Government is planning to buy taxi permits off "part-time" operators and sell them to people keen to stay out on the road.

However Lee Tucker, spokesman for the Bermuda Taxi Owners Association (BTOA) called on Government to buy every permit and nationalise the industry.

Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown said: "We think we have come up with a means of determining which taxi operators are ready to sell their taxis.

"We are devising a plan whereby we can assist them in selling them.

"I am going to propose Government considers buying permits and then reselling them to people who consider themselves public service vehicles."

He said Government was avoiding increasing the number of taxi permits from the current cap of 600. Six hundred taxis represents sufficient to cover Bermuda."

"We are hoping to buy more than 100. It's still in the idea stages. We have identified people most likely to sell those permits.

"People have said they are ready to sell, you see adverts in the paper frequently. More than 100 owner operators are over the age of 70. They may be interested in selling.

"We don't intend to apply pressure. We will pay a decent price for them. We are not trying to buy cheaply."

By law taxis must be on the road 16 hours a day. Dr. Brown said: "We think some people are part-timers. A significant number are not on the road for the required 16 hours a day.

"It makes a mockery of the whole requirement. If they don't want to sell there is nothing we can do for them but we think the package we have devised might be the best offer they have seen in a long time."

He said there was no money in the budget for buying licences which cost more than $100,000 each.

But Dr. Brown said: "We might move some dollars around. There are some savings from this year.

"We will begin the project on a small scale sometime this year, maybe before summer." Mr. Tucker said: "This is nothing I would be concerned about.

"Personally I think Government should buy all the cars and nationalises the business. It could be like the buses.

"If they want Government to control it then allow Government to own it. I know the majority of owners would be pleased to get out of it at this stage.

"I would like it. They can pay a similar wage as the bus drivers, provide insurance and a pension.

"We can work eight hours a day, have three drivers over 24 hours. Why doesn't Government do that?"

When asked for his response Dr. Brown said: "I have no interest in responding to him until he submits the plans that he said he would six months ago." He said he was still waiting for the BTOA to come up with a workable alternative to Government's plan to introduce a global positioning system in every cab to improve efficiency.

"We have two sectors in the taxi industry. There are those who see them as public service vehicles and those who don't."

The Minister also said Government would soon announce plans to allow multiple fares.

He said the move was in response to requests from "the progressive wing of the taxi operators".

Currently taxis can't charge multiple fares for shared rides. Dr. Brown said multiple fares would be useful when taxis were scarce such as at the airport.

He said each passenger would be charged two thirds of what they would normally pay for their fare.

"We have worked out a formula. It will be passed on to El James at the Public Service Vehicle Licensing Board early next month."

Dr. Brown admitted there was a "potential downside" if customers opted to pack one taxi while others stood empty.

But he said: "It's up to the customer. People usually want their privacy in taxis. I don't think you will see people scrambling to get into a cab in order to share a ride."