Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown said Government will introduce laws making global positioning systems mandatory (GPS) for taxis, despite there being no mention of this in the Throne Speech last week.

Asked why GPS had not been included in the speech which sets out Government's plans for the next 12 months Dr. Brown said there were a lot of things not included in the speech.

Government's bid to bring in GPS was thwarted by the Senate in June.

He said: “Our plan is still to go forward with GPS.

“It will be coming back to the House.”

The system pinpoints the location of each taxi and sends the nearest one to a job.

Supporters say it will improve efficiency and cut down waiting times but it is is opposed by many in the taxi industry who say it is too expensive at around $1,500 per cab.

Lee Tucker, spokesman for the Bermuda Taxi Owners Association (BTOA), said taxi owners were looking at a different computerised system which could be half the price of GPS.

He said: “We have some plans we are working on which we will submit to Government.

“They do almost the same type of job as the Minister is trying to instigate.”

Mr. Tucker said the new system would make GPS obsolete but further details would come later.

He said: “We are hoping to make a statement by the end of the year or early next year.”

If Government persisted with GPS then taxi drivers would need fare increases to help cover the cost said Mr. Tucker.

He said Government had not sanctioned a fare rise for about seven years despite increases in fuel costs and repair bills.

Opposition Transport Spokesman Trevor Moniz called for restructuring in the taxi industry.

He said: “The taxi service in Bermuda is very poor.”

He said many taxi drivers were semi-retired, self employed businessmen who went into the business with the intention of doing what they wanted.

“Some driver are not really taxi drivers.

“They are limousine drivers who serve their own customers most of the time.

“The issue is will they pick up someone when someone tells them?

“The answer is no.

“They want to do what they want to do.

“Dr. Brown is trying to change the ethos of the system.

“It's a great challenge, it isn't easy.”

He said Dr. Brown was trying to force these drivers to act like taxi rank drivers and pick up any job they were told to take.

Mr. Moniz said a tiered service should be created with new cab owners being made to operate a rank service like the yellow cabs in New York and the black cabs in London.

He said he would be in favour if someone who wanted to set up a GPS service was granted 25 new cabs licences to provide a rank service.

“At some point we will have to make a choice. If they don't want to be rank taxi drivers there are those who will. We need some sort of committee to work on that issue.”

He said hard choices would have to be made, even if taxi drivers weren't happy with it.