Taxi drivers have demanded answers on the state of Bermuda’s roads and the vehicular damage potholes posed to motorists.

Complaints were levelled at a lack of adequate movement made to fix the roads for the safety of motorists, particularly cab drivers.

One taxi driver, who asked not to be named, said that he and many of his colleagues had been forced to spend “and extraordinary amount of money” to repair damages to their vehicles.

He explained: “Taxis are on the road more than any other vehicle in Bermuda.

“We work ten to twelve hours a shift and our vehicles are getting wrecked by the standards of our roads.

“We are spending an extraordinary amount of money on the maintenance and upkeep of vehicles which are being damaged by the horrendous conditions of our roads.

“We get no help or assistance from government when it comes to license and no assistance on insurance.

“We can only hope the taxi industry will not be requested to pay a payroll tax which will assist us in keeping our taxis at a descent driving standard.”

The driver said no one should have to zigzag throughout the island to avoid potholes and uneven filled in surfaces.

The man, who spoke on behalf of several others, shared his thoughts shortly after Jaché Adams, the Minister of Public Works and Environment, pledged to fix potholes over the weekend as weather conditions improved.

The driver said he saw several roads where one lane was repaved while the other remained broken.

He cited the Warwick section of Middle Road as an example.

He explained that the eastbound lane had been resurfaced for two years, but compared the westbound lane to “a train track with potholes” and “a torn up railway to drive on”.

The driver drew further attention to Middle Road between Southampton Princess and Esso Gas Station near Port Royal Golf Course; South Road between Cobbs Hill and Elbow Beach in Paget; the roundabout between Trimingham Road and South Road in Paget; and Crawl Hill in Hamilton Parish.

“There are many other roads which I have not named which need urgent attention,” he added.

The taxi driver said the public had been given “excuse after excuse” for why roads had not been repaved.

He said: “When a resurfacing project starts in many areas throughout the island, we find that it suddenly stops with no reason given to the public and we don't see the Department of Works and Engineering workers back on the project again until many weeks later.”

The driver added: “When is the Government planning on having this road resurfaced?

“The scheduling of road paving is really concerning and all residents of our island have to bare these horrendous conditions.

“How can the government ministers drive on these roads and call Bermuda another world?

“The government in power should be ashamed of the way our roads are and need to come up with a better solution in getting our roads fixed.

“This should be done sooner rather than later.”

Several taxi drivers, all of whom asked to remain anonymous, seconded their colleague’s problems.

One said: “The roads are terrible and the potholes increase wear and tear on vehicles.

“A few weeks ago, we had to change a good tire because the driver got a hole in the tire wall from a pothole.

“The potholes cause significant damage to our steering and can force us to change things like tie rods and CV joints prematurely.”

Another added: “People might look at us like we’re drunk because we’re trying to avoid potholes.

“It’s hard to put a price on repairs, but there’s a lot of wear and tear that we deal with.

“These roads just need to be fixed.”

One taxi driver, who worked behind the wheel since 1980 but returned to driving a taxi two years ago, said he did his best to avoid potholes because he knew the damage they could cause.

He explained that the force could break the steering and shock mechanisms of the car, which could cost upwards of $2,000 to repair.

“I hope they deal with the problem,” he added. “They’re doing their best, but I hope they figure out these potholes.”