First impressions last, and for that reason, Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown said he believed Bermuda needed to revamp its public transport for visitors.

On his agenda was greater options, additional comfort, value for money, and higher frequency.

A survey carried out among tourists in 1999, showed that only 38 percent believed taxis were value for money, while the comfort of both the buses and ferries left something to be desired, as did the seating availability.

The survey, carried out by the Transportation Planning Team, took the views of 1,784 air and cruise ship visitors.

Visitors were asked a selection of questions, and although visitors rated public transport as high, with more than 75 percent of visitors giving most of the factors a very good or good rating, there was still room for improvement.

As a result, the planning team put together 13 proposals for improvement for visitor travel alone, the first being that a similar survey be conducted every three years, funded jointly by the Ministries of Tourism and Transport.

The results of the survey, it was suggested, should then be shared with relevant transport providers, and used as a benchmark for future comparison and analysis.

Dr. Brown said he believed that if he was to tempt people back onto public transport, better schedules needed to be drawn up that enabled both the buses and ferries to run in conjunction with each other. But the infrequency of ferries has also been partially blamed for the overcrowding of buses, especially during peak hours. With greater numbers of ferries, seating availability on buses should improve. And to coincide with the launch of the new, faster ferries, it has been suggested that the Public Transportation Board and the Department of Marine and Ports measure the impact of the new boats and scheduling on the availability of bus seating.

To improve on comfort, the new boats will have cushioned seats and be climate controlled. Although space on buses to provide wider seats is limited, it is proposed that all new buses on the Island will also have cushioned seats and air conditioning and heating.

Scooter rentals are popular with visitors, particularly air passengers, but only 17 percent rated the training they received as very good, although 42 percent said it was good. However, only 27 percent of those questioned said it was very good value for money.

Therefore, the Ministry said it believed cycle training and safety needed to be addressed and should be considered a high priority by the Transport Control Department (TCD) and the cycle industry itself.

In a bid to entice more tourists to choose scooters as a favoured mode of transport, it is proposed in the Transport Planning Team's 140-page report that TCD, Bermuda Police, the Road Safety Council and the cycle industry review current training procedures and make recommendations for improving training for visitors. It has also been suggested that better systems for analysis and reporting of accidents that involve tourists be developed.

Bermuda's taxi drivers received reasonably high rankings in most survey questions, with accessibility, convenience and driver skills receiving a thumbs up.

However, when it came to the issue value for money, they received a big thumbs down. Taxi fares were perceived by visitors as being too high, and when asked why they had not used a taxi, 21 percent of tourists said because of the price.

As a result, it has been suggested that any future increases in taxi rates must be weighed against the perceptions of visitors regarding taxi value for money.

Although 39 percent of visitors surveyed said they believed the Island should introduce car rentals, it has been decided that there are too many disadvantages.

They deemed the consequences to be:

Rental cars would result in a significant increase in traffic congestion

The increase would require more parking spaces in areas that are already pushed for space.

They would ultimately decrease the use of buses, ferries and taxis.

More visitors questioned had opposed the idea than were in favour of it.

Improvements to the ferry and bus system would reduce the need or desire to hire cars.

Dr. Brown said it was felt that opening the window to allow visitors to rent cars would be a dangerous precedent, and therefore it is proposed that restrictions on renting cars to visitors be continued.

A luxury limousine service has been proposed to boost trade for the Island's taxi drivers and provide a first class service for businesses.

Dr. Brown said last week that while Bermuda did not offer the kind of limousine service available in other destinations, many taxi drivers did provide a limousine-type service for visitors and exempt companies. He said some of these limousines provided extremely high quality service, the only difference being the different style of vehicle used.

Dr. Brown said although not technically a part of the taxi licence, allowing taxis to operate as limousines resulted in efficient utilisation of vehicles. He said as the number of air passengers had decreased, there was less work for Bermuda's 600 taxis. Providing a limo service for exempt clients has resulted in Government not having to reduce the number of taxis - and has provided taxi drivers with some additional revenue.

But he said even with fewer air passengers, there were occasions when taxis were in short supply at the airport.

Three initiatives are already underway that will impact the long-term decision on whether there should be dedicated limousine services in Bermuda.

They are:

The implementation of the new taxi dispatching system, which is designed to ensure better deployment and management of taxis.

Improved air and cruise ship policy planning to ensure better management of the Island's transportation resources.

Additional hotel rooms that are scheduled to come online in the future that will impact taxi availability. Many of these hotels will be high-end hotels whose guests prefer limousine services.

It is proposed that a special limousine category of service be considered by the Ministry of Transport.

The issue of water taxis has been raised once again, with Dr. Brown saying that he believed they could prove a viable option for both locals and visitors. And he said he hoped land taxi drivers would take the opportunity to provide a service on the water.

He said specific routes frequently mentioned included the airport to the previous sites of the Marriott Castle Harbour Hotel, from Hamilton across to Paget, Warwick and Hinson's Island, and from the airport to hotels located in the West End.

The report admits that while water taxis would provide an alternative to road-based transport, they would also be in direct competition with land taxis.

However, it has been proposed that water taxis be introduced in Bermuda with the following conditions:

Water taxi licence be based on the same principles that exist for land taxis, with a prescribed number of allowable permits.

Current land taxi owners and licensed commercial boat operators be given the opportunity to bid on the water taxi medallions.

Water taxi operators meet the same training, dispatching and safety standards as land taxis.

Water taxis meet the marine safety inspection standards.

Hotel operated airport shuttles are also proposed for the Island, which could lead to some discontent among taxi drivers.

Dr. Brown said some hotels had already requested permission to operate shuttles, and said he felt it could work well in cases where the hotels were near the airport. He said often, taxi drivers preferred to take passengers to Hamilton and the Western parishes, where the fares were greater.

Shuttles have been proposed for the properties that are near the airport, including Grotto Bay, the redeveloped Club Med, St. George's Club and the Castle Harbour Hotel site.

But he said he hoped the shuttle service would be contracted out to the private sector and not operated by the hotel, so jobs and work would be created.

And he said the shuttles should not begin until the taxi dispatch system was up and running, and said they should meet all the current licensing and safety standards.

And to ensure that adequate transport services were provided for visitors, Dr. Brown said it was important that a balance be struck and retained between air and cruise ship visitors.

This balance, he suggested, be achieved through the development of policies for both types of passengers. He said factors, such as the introduction of new flights arriving at peak times or the introduction of larger cruise ships have a significant impact on the availability of public transport.

It is therefore proposed that the Ministry of Transport explore new opportunities in the development of the Air Services Policy, and work in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism to develop a comprehensive Cruise Ship Policy.

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