Taxi drivers could cut their hours or fail to run humanitarian errands as they instigate a work to rule, industry leaders warned last night.

They are angry at Government for passing a bill making global positioning systems (GPS) mandatory in cabs.

Government hope GPS will improve response times by allotting the nearest cab to the job.

The bill, which must be passed by the Senate before it becomes law, was opposed by drivers because of the expense ? estimated at between $1,500 and $3,000 per cab ? as well as its intrusiveness.

Last night Bermuda Taxi Owners Association spokesman Lee Tucker said a strategy committee would be working out options for a work to rule after cabbies abandoned their strike on Friday once the bill was passed.

He said: ?There are many options but I am not going to go into detail. We could work an eight hour day, we don?t do straight hours at the moment. We are working 12 to 14 hours a day.

?We have no guidelines ? just that taxis must be made available. We could make them available between midnight and 8.30 in the morning.

?That kind of situation could be done but I am not at liberty to say.?

BTOA President Gordon Flood said another possibility was simply to run straight passenger trips and not do extras such as fetching medicine and delivering it to housebound people.

He said: ?It?s something nobody sees or hears about.?

Taxi drivers went to the House to listen to the debate on Friday after marching from Bernard Park.

Mr. Tucker said drivers were not happy about much that they heard.

?We are very disappointed by some of the remarks made by MPs which are completely untrue,? he said. ?They should have got their facts straight.?

He said the taxi industry had been unfairly blamed for contributing to the 1996 death of Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton by not answering her call. She later hitched a ride and was then stabbed to death on a beach.

Mr. Tucker said it wasn?t the taxi operator?s fault. ?The ladies had left the place.?