At least one taxi owner is not pleased with the timing of plans for a 25 percent rate increase.Veteran taxi operator Lee Tucker said, fundamentally, a rate increase for passengers in the current economic climate will not increase earnings.Instead he said it will place a further burden on an already ailing industry plagued by structural issues.With 5,000 passengers or more in Dockyard when the cruise ships are in port he was adamant that it makes no sense to have taxis lining up for a fare while busloads of visitors are transported elsewhere.Now he is calling on Government to set up a Commission of Inquiry to probe Bermuda’s transportation industry to resolve long-standing issues. And the time has come for minibuses to be regulated in his view.“This 25 percent is not going to help anyone because many of the folks, the locals in our market, who are being asked to reduce their wages while another segment is saying increase their earnings.“Reductions in costs to run taxis is what will help the operators and passengers,” he said.“Right now some of the guys are paying $80 a day for gas, a gas rebate would bring operating costs down. And minibuses need to be regulated.“If people stop riding in taxis due to the rate increase who’s going to help those of us in the industry then?“I’m all for taxi owners and operators being able to take home more money in their pocket. But the way to do it is to cut our expenses and encourage the industry.“I’m not happy with the timing of it, and I don’t think it will give us more money to take home either.”The planned rate hike welcomed by cabbies as something long overdue will be the first increase in nearly seven years.But it comes amid increased competition for tourist dollars between taxis and minibus services.Mr Tucker firmly believes the time has come for regulations to even up the playing field.“We need regulations for minibuses, because from what I’m hearing there’s a few of them who are charging people what they feel like charging them.“Some are charging $10 per person to run passengers from Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay,” said Mr Tucker.“One minibus operator even bragged that he made $1,200 in one day. Is it right for one person to make that kind of money while a whole bunch of other taxpaying drivers making virtually nothing?“We have a lot of work to do to make this industry succeed, and for tourism to succeed you need transportation. It would be worth very little if visitors who come here cannot get around to see what’s here.”Moving forward he has also called for stronger relations between the Bermuda Taxi Owners and Operators Association and tourism stakeholders to improve service.And he was more than pleased to hear the controversial mandatory GPS system will soon be optional.“GPS should have never been allowed to happen in the first place,” he said.“I’m definitely glad to hear this new Government will make it optional. I was one of the forerunners against it from the very beginning.“I’ve done a fair amount of research on it overseas and the majority of those areas do not use GPS for dispatching. They use it as a directional finder.”