But Government members defended the system claiming it was one of the best in the world.

And it all came down to the question about who should pay for the subsidised system -- the passengers or the taxpayers.

Other areas under discussion were the Civil Air Terminal and air/sea rescue after the US Navy's withdrawal, boat registration and the concerns over the numbers of road fatalities this year.

Government spokesman on Transport in Senate, Sen. Lawrence Scott (UBP) said plans were in the pipeline to integrate ferry and bus services. He said it would provide some parity between costs.

Moving on to search and rescue operations provided by the departing US Navy, Sen. Scott expects to see Bermudians more involved in that activity in the future.

He said: "There continue to be a steady number of emergency calls in Bermuda waters but we must take responsibility for calls from further out to sea.'' Praising Harbour Radio and other rescue operations, he added: "These groups are probably why we have had no major disasters recently, touch wood.'' Not only international shipping is protected in local waters and boat ownership continues to remain high on the Island, at something like one boat per ten people. Sen. Scott pointed out a decrease in boat registrations last year, probably as a result of the recession.

Sen. Neletha Butterfield (PLP) expressed concerns about safety on the Island's roads. She said: "We have changed from horse and buggy, to trains and bicycles and now cars. Government should provide more efficient transportation.

"With the increase in accidents, transportation must be set up for the working population and tourists.'' Sen. Butterfield called on Government to provide funds to educate the public about the dangers of driving and to provide better road signs.

She also asked for co-operation between the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Works and Engineering after a recent story in The Royal Gazette spoke of hazards caused by building materials pouring onto roads during heavy rain.

Discussing the Civil Air Terminal, Sen. Butterfield said she was pleased to hear plans to privatise the Airport had been put on hold.

And she stressed the closure of the Base would be a chance for Government to realise many job opportunities for Bermudians.

Sen. Butterfield felt a 50 percent increase in ferry fares was excessive and said more effort should be made for ferries to be able to be timed so they can meet connecting buses.

She said: "There are traffic problems coming into Hamilton and there will continue to be problems until a proper public transportation system is provided.

"We must make better use of the ferry with special group programmes and incentive programmes. We must make it convenient to use and not expensive.'' Concerning increased bus fares, Sen. Butterfield gave an example that four people waiting at a bus stop in Spanish Point would now be able to hire a taxi cheaper than a bus to get into Hamilton.

Bus journeys could be quite frightening because of handrails which were too high or non-existent. She added helpful bus drivers were having to aid older people onto buses because the steps were too high.

Sen. Alf Oughton (Ind) said passengers on buses could be paying $6, but were paying $3 because of Government subsidies.

Stating that the public transportation services was first class, Sen. Oughton said the idea was to keep cars off the road. But he stressed it had not had an impact and that raising fares would not help matters.

He said: "The Transport Minister was a little off chalk when he said he wanted the new fares in by April 1 in time for the tourist season. We are socking it to the tourists again.'' A former member of the Bermuda Search and Rescue Institute Sen. Mike Winfield (UBP) said the removal of the US helicopter will be a challenge for Bermuda.

Sen. Winfield said: "The US air rescue teams should be praised for their help. We have been extremely fortunate to have that help, for so long, for nothing.'' He welcomed laws to tighten up on boat owners especially after years of finding drunken sailors in trouble at sea.

Turning to the Civil Air Terminal, Sen. Winfield was surprised at people's reaction to the word "profit'' when Government was speaking of "corporatising'' or " privatising''.

He said Government planned to spread the revenue base of the Airport and pointed out that many Airports have many duty free shops and opportunities for other shops.

For years the Opposition have complained about traffic problems but Sen.

Winfield attacked them for never coming up with any solutions.

He said the public transport system was clean and safe and drivers not only took their jobs as drivers seriously but were also superb as ambassadors of the Country.

He said many visitors to the Island had praised the buses, and if someone missed a bus there was always one close behind.

Sen. Terry Lister (PLP) recalled that on Friday in the Senate, Sen. Lawrence Scott had said there were no Draconian rises, but: "Lo and behold, we see 50 percent rises in the costs of ferry services.

"The system is good but there is plenty of room for improvement. The West End service has failed because of the timetable. People want to arrive in Hamilton at 8.45 a.m. but the ferry arrives at 9.01 a.m. That's why its numbers are so low.'' Sen. Lister agreed with Sen. Butterfield about the buses, saying people wanted comfortable and enjoyable bus journeys.

In reply to a comment, by Sen. Lawrence Scott, about buses in London, he said: "We are not taking decisions about London. We are dealing with Bermuda's roads here. When we have finished solving Bermuda's problems then we can go to the UK and solve their problems.'' He said that the bus service was fine during the day until " the bewitching hour'' of 7 p.m. when most services became hourly or stopped altogether.

Moving to tourism, Sen. Lister blasted the "frightfully inefficient'' operation at the Civil Air Terminal, though commending the Finance Minister for reductions in duty.

But he said it was pointless opening a boutique in the airport if peak hours were only twice a day. He said: "It's choc-a-bloc for two hours and then its quiet. You can open a shop all day but the reality is that you only do two hours of business.'' Sen. Grant Gibbons (UBP) again spoke of the subsidy for public transport which adds up to around $2.18 per mile for the taxpayers.

Sen. Gibbons said: "The increases are not bad value when all things are considered. Many fares have not be increased for four years.'' Adding new ferries would mean paying out a lot more money in fuel and overtime for the workers. He said: "Ninety percent of ferry users are tourists. Four dollars for a nice long ride is not a bad deal. And locals are able to take advantage of a monthly rate.'' At the Civil Air Terminal, Sen. Gibbons said Bermudians were already pursuing active involvement in any new jobs that were becoming available like air traffic control. Also Bermudians have already trained alongside the US Navy teams in putting out fires in planes.

Closing the debate Sen. Lawrence Scott hit back at the calls for extra bus services in the outer parishes after 5 p.m. because they would not have enough passengers.

Sen. Scott said: "Nowhere in the world do they provide bus services for people who need to get home in the awkward hours. It would mean more overtime.'' There followed an angry exchange between Sen. Scott and Sen. Lister over the description of a 50 percent of 40 cent rise in fares was "Draconian.'' He said: "A national transportation system is a hobby horse of the Opposition.'' He added it would impossible to persuade car-driving Bermudians to use the bus or the ferry.