Mr. Smart was robbed in Warwick on Saturday afternoon outside a home on Bulkhead drive, off Khyber Pass in Warwick.

The attack occurred around 3 p.m. after Mr. Smart had picked up his attacker from outside a laundromat in Somerset to take him to Khyber Pass in Warwick.

On arrival at their destination, the victim said the man, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, suddenly grabbed his wallet, ripping out his pants pocket in the process, and fled.

During the brief struggle, the taxi crashed into a lower apartment, causing some property damage.

The driver received minor injuries during the incident and was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment.

A description of the suspect was obtained by Police but was not made available to The Royal Gazette .

But a Police spokeswoman did confirm that active inquiries are underway.

Saturday's robbery is the third such incident in as many months.

And earlier this year Transport Minister Ewart Brown said he had plans for security measures to be introduced to provide protection for drivers, who have complained of continuously coming under attack.

Bermuda Industrial Union leader Derrick Burgess had earlier claimed that many taxi drivers are now refusing to work at night for fear of being robbed.

"They are worried about who they are going to be picking up,'' he said.

"There have been a number of attacks on drivers and that is not a good environment for them to be working in.''