Our Vehicles for Hire (VFH) division has been named the 2023 Global Regulator of the Year by the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR).
The award, presented last month in Scottsdale, Arizona at the IATR’s annual conference, recognizes VFH as a global leader in licensing and regulating taxis, rideshares, and limousines.
“It is an honour to be named Global Regulator of the Year,” said Grant Heather, Manager of Vehicles for Hire.
“IATR is a peer organization, so this is a recognition by other transportation regulators of the hard work, and collaboration with community and industry that has taken place to modernize Winnipeg’s for-hire transportation.”
We have introduced several changes since taking over regulation of Winnipeg’s vehicles for hire in 2018, including introducing new safety measures for drivers and passengers, launching the city’s first on-demand centralized booking service for wheelchair accessible vehicles, and implementing mandatory cultural competency training for drivers in response to the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.
“This award is especially gratifying considering we have only been around for five years, and speaks to the incredible contributions our entire team has made in that short time,” said Heather.
Winnipeg is the second ever Canadian city to receive the award, and joins other recent recipients including Montreal, New York, and London, England.
IATR is a non-profit international association of government transportation officials who share best practices for licensing and regulating for-hire ground transportation services.