As the December 17 General Election approaches The Royal Gazette is publishing a comprehensive series of articles on the major issues facing the Island. Transport is the subject of today’s first instalment.From getting to work in the morning to enjoying a ferry ride to Dockyard, public transport includes an array of Government-provided services that impact large numbers of local residents and visitors every single day. It means the Ministry of Transport faces a dichotomy — providing on the one hand reliable service for commuters and schoolchildren, while on the other a level of service for visitors that will also enhance their visit.The local taxi service is also a part of the equation. While taxi owners are proudly independent businessmen who primarily service visitors, they are also subject to Government regulations including the mandatory GPS laws.For the Transport Minister of the day, he will be aware that the services his Ministry provides are the ones that gives a large portion of the population much of their impression about the effectiveness of Government, and to a greater extent than many other Ministries, views on how well those services are provided may well be reflected in the voting booth.The breadth of issues that Transport encompasses range from levelling the regulatory playing field between taxis and minibus services to late buses. Some of the problems have erupted into the news, others are talking points on the taxi stands and bus terminals, they include:TAXISDivisions between taxi owners and drivers’ divisions over the mandatory installation of GPS in their cabs. The just-released Taxi Commission Report has proposed two major initiatives: one is providing a central GPS system for the three taxi dispatch companies, and the suggestion that there should be no punitive measures for those taxi owners who do not comply.Taxi drivers cited lack of demand for their services. ”It’s very slow right now — we should be looking at getting in more tourists,” said one.Concern that mini buses now in operation were unfair competition was cited by some drivers, as was concern that mini bus services are minimally regulated while taxis are subject to regulations ranging as widely as the GPS issue to what they are allowed to wear when at the wheel of their cab.BUSES AND FERRIESThe bus service generally gets good marks from users, but they did complain about lateness and availability of schedule information. Additionally, maintenance issues have kept portions of the bus fleet off the road, notably when tyres were misdirected to St Maarten instead of Bermuda. While it did not arouse comment from the bus travellers The Royal Gazette spoke to, unannounced schedule changes did.Ferries come in for lots of praise, although passengers complained that when there are schedule changes due to weather or maintenance issues, there seems to be no way to get the message out.