Canada: Some Cabs in Brandon, Manitoba, Offering Free Condoms to Their Riders

Cab patrons now can avail themselves of free condoms offered by some taxis in Manitoba. "It promotes healthiness," said Terri Mansell, a dispatcher with ABC Cabs who suggested the idea to her supervisor.

The strategy is part of the larger "Take Care Down There" initiative developed by a consortium of area health promotion entities. The campaign includes advertisements on billboards, bus benches, city buses, and the walls of bar bathrooms.

In recognition of the community's ethnic composition, messages are being developed in English, Russian, Mandarin, and Spanish. The program was funded a year ago by Manitoba Healthy Living and is being expanded this year.

The condoms-in-taxis component of the campaign involves two cab companies and a total of five vehicles. Free condoms are stuffed into little holders made from blue jean material and placed in spots accessible to patrons. One advantage to the taxi distribution strategy: It makes condoms easily available to partying patrons after normal store hours.

"You don't always stop for condoms, right? But if they were there and it's a matter of reaching in and taking a few and putting them in your pocket or purse, it's there," said Darlene McDonald, a public health nurse with the Brandon Regional Health Authority's sexual health program.

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