Government passed legislation making GPS mandatory in all Island taxis on Friday night.

The Bill had been the target of the ten-day taxi strike by taxi drivers opposed to the move.

Despite losing their battle to have Parliament reconsider the Bill, taxi drivers went back to work late Friday night.

said everyone must admit that tourists and Bermudians alike have problems with the taxi industry. He noted that, although some hoteliers wanted their own transport service for guests, he objected on the grounds that no addition to the fleet was necessary.

And he said he was particularly annoyed by the news media which promoted disharmony among black people, stating that the newspaper got ?a delight and joy to see blacks fighting amongst blacks.?

Mr. Burgess said protesting was a constitutional right. He stated when the UBP was in power, people were afraid to protest because their phones were tapped, mortgages recalled, and people were fired ? but during the the 1998 election, the people of Bermuda proclaimed their freedom.

He said negotiation is a science, and even after the legislation was passed, there was no need to stop meaningful dialogue to come to a workable solution.

?We need to show our children that Dr. Brown and myself can disagree, yet still have brotherly love,? he said.

But said: ?It truly is a new Bermuda when the head of the union can give the speech he just gave.?

Mr. Barritt said the PLP had not mentioned GPS in their election platform or in the Throne Speech. ?Is there any wonder mistrust develops??

And he questioned why no one has voluntarily decided to adopt GPS in the two years since the initial debate if it was such a good idea. said although the Opposition?s focal point was the issue of whether GPS was voluntary versus mandatory, using discretionary language made the Bill pointless. He urged drivers to leave a ?healthy and sound taxi industry as a legacy?. said although she has been very well served by the taxi industry, ?one of the most difficult things is to try and affect change?, noting that she was ?categorically and unequivocally in favour of reforming the system?.

She said the leadership of the country had looked at various ways of implementing change, including assisting and underwriting those changes deemed necessary, and had approached her as the Finance Minister to see if funds were available ?to make it an easier pill to swallow?.

But she added: ?Sometimes the right decision is when you make everyone a little bit unhappy.? said he supports the taxi drivers who think GPS should not be mandatory.

He questioned the reasons why Government and disgruntled taxi drivers had been unable to reach a point of reconciliation, but noted: ?Once a person believes you, even if they don?t agree with you, it goes a long way.?

And he said if Government decided they had second thoughts about the legislation, there would be two winners ? the taxi drivers and Government.

Mr. Simmons added: ?The taxi driver is not the devil incarnate ? the taxi driver in Bermuda is a good man.?

He urged taxi drivers to go back to work after the vote since continuing their strike seemed pointless. said those in leadership positions sometimes had the responsibility of ?drawing a line in the sand? and said taxis were the last component of the Bermuda?s transportation industry to be regulated.

He read statistics provided by Research Innovation where in a poll of 400 people, 68.7 percent supported computerised taxi dispatch and 84 percent agreed additional taxi permits should be made available.

He suggested 100 new permits should be made available with GPS, and said he ?wouldn?t lose a minute of sleep? if the other taxis did not wish to add the service. He noted, however, that he recently received a taxi licence and was looking forward to getting a taxi so he could install GPS. said she did not think the debate was truly about the technology of GPS, but rather that people were rejecting the system out of self-interest.

She said culturally, Bermudians tend to fight change but embrace change when necessary.

Ms Webb said taxis are granted a licence by Government to serve the public, but it was a regulated industry ? not a private car.

?Why should taxi drivers thing they?re above everyone else?? she asked, mentioning that they pay lower taxes.

She said, although it was a difficult decision, it was one she believed was best for the country. said it would be at least a year before the Bill became law, and during that time concerned parties would continue to have open access to the Transport Minister.

And he noted: ?Our success seems to be the dilemma since we?re taking so much for granted.?