Former chairman Neville Tyrell said the Taxi Authority Review Committee presented its recommendations to former Transport Minister Terry Lister 12 months ago.He said the group has heard nothing from the current Transport Minister Derrick Burgess, since he took over the position last November.Meanwhile, frustrated cabbies say have been forced to form their own association in an effort to get the issues they say are crippling the industry heard by Government.“We were hoping that, before the season started, the authority would come back with something, but nothing has been reported to us,” driver Ivan Smith said. “It doesn’t seem like anything is being accomplished, and 50 percent of our concerns are matters that can be dealt with overnight.”Leopold Kuchler said he formed the Bermuda Taxi Owners and Affiliates Association last month because problems with the industry were threatening to overwhelm drivers.“Everything is driven by the economy and the economy is driven by demand. For us, the clientele are just not there,” he said.The group has written to Premier Paula Cox. The more “devastating and industry-crippling issues” on their list range from competition from mini buses to fuel costs.The BTOA plans to host an open meeting tonight at 6.30pm at Warwick Workmans Club for members and concerned taxi drivers to make their views heard, Mr Kuchler said.Chaired by veteran educator Marion Robinson, the Taxi Authority has a total of 11 members.Tafari Outerbridge, a member of the nascent organisation, told The Royal Gazette it is indeed operating but needs more time.“These guys should not knock us before we get going,” he said. “The group is still in its infancy. We’re starting discussions right now on a number of ideas like the amalgamation of the dispatching companies and whether we should standardise GPS on all the taxis. It’s still in the early stages.“We’re not fully legal yet as an organisation. The Taxi Authority still has to go through the legal process before we can address these issues.”Mr Outerbridge, head of the Island Taxi group, agreed that the BTOA’s issues were valid.“They’re right on a lot of points. These are issues that we all have in this industry, and those are the points that need to be addressed. That’s the whole reason for the Taxi Authority.”However, he continued: “With fuel costs, look at it this way. This Island has about 600 taxi vehicles. Why not get together and find a way to bring in their own fuel?”Asked about the BTOA’s grievances, Bermuda Industrial Union chief organiser George Scott said: “In terms of the fuel costs, that’s definitely a legitimate argument. But taxi drivers in Bermuda have to be organised.”He said of the group’s formation: “The BIU is the titular representative for the International Transport Federation in Bermuda. So this new group can’t go around us. They have to be very careful. The main thing is, if you’re not organised, you cry wolf and nobody is going to listen to you.”Transport Minister Derrick Burgess was overseas and not available for comment.Shadow Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin said: “We are concerned with the numerous issues listed by the taxi owners, many of them due to the Government’s forced implementation of a GPS system, which was expensive and poorly managed.“During that debate, the Government was urged to consider a GPS-optional plan for taxi owners. This could have prompted better service from drivers without the equipment trying to compete with those who had it.“That said, the failed tourism policies of the PLP Government made the taxi business significantly more challenging driving up their costs while overseeing the decline in a significant component of their business.”Ms Gordon-Pamplin said the Opposition was willing to wait for the Taxi Authority’s recommendations, and did not want to pre-empt them at an early stage.She added: “It is imperative, however, that they treat this matter with a degree of urgency, as the one-year delay mentioned by the former chairman Mr Tyrell is creating undue hardship for the taxi industry and is beyond the degree of acceptability.”