Vehicle-for-hire company TappCar ​is charging a few extra dollars for some rides that take place during peak hours — without informing all customers about the surcharges in advance.

TappCar, which began operating in Winnipeg in March, may add surcharges of $3 to $6 to rides that take place during weekends or on holidays.

The surcharges show up on electronic receipts, but there is no mention of the additional fees on either the company's website or the app used by most of its customers.

John Morris, TappCar's Winnipeg spokesperson, said $3 may be added to rides that take place from Thursday evening to Sunday morning, while the $6 surcharge may be added on weekends.

"That is to incentivize the drivers to get on the road, so we have enough supply of drivers for the demand," Morris said in a telephone interview, describing the flat fees as preferable to the "surge pricing" employed by Uber, which does not operate in Winnipeg.

Under that model, normal fares are increased when high demand means there are more riders than available drivers.

"We thought of it as a positive as opposed to a multiplier, which is the Uber model. It actually does create a lot cheaper rides, as opposed to when there's a Jets game on, or a Bomber game on [and] all of a sudden, for an Uber ride, you're going to be paying $200 to get home."

TappCar sends customers electronic receipts that itemize its fees. (Tessa Vanderhart/CBC)

Morris said customers who ask for estimates in advance are informed of the surcharges. He said the company is now working to ensure the surcharges are better disclosed.

​Prior to TappCar's launch, Alberta-based spokesperson Pascal Ryffel predicted the surcharges would be lower.

"​There may be the occasional surcharge of $2 or $3 if it's very busy but other than that, there's no surge pricing," he said in February.

The Winnipeg Parking Authority, which regulates the vehicle-for-hire industry in the city, has not received any complaints about TappCar's surcharges, city spokesperson Kalen Qually said in a statement.

The city does not regulate vehicle-for-hire pricing, he said.