The list of items left in Unicity Taxi cabs in Winnipeg runs a gamut of the strange, from stereo equipment to dentures and underwear.

In Unicity Taxi's annual year-end purge of lost and found items, the numerous articles collected in 2009 include iPods, knives, cellphones, cameras, prescription medications, wallets, suitcases, groceries and a coffee maker.

"I've even had a bra returned," said dispatcher Bonnie Rohs. "The girl was a little intoxicated and she, it was bothering her, so when she got in the cab, she took it off and left it."

The unclaimed cellphones are passed on for recycling, and piles of forgotten clothing and purses are given to charity.

If the owner can be found, the items are returned. If not, the garbage gets it.

Drivers get blamed

Unicity Taxi general manager Gord Barton said about 60 per cent of the items are reunited with the rightful owners, but some never get claimed.

And other things occasionally get picked up by other customers and then people accuse the drivers of taking it, Barton said.

'If they lose it in our cabs, we'll try and return it, but if we can't, don't blame us.' —Gord Barton, Unicity Taxi GM

"They don't seem to want to understand that other passengers may have picked it up in the cab, and just said nothing and taken it with them," he said.

"We definitely would like people to come and get their property. It's their duty to look after it and if they lose it in our cabs, we'll try and return it, but if we can't, don't blame us."

Rohs said the most forgetful time of the year is between Christmas and New Year's Eve when people have indulged more heavily in the holiday spirits.

Barton said it's time-consuming and costly to catalogue hundreds of items, store them and track down the owners.

His only option is to hold on to them for a year and hope it is enough time for people to be reunited with their belongings.