Taxi drivers fear their “livelihoods are on the line” as thousands of cruise ship passengers are encouraged to opt for public transport.They have accused cruise ship companies of “scaring away” their potential customers by spreading the word that travelling by taxi is expensive.The drivers have spoken out as they say cruise ship passengers arriving in Dockyard are being told to buy one-day travel passes at $12, so that Government can reap the benefits.They insist their group tour rates are competitive and they offer “the most personalised service” as they are “true ambassadors for Bermuda”.Acting Shadow Transport Minister Kim Swan agreed that some taxis were losing out on business when Bermuda should be promoting all transportation options equally.And passengers from Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas who spoke to The Royal Gazette on Monday confirmed that “buses and ferries were recommended” and “taxis were not mentioned”.Transport Minister Terry Lister has praised all modes of transport for creating “a wonderful Bermuda experience for our guests”.Taxi drivers are now calling on Government to “be fair to all” by restricting the number of passes sold. They say this will also help to tackle the ongoing problem of overcrowding on buses.They also want to be allowed to carry seven passengers rather than six and for transport bosses to rethink a reduced fare from Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay they are now charging $6; previously the flat rate was $8 per person.Earwin Lightbourne said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s just not fair, our livelihoods are on the line and we’re suffering. We’re all feeling the pinch and we need the work.“We can offer the most personalised tours, we talk about the sights, we stop to let people take photos and we go on Harbour Road when buses can’t.“A three-hour tour often extends to three-and-a-half or four hours at no extra cost to the passenger because we want people to enjoy their time in Bermuda, we appreciate that’s what it’s all about.”Jerry Smith said cruise ship passengers told him “time and time again” that they were advised against taking taxis because of the high cost.He said: “It’s ridiculous, cruise ships need to stop all this fraudulent nonsense.“The cruise ships and Government are obviously thinking about their profit margins and not ours.”Long-serving driver Dennis Hollis said Government needed to limit the number of travel passes sold.He said: “They are overselling bus passes for the number of buses available. They are overloading the buses, and ferries aren’t moving that fast these days either.”David Fox said the only way they could sometimes get fares was to approach those waiting in line for travel passes.The driver of 32 years said: “We have to do what we have to do. Our mouths are our brochures, we have to try to sell our tours, tell tourists where we can take them.“Some people are happy to turn around and come with us, that’s when they find out a taxi is cheaper than they thought and definitely the most reliable.”Opposition leader Mr Swan said he was “disturbed” to learn of “negative videos” on-board some ships telling people to avoid local taxis.He said: “This revelation worries me greatly and my concern is that the mindset may have already taken root. Hence, we may have to counter its negative effects through promotions.“The bad press we have received lately surrounding transportation has hurt Bermuda. Hence, we need to find ways to encourage optimum use of all of our transportation resources by spreading the load.”Mr Lightbourne, a taxi dispatcher at King’s Wharf, said Monday was a “good day” as 25 taxis were needed for 150 passengers who pre-booked three-hour tours. A group of six pays about $474 for a pre-booked Island taxi tour only $165 goes to the driver.Mr Lightbourne, the former assistant manager of Radio Cabs, would like to see laws changed so that passengers can take advantage of all seats in taxis. He said most taxis left Dockyard with only three or four passengers even though they had seven seats.He said: “There are masses of people but we can’t utilise all the seats in our taxis because of Government regulations; we are only licensed to carry six passengers.“Many taxis in Bermuda have seven seats. I talked to Dr [Ewart] Brown [former Transport Minister] about this two years ago, but nothing has changed.“We have seven-seaters driving around half-empty. If we were allowed to fill up taxis we could move people on quicker.”The price cut on rides from Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay was introduced on Saturday.Said to be on a trial basis, it was done in a bid to “get people moving” as Government tries to come up with ideas to transport people from the cruise ships without delay.Said Mr Hollis: “We can see why it is being done. But we are not going to make any extra money. In fact we’ll sometimes be operating at a loss because of fuel prices.”The drivers of the independently owned minibuses said the price reduction “made sense”. About six minibuses wait for cruise ship passengers, particularly large groups and families, at the end of King’s Wharf and usually do about three or four runs to Horseshoe Bay a day.Grace Ann Fox, the owner of Mini-Mega Buses, said: “We are now charging $6 a person to Horseshoe. We’ve all agreed to try this together; so far it’s been very successful.“It means we are all on the same page when it comes to getting the masses of people from Dockyard to Horseshoe. We have to move them quickly.”Mr Lister said it was “highly unlikely that there were any taxis that sat in line waiting for any length of time”.He said Saturday was considered a successful day with large cruise ships, Emerald Princess and Explorer of the Seas, bringing in more than 6,000 passengers.“The ferries, buses, minibuses and taxis are all to be commended for the service given [over the weekend]. I was very proud to see that our combined efforts resulted in such a wonderful Bermuda experience for our guests.”Mr Lister added that he had received an e-mail from one of Saturday’s cruise ships praising the Island’s transportation options. The e-mail said cruise ship passengers “did not encounter issues related to transportation” and waited no longer than five to ten minutes to purchase tickets. The e-mail also praised the new $6 Dockyard to Horseshoe fare, calling it “a great option moving forward.”Mr Lister did not respond to requests for comment on specific issues.l Taxi industry report will soon be made public Page 12.