Having a hard time catching them all?
The Pokémon Go craze sweeping North America has spawned a new cottage industry in B.C.: Game chauffeurs.
Nearly a dozen advertisements on the online marketplace Craigslist have cropped up in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island offering driving services to game players.
For an hourly charge, the chauffeurs will drive gamers and their friends to help catch more Pokémon.
One UBC student offering his services says he posted an ad after seeing a similar service being offered in Baltimore.
For $25 per hour, the enterprising student will drive you around town in his VW Passat, and for a few extra bucks you can also purchase water and snacks.
The ad says all money will go to charity.
"I've been wanting to raise some money for the BC Cancer Foundation, and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity!" the ad reads.
If a Volkswagen isn't your style, another ad offers trips in a “fresh ride”: a class 5 Mercedes for $40 per hour.
The driver, a recent UBC grad, says he and his girlfriend have just casually started playing the game, and they’re driving around town a lot anyways.
“With the rising popularity of Pokémon Go it seems like the best of both worlds,” he wrote.
Some chauffeurs are also listing perks, including phone chargers, and a knowledge of "hot spots.”
"If you're serious about being a Pokémon master take it to the next level," one ad reads.
Although the driving services may prove to be popular, they're not legal, at least in Vancouver: The city says a permit is required to operate a hired-vehicle.
The new smartphone game has been the subject of police warnings across North America, with authorities saying it's so wildly distracting that it's caused car crashes and pedestrian injuries.
The Vancouver police went as far as to say players were in a "zombie-like state" as they wandered aimlessly around the city, staring at their phones instead of their surroundings.
