Taxicabs keep running in Winnipeg

Manitoba's transportation ministerstepped into Winnipeg's taxicabimbroglio to ensure the cabswerestill on the road Tuesday morning.

On Monday,officials for Unicity Taxi and Duffy's Taxi said they were being forced to pull their 400 cabs off the road at the end of Monday due to a dispute involving their companies, theTaxicab Board andCustom Plastic Creations, the company developing protective shields for the vehicles.

The companies had until then to show they'd paid for thefull safety shields that have become mandatoryfor all cabs.

Unicity president Gurmail Mangat said Transportation MinisterSteve Ashton called himMonday night to tell him to keep cabs running.

Mangat also said a meeting is nowin the works to sort out the dispute, whichcentres around the payment for the installation of the shields that separate the passengers in the rear of the cab from the driver.

Mangat insistsUnicity and Duffy's struck a deal last week with Custom Plastic Creations that would see the companiespay 20 per cent of the cost up front with the balance coming later.

Duffy's general manager Michael Klymenko echoed that comment and said he was all set to make that down payment.

"We had the cheque all ready, all set. And then[Custom Plastic Creations president Steve Strong] tells us we have to give him 100 per cent. And that's where the negotiations broke down. We couldn't give him 100 per cent," Klymenko said.

But Strong told CBC Newsthere was neverany such agreement.

Hesaid herecently offered the companiesa discount with full payment even though Unicity and Duffy's knew for months how much the shields would cost.

The Taxicab Board, an independent provincial body that oversees Manitoba's taxi industry, had initially mandated that all cabs install protective shields for drivers by the end of November. Thatdeadline waslater pushed back at least once over disputes about the design.

In mid-December, a government spokesperson told CBC News the taxicompanies would be mandated to install the shield by Jan. 24.