Protesting taxi drivers marched through Hamilton to the the House of Assembly yesterday demanding Premier Alex Scott and Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown make GPS optional and not mandatory.

Members of the Opposition United Bermuda Party also called on Government to seek mediation on the issue before passing GPS legislation.

More than 300 cabbies swarmed through the grounds of the House with groups sitting in the gallery making their presence felt throughout the afternoon, with signs reading "GPS is not Necessary, We Will Not Conform to Dictatorship".

Tensions ran high as the drivers demanded that Premier Alex Scott and Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown come out of the morning Parliamentary session to meet with them. Both eventually did.

Last week, Government tabled its controversial GPS bill, saying the system will improve service and security. Government is due to pass the GPS legislation on July 1.

Under the legislation, drivers are required to own two way radio sets, a mobile data terminal, a global positioning device, and an alarm device in their cabs. Taxi drivers told The Royal Gazette this week their job action could go on indefinitely.

Currently bus schedules have been stepped up and Government is meeting visitors essential transportation needs with shuttle and mini bus services.

After going over the drivers list of grievances, Bermuda Taxi Operators Association spokesperson Lee Tucker asked Premier Alex Scott if he would consider making the system optional before cabbies invested in the system.

Mr. Scott said he did not come down to negotiate with the drivers.

He told the protestors that Bermuda was not being serviced well by the industry, to which drivers shouted, "Who's to blame for that - you, the Government."

Mr. Scott said the industry owed it to Bermudians and visiting tourists to improve efficiency for everyone. "Making it optional only means that some will be working; we want all of Bermuda to be serviced by 600 cabs efficiently," said Mr. Scott.

He asked the drivers if they in turn would agree to the system if the Government installed GPS without Government having to pay for it, to which the drivers adamantly responded no. The Premier has offered the drivers free installation.

"The public has to know that we can give it to you for free to make a better system," said Mr. Scott. "GPS has the potential of improving service one hundred percent. We have made you the best possible offer." Mr. Scott then opened the door to negotion, saying he was willing to consider an independent commission to review the issue.

In a letter read out by a spokesperson, taxi drivers stated that during a meeting on June 7, the Premier proposed installing GPS at no cost for the first year. Any owner who did not show a profit at the end of the first year would be exempted from the installation fee. The drivers said they had many unanswered questions the Premier did not address, such as how much would the system cost, how much would the drivers pay for the monthly maintenance and dispatch, and what company would provide the drivers with the service.

The drivers said they have met with Government and agreed to the shared ride concept, a 20 percent increase in the first year, and a five percent increase the following year.

In their letter, they also state how the company which supplies GPS, Advance Tech Solutions, of which MP George Scott is the president and CEO, has a pending writ in regards to GPS with the sum of $60,000.

The drivers asked for an independent panel to review the entire GPS issue so drivers can get on with work and be "true ambassadors that we really are for our country".

Opposition Leader Dr. Grant Gibbons said the Government must be reasonable on the issue and listen to what drivers are saying. He said Government had not provided drivers with enough information to give them confidence in the system, and he said the fact that the bill was tabled in the height of tourist season indicates an unreasonable style of Government.

A taxi driver told The Royal Gazette that most taxis don't want GPS even if the Government was to offer it for free. "We won't be buying it from George Scott's company," he said. "It's the Government setting up their own people."