The rest will see a slight increase in their Autopac payments, most worth less than $50 a year. The overall rate stays the same, though, meaning MPI won't collect more cash from motorists. It's the ninth time in the last decade rates have been frozen or reduced.

MPI is also asking the Public Utilities Board to fast-track future rate applications by rubber-stamping their methodology for another two years, until 2010. The rates themselves would still require the PUB's annual oversight, but the procedures and formulas MPI uses to calculate the rates wouldn't need to be dissected and argued over every year.

"Completely unacceptable," said CAA Manitoba president and CEO Mike Mager of the proposal. "They've got a public consultation process in place and it's vital when you've got a monopolistic situation."