While Uber Canada representatives talk the ride-sharing service in Winnipeg on Wednesday, those from the city and beyond weigh in on three of the best — and worst — things about the company.

Uber pros

1. The service is user-friendly to blind people

Martin Courcelles, 42, lives in Toronto, uses a guide dog and says the service is not only affordable, but accessible.



"What's really cool is … I know the license of the car, I know the driver's name, I know approximately when he's going to be arriving," Courcelles said.



Ordering and paying for the ride through the app means no physical money is exchanged, another benefit, Courcelles says.



He has used Uber since approximately 2013, after he learned about it from a friend who is also blind and uses the service.

2. Uber is widely considered "affordable"

University of Manitoba student Zac Lsfjord, 19, used Uber twice while in Madison, Wisconsin in September and says the service is "so much cheaper than cabs."



Despite ordering a ride from Uber during surge pricing – an increase in rates used to encourage drivers to work when the number of drivers on the road can't meet the demand – he estimates a ride that would cost $45 in a taxi cost him $15 in an Uber car.

3. Uber cars are clean

Mark Stevenson, 30, used Uber twice since it became available in Halifax in August 2014. He says on both occasions, the drivers were on time and the cars were clean.



That stood out to him, especially given experiences he had with taxis before that.



"The last taxi we took had a door that wouldn't open and smelled like it had been driven though the kitchen of a two-star restaurant," he said.



Still, there were cons to match the pros Stevenson found in the service.

Uber cons

1. Availability of cars depends on region's regulations

He was less than impressed with the availability, or lack thereof, of cars in Halifax, where there "seems to be a problem," he says, particularly for those outside the downtown core wanting a ride.



That was before the number of Uber cars on Halifax roads fell to zero in August 2015 because Nova Scotia's capital requires those who wish to drive for the company to have a conventional taxi license and at that time, there were none available.

2. Slow response times to complaints

Jojo Smith has used Uber in Toronto, where she lives. She says the driving service is "amazing," but she is less than pleased with the time it takes to get answers to questions about issues that may arise.



"The response time for the issue is ridiculous," she told CBC.



"But I've only had two problems and I've been riding with Uber for almost a year."

3. Poor customer service

Aside from the response time, Smith says the customer service that precedes it could be improved, too.



"You're transferred to three different people for one issue," she said.



Courcelles, the guide dog-user from Toronto, agrees. He used Uber to go to a new job and while the ride there met his expectations, he was surprised to be denied service when he called an Uber car to take him home – a situation he has faced with cabs in the past.



He says the driver saw his dog and said he could not provide service because he was afraid of dogs. Courcelles, who says he did not know the rules and regulations, asked the driver to call him a different car, but was told to do it himself.

He was charged a $5.00 fee for ordering the car in the first place, which was refunded when Courcelles submitted a complaint to Uber and they responded the following day.



"It could have been handled a bit better," he said.



"If the driver [had] been able to call in and say, 'I can't deal with a dog, get me somebody,' that'd have been great. But, at the same time, they're not supposed to refuse you."



Chris Schafer, Uber's public policy manager, is in talks with provincial officials about getting licensed in Manitoba, he said.