Parking authority ticket contractor now regulates Winnipeg's taxis, TappCar

The Winnipeg Parking Authority is poised to sign a new contract with its longtime private contractor which is now also responsible for enforcing regulations for taxisand ride-hailing services on top of issuing parking tickets.

On Nov. 20, city council's public works committee will consider a recommendation to sign a $5.9-million contract with G4SSecure Solutions, the multinational firm that's been responsible for enforcing parking rules and handing out tickets in Winnipeg for the past decade.

The 21-month deal, which would start on Jan. 1, calls for G4S to continue enforcing parking regulations along with bylaws and procedures, as well as issuingparking tickets and patrolling city-owned parkades.

According to a report published by the city Wednesday, under the new contract,G4S will also be responsible for enforcing regulations governingvehicles for hire, including taxis andandride-hailing companies such as Edmonton'sTappCar.

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This formalizes expanded duties for G4S. The firmstarted enforcing vehicle-for-hire regulationsin March, when the provincial taxicab board was dissolved and the City of Winnipeg took over the task of regulating taxis and ride-hailing companies, said Grant Heather, the Winnipeg Parking Authority's acting manager of vehicles for hire.

G4S would respond toincidents involving taxis and othervehicles for hire, Heather said. The private firm would also issue tickets and monitor their operations.

Incidents where criminal activity is suspected, however, would be investigated by the Winnipeg Police Service, while serious allegations of a non-criminal nature for example, fare disputes or discrimination complaints would wind up on the desks of parking-authority employees.

"All of their enforcement is done directly under the auspices of our office. They don't have carte blanche on anything. We have direct oversight of what happens and constant review and everything," Heather said.

"They will download video from the cameras when it's requested or if we need it for an investigation, because they are out on the street and they do have the ability to do that."

The proposed contract would expire on Sept. 20, 2020, and could be extended for a year four times, if both parties wish.