Government?s controversial GPS legislation passed through the Senate will little trouble yesterday, bringing to an end a bitter four-year struggle between taxi drivers and the Transport Minister.

After a rather tired debate, where a number of Senators expressed their surprise and frustration that the two sides had not by now settled their differences, only the two Opposition Senators, Kim Swan and Kenneth Bascome, persisted in voting against the legislation. the third UBP Senator, ET (Bob) Richards was not present.

Their act of defiance was somewhat hollow, however, given that the Senate is prevented from blocking bills being signed into law by the Governor if ? as was the case in this instance ? an unamended bill is placed before them for a second time.

Leading off the debate, Government Senator Walter Roban said Government was determined to modernise and improve the efficiency of the taxi service and that the installation of GPS technology into every local taxi was a key facet of the transport strategy.

The legislation will give even greater assurance that the customer comes first, he said, while the sophisticated technology of modern dispatch systems will provide the Ministry will unprecedented data on the workings of the taxi service.

?We believe that there are many disillusioned taxi users out there and there is an urgent need to restore faith in the system,? he added.

Senator Roban then took the opportunity to clear up what he termed a plethora of ?misinformation? circulating throughout the community regarding Government?s motives for forcing through the bill.

Any suggestion that Dr. Brown himself is set to gain financially from the move through his association with a variety of different companies was a complete fallacy, he suggested, while the idea that Government wanted to know the location of every taxi at any given moment was also ?simply not true?.

The issue of excessive cost was no longer on the table, Senator Roban further argued, after several taxi drivers had made it clear they were opposed to GPS regardless of any expense.

Government has also offered a 25 percent subsidy on the cost of GPS installation for all those who sign up at TCD by July 31 while an earlier offer to pick up 50 percent of the cost has been accepted by 85 drivers, Senator Roban revealed.

?We are pleased to note a change in leadership of the taxi industry (under Michael Ray) and we very much hope that dialogue will continue and our relationship with them improves over time.?

But Opposition Senate Leader Kim Swan accused Government of betraying taxi drivers by forcing through highly unpopular legislation at the height of the tourist season and after the Bermuda Taxi Association had made it clear they intended to work with Dr. Brown to find a resolution. ?Government has circumvented democracy by bulldozing this bill through without any consideration for the concerns of the taxi drivers,? he said.

Rather than making the installation of GPS mandatory, the bill should have given taxi drivers discretion ? a point later rubbished by Senate President Alf Oughton who pointed out that if Government were to give taxi drivers an option not to install the technology, no legislation would be necessary at all.

But both Independent Senators, Mr. Oughton and Walwyn Hughes ? while conceding they did not wish to hold up the bill any further ? voiced some scepticism over whether GPS would work in a local taxi industry where the vast majority of taxis are privately owned.

?In other jurisdictions there are fleets of taxis owned by one company, which makes the use of GPS a lot easier,? said Senator Hughes. ?Bermuda is a different world and whether this approach will work here I do not know. But it certainly does not have the same opportunity of success as elsewhere. Given that a significant proportion of taxi drivers in Bermuda own their own cabs, it will simply not work unless they want it to.?

Meanwhile, Government Senator and one-time taxi driver Reginald Burrows expressed concern over the monthly fee taxi owners are going to be required to pay the dispatch companies. This was all very well during the busy summer months when drivers were making a decent living, he said ? but what about the off-season when many feel it is not financially viable to have their vehicle on the road?

?Taxi drivers will still have to pay their monthly fee, which might very well cause some real difficulties,? he concluded.