Stiffer penalties for drink drivers and a more attractive public transport system are just two of the ways new Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown plans to reduce the number of deaths on Bermuda's roads.

And he insists that the Island's taxi drivers must play a bigger role in the development of an integrated transport system to keep the network congestion free.

In an exclusive interview with The Royal Gazette yesterday, the Warwick West MP and former Community and Cultural Affairs Shadow Minister announced that he was thrilled to be at the hub of a challenging ministry.

And while conceding that the new Government's transport goals are similar to the UBP's, Dr. Brown insisted that a different route will be taken to arrive at those goals.

Road fatalities have frequently hit the headlines this year and, with 16 traffic deaths recorded so far, it is not surprising that Dr. Brown is concerned about the issues of road safety and drink drivers.

Like previous Transport Ministers, Dr. Brown has no quick-fix solutions for stopping drivers who drive while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

But he believes that education is still the Government's key priority in tackling the problem.

"To use road deaths as an indicator of the problem may be misleading,'' he said. "Nobody wants to see our citizens killed as a result of drunk drivers, but education is still going to be very important and it's not something that will just be effective in five or ten years time.

"We also need to have effective penalties for people who are caught driving while impaired. It's not just alcohol, there are other substances, including prescription drugs, and so we need to have stiffer penalties.

"We also have to make it less convenient for people to use their vehicles in the first place. If you can get from Dockyard to Hamilton in 15 minutes by the ferry or a bus that's a viable option -- we need to come up with faster, more efficient choices.'' One of the key targets the Minister has set his sights on in a bid to improve public transport is the Island's fleet of public buses.

"New vehicles are on order,'' he said. "We are trying to get the bus service out of the re-manufacturing process. I was surprised to see work being done on one bus that should have been in a museum. It was being rebuilt and I have now asked for a cost benefit analysis on re-manufacturing work.

"The bus service has asked for more buses in the past and this Government will cooperate in that.'' Dr. Brown agrees that his plans mirror those of his predecessor and now Shadow Transport Minister Erwin Adderley.

But one key difference is the role that the taxi industry will play in those plans.

"The core policies are similar and what I would call the national goals are almost the same but how we get there may illustrate some of the differences.

"I believe that one of the differences is that, for a lot of Bermudians `them' used to be the Government but now it's `us' and because of that I expect that the people will be more patient and understanding of just how much work has to go into change.

"We are fostering a national transportation plan. The last Government called theirs Transport 2000, we may call ours Transport 2000 and Beyond. We have retained the same consultant, who I have found to be very efficient.

"Right now we're settling in and getting everyone on board and soon I will be venturing out to meet with all the key players, focusing on the taxi industry.

No Minister in this office has been able to resolve the taxi problem and I don't know whether I will be able to do it but I know one thing -- it won't be because we are trying the same old thing over again.

"Tomorrow in the House of Assembly I will be telling the people of Bermuda what the PLP Government's approach to the taxi challenge is. I have already had a reception with the taxi industry and that's been extremely positive.

"The taxi industry will not get everything it wants and the Government won't get everything it wants but Bermudians and our visitors will get what they need and that's an efficient, responsive transportation system to, from and inside Bermuda.

"That means that, as far as the taxi industry is concerned, they will have an unprecedented level of management representation via the Government boards -- at the moment they feel they have been sidelined.

"All the people who have a stake will be asked to come on board to make things better and in the taxi arena an innovative approach will bring some harmony and peace. There has never been a taxi industry at rest -- there have always been drivers or hotel people or airport people who are upset about something and it's time to replace that frustration with something that works for most of the people most of the time.'' Whether he succeeds or fails in that goal, Dr. Brown insists it won't be through a lack of effort.

"I'm five times more excited about the job than I thought I would be,'' he said. "It's exciting, it's stimulating, it's a challenge and it's miles away from medicine. It's very different from what I'm used to and I'm enjoying it very much.'' EXCITED BOUT JOB -- Dr. Ewart Brown