Winnipeg Pokemon Go players can have a personal chauffeur for $10/hour

PokemonGo fans in Winnipeg can get a personal chauffeur for as little as $10 an hour.

Several Winnipeggers have posted ads online offering to drive players around the city for $10 to$20, includingNathan White, 26, who'soffering to take players around Winnipeg for $10 an hour.

White said he started the service as a joke after making a bet with his girlfriend.

• Winnipeggers try to 'catch 'em all' as Pokemon Go app takes over city
• Pokemon Go lures players in Winnipeg to The Forks and Assiniboine Park
• Winnipeg police, RCMP warn drivers about using Pokemon Go behind the wheel

"She said, 'That's a stupid idea,'and I said, 'I'll bet you the money I make that I can get someone,'" he said.

White won the bet. He said he's already received calls and emails from players and driven his first customer.

He said he's spotted drivers distracted by the app in Winnipeg.

"When you see someone driving really slow in a suburb, it's pretty clear what they're doing," he said.

White said he thinks some drivers may be tempted to use the app while behind the wheel because there are several Pokemons available to catch in the middle of main roads in Winnipeg.

"Even if you're driving fast, you can click on a Pokemonand catch it while you're driving," he said.

The PokemonGo app has already been linked to several car crashes, including one last week in Quebec.

Carly Dunlop, 29, is offering her services as a personal chauffeur to any player, but she's charging $20 an hour.

She hasn't had her first customer yet but said she's ready to get driving.

"Distracted driving is such a problem. I don't want people to drive and play the game because it's just so dangerous," Dunlop said.

"I figured this way people can enjoy the game in the safety of letting someone else drive."

Winnipeg's Taxicab Board said any independent drivers who offerrides for hireis in violation fo the the Taxicab Act and regulations.

"If you are transporting passengers in the City of Winnipeg and collecting compensation directly or indirectly, you are by definition operating a taxicab for hire," said a written statement issued by the Taxicab Board Office.

• Canadian Museum for Human Rights among sombre sites welcoming Pokemon Go players
• Pokemon Go may be drawing players to Stony Mountain prison