Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown is wrong to blame taxi drivers for long waits at the airport on Monday, says industry spokesman Lee Tucker.

Dr. Brown said Government would have to lay on buses if the taxis failed to cope with demand within 15 minutes again.

However Mr. Tucker denied individual passengers waited for up to two hours in the midday heat although he said the queue might have been there that long.

He said by blaming drivers the Minister was seeking revenge for the failure of the Senate to approve his bill for mandatory use of a global positioning system (GPS) in cabs which the cabbies oppose.

He said: "1,800 people came into the airport, the majority were moved by taxis. If he is saying they didn't take taxis then did they walk home?"

Mr. Tucker said an unusual set of circumstances had combined to exacerbate delays with Bermuda Host minibuses not arriving, planes arriving together and a downpour in Southampton keeping taxis in the west.

He said vast amounts of tourists wanted to escape the rain on Horseshoe beach and drivers were reluctant to leave them there to go to the airport.

"We were doing some of the work the buses didn't do, moving people from Horseshoe Bay."

"I take strong exception to Dr. Brown's comments. We have no control over the airlines if they come in back to back.

"He should have done his homework and checked the situation and what had happened. It was an unfortunate occurrence. It doesn't happen like that everyday.

"I think Dr. Brown is retaliating because the Senate rejected the GPS system, any possible chance he takes.

"It's not the answer." He said taxi offices had met on Monday night in their continuing efforts to find ways to improve the service.

Dr. Brown said excuses would hold no water with the waiting public and Mr. Tucker's comments about the Senate vote were a bid to turn the spotlight away from the inadequacies of the service.

He said: "There are too many bad days at the airport and I got a call this afternoon about tourists walking around Dockyard looking for taxis.

"The public are, I am sure, tired of the of excuses of why the present fleet of taxis can't adequately serve them."