Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown will finally unveil plans today for a centralised taxi dispatch service for Bermuda.

His announcement comes in the wake of complaints from Bermuda Hotel Association that hoteliers have had to drive guests around the Island in the past few weeks because they have been unable to get taxis.

Dr. Brown enraged the Island's various taxi owners last year by saying he will introduce a central dispatching system operated by the Bermuda Industrial Union.

Last night, the Bermuda Taxi Owners Association (BTOA), representing around a third of the Island's 400 taxi owners, was still adamantly opposed to a central dispatch, claiming it will make matters worse.

Dr. Brown told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "If you look at some of the events that have taken place in the last few weeks, there has been an interruption of service at Radio Cabs because of an internal dispute there.

"I'll be addressing that issue and I will be announcing what my plans are for the solution in general.

"I am happy that the hoteliers are publicly expressing their concerns and I will be addressing that in my statement. Unless we do some centralising of the taxi dispatch system in Bermuda, what's already a bad situation will become worse."

BTOA spokesman Lee Tucker said yesterday that central dispatch will not solve the problems customers have in finding a taxi.

He said the solution was to improve the number of visitors to Bermuda, so that taxies can circulate more, giving visitors and residents a better chance of getting a cab.

He claimed a central dispatch system would make things worse because drivers would sit in one area waiting for a job and would not be on the road to be flagged down.

"A central dispatch system doesn't solve the problem. There is still the problem of the high expenses the drivers face driving around," said Mr. Tucker.

"Six years ago, there were more hotels and the taxis moved between the hotels. We have less hotels now and the taxis are circulating less between them.

"There are basically three main areas for taxis: the airport, the cruise lines, and the hotels, and if you don't live near one of those you have less chance of getting a taxi.

"To get better transportation, you need tourism up. If Dr. Brown is so adamant about putting these (global positioning satellites) in, let him subsidise them.

"This system will actually make things worse, not better. Drivers will sit still looking at a screen hoping for a job in their area rather than circulating."