The Bermuda Government has yet to decide whether to try again with legislation mandating global positioning systems in taxis after Wednesday's Senate defeat.

Under the Constitution the Senate cannot block identical legislation pushed through for the second year running. But last night Premier Alex Scott said Government would mull options. The measure had also been defeated in the Senate in 2002.

Mr. Scott said: “While I am disappointed with the decision, it represents democracy at work. We now have one year to review all that has transpired, take it back to Cabinet and look for the best way forward.

“This time will allow all of the stakeholders - the Government, taxi owners and dispatch company operators and other segments of our community who have a vested interest in a reliable, functioning, public service industry to possibly reach an accord.

“Ultimately, this decision and the decisions that follow must and will be about how best to manage our public service vehicles to support not only the Tourism industry but the people of Bermuda whom we serve.”

On Wednesday as Senators were debating the motion, Mr. Scott suggested a taxi rate increase - part of the amendment to the Act blocked by the Senate - would have to be debated within his Progressive Labour Party organisation, the parliamentary caucus and Cabinet before being tabled again.

He said he would have to “listen very closely and analyse the debate in the senate and take advice from and to our caucus, from and to Cabinet, from and to our party”.

“The drivers are entitled to a pay rise - that has to go back to Parliament. There are many things in that package that the drivers do subscribe to. So that has to go through the parliamentary process.

“It has to be appreciated that the drivers have campaigned against the pay increase they really want. So we have to take all this into consideration - how do we fulfil the promise to give them a pay increase?

“That has to go through Parliament. The focus has been so much on GPS they don't realise that in that package is their pay increase.”

“We can't have a tourism industry and not have it efficient. We can't have a sophisticated populace and they can't get a taxi within a reasonable period of time so we will have to wrap our thoughts around that.

“We will have to come up with a formula that is supported to the degree that we can get it through parliament and make it right.”

Bermuda Taxi Operators Association spokesman Lee Tucker said he was very pleased with the Senate vote to block GPS and now he hopes to have talks with Government.

He said he hoped a mediator could be used to break the deadlock. “Right now we are at loggerheads.”

Mr. Tucker said he wanted drivers to get more involved with dispatching to improve efficiency, after saying drivers were getting blamed for dispatching problems.

He called upon hotels to get radios linked to dispatchers so they were sure to get through and he said they needed to book taxis in advance when they knew they needed to move large amounts of guests.

Calls which went to cab firms which were shutting for the night should be forwarded to those which offered round-the-clock service, suggested Mr. Tucker.

Service at both ends of the island needed to be improved said Mr. Tucker and he said drivers who lived at the extremities would be urged to operated close to home rather than coming in to the central parishes to get jobs.

He said they would also be asked to work later although he admitted it would be difficult to get anyone to work Dockyard on a weekday when there was no cruise ship in as there might just be two jobs all night. “Hopefully we can get the co-operation to work extra at night.”

The issue of shared rides needed to be addressed to make it worthwhile to hang around the airport for late flight and hoped Government would not get punitive and block taxi rate rises which had been previously agreed.

PLP MP George Scott whose company Advanced Tech Solutions has had approval to sell GPS technology said one cab firm was still interested in buying GPS and he would keep up the push for the new technology which supporters say will improve response time.

He added: “Not as a businessman but as an elected person in the community I am showing leadership.”

He predicted Bermuda would see computerised dispatching by the end of the year.