A total of 220 trips were taken with 14 drivers in the first six days of rideshare operations, the Government said in an update about the dispatcher app.

Activity “grew steadily”, the Ministry of Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport reported, and the greatest demand was recorded over the holiday and carnival weekend.

The highest single-day activity was logged on Saturday, when 80 rides were completed.

“Ridesharing was introduced to complement Bermuda’s existing transportation network, improve transport options for visitors and locals alike and help ensure that fewer people are left waiting or stranded,” said Owen Darrell, the tourism, transport, culture and sport minister.

“These early numbers show that the programme is working, that operators are stepping forward and that the public is beginning to make use of this new service.”

He added: “This is a positive and practical step forward.

“The early results are encouraging, but we will continue to monitor the programme carefully, listen to operators, passengers and industry partners, and make adjustments where necessary.

“Our goal is simple: a stronger, more responsive transportation system for Bermuda.”

Over the six-day period, operators completed an average of approximately 15.7 rides per driver, with several operators completing more than 20 rides each.

Trips included activity connected to hotels, other guest properties, restaurants, beaches, event locations and key tourism areas, including Hamilton, Dockyard, St George’s and the South Shore.

The figures also reflected pickups and drop-offs in residential and business areas across the island.

Ridesharing represented only 4.12 per cent of overall dispatcher app activity during the reporting period, the spokeswoman said.

She added that the figure indicated “the service is operating as intended, providing additional transportation capacity when demand requires it, while taxis continue to remain the priority”.

Keisha Brooks, a rideshare operator who completed 28 trips during the first week, said the programme had been well received by passengers.

She noted: “I’ve had the opportunity to meet and assist a diverse mix of customers, including local residents, guest workers, visitors attending carnival festivities and sailors from the Annapolis to Bermuda Race.

“The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many passengers expressing appreciation.”

Another driver, Evandre Smith, said his experience was “overwhelmingly positive”.

“It has been a genuine pleasure interacting with riders, who have mostly been visitors to the island,” he added.

“Many shared that they discovered the app through word of mouth from frontline tourism workers at hotels, restaurants and outdoor excursion operators.

“They particularly appreciated how seamless and user-friendly it was to request a ride.”

Mr Smith also shared an experience that, for him, highlighted the value of the programme.

“On the holiday weekend, I picked up a visiting family who had just disembarked from a cruise ship,” he said.

“They had been trying unsuccessfully for some time to get a ride from Horseshoe Bay after 9pm and were becoming increasingly concerned.

“It was already dark at the beach and they had young children with them.

“As a Bermudian, I felt proud to provide them with a safe ride back to their cruise ship.”

The Bermuda Tourism Authority pointed out that exit survey results showed that 92 per cent of visitors said the reliability and availability of transportation is important or critically important, yet the gap between expectation and experience remained at 11.8 per cent.

It said: “We welcome innovative efforts such as this to address this challenge while supporting the important role taxi operators continue to play as valued ambassadors for Bermuda.

“We will continue to monitor feedback closely as the programme develops.”