three new 18-seaters and its rival replied with a Supreme Court writ.

Bermuda Host's three new gold and maroon buses arrived on the Island on Tuesday. Yesterday, Bee Line Transport filed a writ against Bermuda Hosts and the Government board that gave the company its licence.

"They kept us out of the airport for 14 long years because there was already one limousine service there and they didn't want a second one,'' Bee Line vice president Mr. Edward Johnston said last night. "So I bought the existing one.

I'm going to fight this issue.'' Public Service Vehicles Licensing Board hearings on the airport limousine licences were tainted by claims of bias, Supreme Court protests and the replacement of several board members.

In the end, Bee Line argued its rival was unfairly granted a licence.

Bee Line also complains that the board restricted it to a 200-passenger licence -- less than the 294 passenger capacity of the bus fleet it had agreed to buy from Bermuda Aviation Services -- while Bermuda Hosts was given a licence for 300 passengers.

Bermuda Hosts, which maintains its licence was fairly won, received its first three buses Tuesday. Director Mr. Wayne Furbert said they must still be inspected and passed by the Transport Control Department but should be on the road after Cup Match.

Bermuda Aviation Services ran the Island's only airport limousine service for many years but pulled out of the business last winter, and sold its fleet of buses to Bee Line for about $450,000 last month.

Until then, both Bee Line and Bermuda Hosts used chartered taxis to operate their airport transport businesses, which cater primarily to group travel.

BAS complained the business was rendered unprofitable by rules designed to protect the taxi business and Government's own bus fleet. The company was only allowed to ferry passengers between the airport and hotels, and could not go to other destinations or operate sightseeing tours.

Mr. Johnston said yesterday that Bee Line is facing the same problem.

"There's big demand out there, but we are restricted to running between the airports and hotels -- and all the aircraft come in between 11 and 2:30. We rush for two hours and have no work for the rest of the day.'' "...But we are going to try to keep our overheads down and the competition off our backs by doing what has to be done.''