It was one for the "Only in Bermuda" department: Taxi drivers staged a protest on Friday by driving at the speed limit.

Could this happen anywhere else?

The protest was actually about the central dispatch plan, which the taxi rivers dislike, sometimes for contradictory reasons.

Both Transport Minister Ewart Brown and the Premier have listened to the drivers' complaints. Neither has shown any indication of changing course.

The drivers complain that they cannot afford the change and do not feel they are serving the public badly.

But the public does feel ill-served, as anyone attempting to get a cab in rush hour, late at night or at the extreme ends of the Island will attest.

This debate has been going on for decades now, and Dr. Brown is to be commended for at least trying to find a workable solution

But he may be attempting to do too much at once.

A sensible first step would be to require taxi drivers to have radios in their vehicles. A second step would be to enforce the requirement that taxis be on the road for a certain number of hours each day.

If those steps are not successful, then central dispatch should be considered.