Independent Senators are assessing their stance on Government's digital dispatching bill for the taxi industry as it heads to the Upper Chamber for the second time.

“I wouldn't say I've been lobbied I've been trying to make myself aware of what is different this time through my own efforts as much as theirs,” said Senator Walwyn Hughes yesterday.

“It's a serious issue and I've got to be very comfortable whatever I do, which I hope I will be. I've got to weigh up the various sides and try to do what's best by my conscience.”

The bill was sent back to the House of Assembly after a 2002 Senate vote on its passage resulted in a tie when Senator Hughes and the two other independent Senators joined the Opposition in rejecting the measures.

This time around it is certain that the United Bermuda Party Senators will try to block the legislation again, but the jury's out on whether the independents will stage a repeat performance.

UBP Senator Leonard Santucci, who has a taxi licence and was absent during the last Senate vote, said yesterday that he planned to vote against the measure.

The composition of the Senate is drastically different from 2002 - the five members on the Government side have all been replaced following the 2003 General Election, the Opposition United Bermuda Party has a new member, Kenneth Bascome, who replaced Neville Darrell who is now an MP, and independent Senator Carol Bassett has replaced Jeanette Cannonier.

Government Senator Reginald Burrows, who as an MP absented himself from the chamber in 2002, had promised to abstain in the 2002 vote.

Senate President Alf Oughton wouldn't say what side he was on this time around, only that he and his colleagues had been heavily lobbied by all sides.

“Everybody's been after us - politicians, taxi drivers. We've all been lobbied, we've all met with various interest groups taxi drivers, officials of the TCD. We've been rather active because unfortunately independents have to do their own research,” he said.

“There's no difference on the legislation of two years ago. Whether there's been any difference in the arguments we'll see on Wednesday.”

In 2002 Sen. Oughton had agreed with the need to improve taxi service but he echoed arguments made by Senators Jeanette Cannonier and Kim Swan that GPS would not solve the problems of drivers refusing to respond to unprofitable jobs in faraway locations and doubted whether the proposed system would result in greater profitability.

“What we really need is to take a good look and investigate where the industry is, and what we need to do to make it more successful. It may come about that as a result of what we are trying to do, GPS is the essential item that is needed as we move along,” Sen. Oughton said then.

“The state of the taxi industry is a disgrace and it is a disgrace that no one has done anything about it over the years. If we are going to the trouble of implementing the laws, we need to make sure they work,” he said.

Government's efforts to persuade the taxi drivers to accept the measures, including an offer to pay for the installation of the system for the first year, have not succeeded.