safer for boaters by upgrading beacons and buoys and producing a water safety pamphlet.

Transport spokesman Sen. Ira Philip said his party had been concerned about the state of navigational markers and buoys ever since last summer's fatal boating accident.

Thirty-one-year-old Wayne Swan was killed after being thrown from a boat which slammed into Lambda Island in the Great Sound at night.

Sen. Philip was speaking in the Senate during the Budget debate of the Transport Ministry.

Government spokeswoman for Transport Sen. Pam Gordon had said many buoys were in need of replacement and the entire reef and channel marker system was going to get "a good spring cleaning''.

She further said that disappointing passenger numbers for the ferry service last year had lead to the cutting of the first and last services. However, they would be put back as soon as demand increased enough.

In 1992, 493,393 people used the ferry service, which was 42,212 less people than in 1991.

In about April a new satellite communications system (the GPS system) should be up and running at Marine and Ports and would aid passenger ships in passing through Town Cut.

The Public Transportation System now provided buses on 11 routes and offered an extensive charter and sightseeing service.

The PTB's goals this year were to provide a safe and reliable service. Due to its safety programme accidents involving public buses were down. And as a result of a public relations programme, complaints against drivers had also decreased.

Sen. Gordon added the PTB had not fully recovered financially from "wildcat strikes'' last year that were due to internal problems.

Responding, Sen. Philip said he wanted to know when Government was going to streamline its "helter skelter'' public transportation system so it was more convenient and cheaper for the public to use.

He said the Island's public transportation system, including taxis, "had to be the most expensive in the world''. A "comprehensive national transportation study'' was needed.

Noting the new second-hand car law and advent of duty-free electric cars, Sen.

Philip said that if Government was really concerned about the environment it would be making the public transportation system more accessible.

"You'd think it would be doing all it could to limit private cars on the roads,'' he said.

Revenue from licensing fees should be going towards making the cost of public transportation more reasonable, he said.

Turning to Civil Aviation, Sen. Philip demanded to know if a Bermudian was being trained to take over the job of the airport's Canadian general manager.

He also wanted to know why there was a need for a general manager in the first place. It was his understanding that the duties of the Bermudian director of Civil Aviation -- who made some $60,000 less than the Canadian general manager -- included managing the airport.

Sen. Trevor Woolridge PLP said that being a taxi driver, he had concerns over Government selling bus and ferry tokens to hotels in bulk. Those tokens were sold to guests at a reduced cost, encouraging them to take the bus instead of a taxi.

He also said that in the last six months there had been several disruptions as a result of "a lack of leadership'' on the part of the man Government held responsible for programming taxi metres and ensuring they charged the correct rates.

It was discovered passengers were being charged extra on days they should not have been, he said.

As a result honest taxi drivers had to track him down on the days in question to get their metres corrected.

Sen. Woolridge again made a call for Civil Aviation to take steps to encourage air planes not to all land around lunchtime. This was causing massive lines at Immigration, frustrating Bermuda's visitors.

Sen. Gordon did not have time to answer all of the PLP's questions and concerns.

She did manage to say there was an ongoing review of the transportation system and that Government was working on making ferry and bus tokens transferable.

She said the Canadian general manager at the airport dealt with inside matters and was only here for a limited time. The Director of Civil Aviation's job related more to outside matters such as airline scheduling.