Public Insurance didn't require those drivers to indicate in advance when they were working.

Uber has now reached an arrangement with MPI under which the company will pay for additional private coverage to insure their drivers in Winnipeg, Van Hemmen said. 

Manitoba Public Insurance "believes that the current model is fair, equitable and flexible enough to accommodate different regulatory frameworks that may be created by municipalities," MPI spokesperson Brian Smiley said.

"However, MPI will continue to review and evolve where necessary to support the needs of our customers and partners."