Taxi owners and operators who are not GPS compliant should not be punished for the time being, according to the Taxi Commission.But new initiatives are being prepared to benefit those operators who have the proper equipment and are fully compliant with the law.In a statement by the Ministry of Transport on behalf of the Commission, a spokesman said the current focus of the Commission will be on unifying the Island’s dispatching companies.“The Commission has determined that punitive measures against taxi owners and operators who are not GPS compliant would be ill-served at this particular stage of the modernisation process,” the spokesman said.“Therefore, the immediate focus, priority and objective of the Commission is the unification of the dispatching companies and early implementation of a suite of incentives that will offer substantial savings to lower operating costs for owners and operators, and also provide additional sources of revenue.”The spokesman said a fuel surcharge, electronic marketing, group and vehicle insurance rates and additional discounts for vehicle parts are all being worked on as incentives for compliant vehicles.“The Taxi Commission is also giving consideration to increasing the metered rate per mile, and a decision will be made following a thorough review of the rate schedule and consultation with the Transport Control Department,” the spokesman continued.According to the Commission, while two of the dispatching companies agree GPS is the most effective way of advancing the industry, the third company has mixed feeling on the concept. All three, however, have agreed to continue discussions about merging their dispatching operations.“There is a view that would suggest with the unification of the dispatching companies to provide a central digital dispatch, the GPS issue becomes self resolving,” the spokesman said. “The benefits of GPS usage will by far outweigh the resistive approach of adhering to an antiquated method of dispatching.“Therefore, the Taxi Commission strongly urges all owners and operators who are not fully compliant to take the necessary steps to become fully compliant and reap the benefits of modernisation.”The battle over GPS systems in taxi’s has been long standing. Under the Motor Car Amendment Act 2005, all taxis were required to install a GPS device.But when the act came into effect in August 2006, many taxis still lacked the equipment, while others refused to turn the devices on. Further legislation was passed in 2008 requiring the GPS systems to be turned on.Hundreds of cabs were subsequently failed by the Transport Control Department, but in January, 2009 the amendments were suspended indefinitely. A year later the issue arose again when the laws were again enacted and several drivers were taken off the road.In January, several taxi owners without working GPS were failed by TCD and subsequently complained that they could not earn a living. In response, the Ministry issued a six-month grace period. A further extension ended on November 1.The Taxi Commission, which is chaired by Cromwell Shakir and includes representatives of taxi owners, operators and dispatching companies, was established earlier this year to look at how to best move the industry forward.A report on the GPS issue was one of the group’s first orders of business.At a press conference earlier this month, it was announced that the Commission would have its powers extended in order to improve efficiency and lower the cost of operation for taxi owners.Government intends to table legislation to that effect, establishing the Commission as a statutory body under Bermuda’s Motor Car Act.Transport Minister Walter Roban said at the conference that Government plans to put forward three pieces of legislation concerning the operation of taxis on the Island.“Once completed, the Taxi Commission will have broader responsibility to represent the interests of taxi owners/operators, taxi drivers and the dispatching services,” Mr Roban said.“The end result is a Commission that will focus on items of interest to the taxi community and the users of their services. This is an industry owned and operated by Bermudians and they have every right to shape its future, in consultation with the Ministry.”The Minister also announced plans to regulate the Island’s minibus services. This includes regulating rates for all minibuses, reviewing the number and process for issuing permits and requiring a topography test for new minibus operators and those renewing their licences.The Ministry also intends to take a look at hybrid fuel technology with regards to buses and ferries, Mr Roban added.“We will be assembling best practices used at other locations and will prepare a paper on our conclusions and recommendations,” he said. “This initiative is part and parcel with the overall objective to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in the future. This Government has a vision for public transport going forward and the steps we have outline in this Throne Speech will positively contribute to this path.”