With a hovering threat of ride-sharing programs entering the city, Winnipeg's two largest taxi companies are coming together.

Duffy's Taxi and Unicity Taxi have formed the Winnipeg Taxi Alliance, which looks to raise awareness of the industry in Winnipeg, while also taking aim at companies like Uber — the ride-sharing service that has yet to arrive in Winnipeg, but has blossomed in other cities around North America.

"It makes it easier to have one combined voice on these issues," Alliance spokesman Luc Lewandoski said. "We're not trying to frame this as a taxis-versus-Uber or other ride-sharing debate.

"... With the taxi sector, we want to make sure that the information that's out there, the misconceptions about time for waits or what the causes are for delays, we're making sure that our case is being heard as well."

Lewandoski said the Alliance, which is launching a Trusted Transit campaign, wasn't formed to take shots at Uber and similar services, but a press release issued Thursday said the Alliance would "lay bare some of the issues and concerns surrounding the entry of ride-sharing services into Canada."

"Yes, there are going to be times over the next few months (when we talk) about the ride-sharing programs, but we also want to talk about what it is the cab drivers are doing ... really well in Winnipeg," Lewandoski said.

Lewandoski said a 2009 third-party report indicated Winnipeg's taxi services were largely giving the city "good to great" service, but acknowledged the perception doesn't always match that.

He said it is not a coincidence that the word Transit was included in the campaign title.

"There's more and more evidence that the cab component to an overall transit system is important," he said. "... We want to get that discussion going that you need that flexibility and that sometimes the cabs are the better alternative."

david.larkins@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @LarkinsWSun