The Shadow Minister of Transport has called on the Government to detail revenues gained since the launch of medical certificates in the renewal of driver’s licences five years ago.

Craig Cannonier said a recent announcement by transport minister Owen Darrell that motorists will no longer need a doctor’s certificate for most driver’s licence renewals at the Transport Control Department had “conveniently” left out that the Government had introduced the requirement in 2021.

Mr Cannonier said: “For five years, Bermudians had to arrange doctor’s appointments, pay for medical examinations and deal with the inconvenience of complying with a policy the Government now acknowledges was unnecessarily burdensome.

“Now Minister Darrell wants credit for removing it. You don’t get to create a burden, remove it five years later and celebrate as though you’ve done the public a favour.”

Mr Cannonier said Mr Darrell owed Bermudians “some straightforward answers”.

He questioned how much money motorists spent on medical certificates over the past five years and what evidence justified the requirement at the time.

He also asked whether it produced any measurable improvement in road safety and what other factors “led the Government to reverse its own policy”.

Mr Cannonier said: “Removing an unnecessary requirement is welcome.

“But taking credit for the saving while failing to account for the original cost is not what transparency looks like.

“Bermudians deserve more than congratulations from the Government for fixing a problem it created.

“They deserve an explanation of why it happened in the first place.”

The Government was asked for a comment.

In March 2021, during a virtual session of the House, Lawrence Scott, then transport minister, announced that under the Motor Car (Driver’s Licence Renewal) Amendment Act 2021, driving licences would have to be renewed every ten years, and a medical certificate was required.

At the time, he said the legislative change, which was supported by the Opposition, was intended to help with the detection of chronic illnesses such as diabetes by encouraging people to take a medical exam.

Last week, Mr Darrell announced the changes to the law including the relaxation of the requirement for medical exams as part of the driving licence renewal process for people under 70 which became effective from this week.

Before the passing of the Motor Car and Auxiliary Bicycles (Miscellaneous) Amendment Act 2026, drivers were required to submit a doctor’s certificate proving fitness to drive when they update their licence every ten years.

The legislative changes included a reduction of the number of inspections required for new cars to within the first five years after licensing, instead of three years.

Additionally, the frequency of required inspections for cars licensed as public service vehicles will move from every six months to “a more practical” once a year.