Taxi drivers have accused the Government of stalling on plans to implement a rise in fares — almost nine years after the last fare increase.

Last year the Bermuda Taxi Owners and Operators Association called for a 20 per cent rise in fare rates, which are set by the Government. The last increase was granted in May 2014.

In September, Lawrence Scott, the Transport Minister at the time, said that increases were in the pipeline once a review of the industry had been presented to Cabinet “in the next few weeks“.

According to the association, that increase had yet to be introduced, even though it could be done “with the flick of a pen”.

Instead, the BTOA has been told by Wayne Furbert, who took over from Mr Scott last October, that a further review is required before any increase can be introduced.

A spokeswoman for the BTOA said that at a meeting with Mr Furbert last week, representatives were told that although a Green Paper was presented to the Cabinet, it was rejected.

She said: “It’s as if the Government spent all that time on a Green Paper for the industry, and now it counts for nothing.

“We’ve had about ten meetings with two different transport ministers in the last year and we don’t seem to be getting anywhere. We don’t know who to believe any more.”

But a Government spokeswoman was unable to offer a timeline on when a fare increase might come into effect, and warned that any changes had to benefit “all stakeholders, including the travelling public”.

The BTOA spokeswoman said that it would cost the Government nothing to authorise taxi drivers to increase their rates.

She said: “Whose budget does an increase come out of? We listened intently to the Budget and heard millions of dollars being allocated for this, that and the other, but nothing for us.

“Also, even if we were to get an increase, it is impossible to give us a retroactive pay.

“We believe the Government is stalling because other government departments are looking for salary increases and the Government only wants to give them between 1.5 and 2 per cent. They don’t want to give us anything because of what they are offering them. But we’ve been waiting ten years. It hasn’t been ten years for other departments.”

The spokeswoman added that although the Government controlled what fees drivers could charge, it did not offer benefits enjoyed by government employees.

She said: “Unlike civil servants, our basket of goods is significantly higher as we don’t get the perks of government. We pay our own health insurance, social insurance, pension, maintenance to vehicles, tyres and gas.”

Ricky Tucker, the vice-president of the BTOA, listed a catalogue of grievances that owners and operators had suffered from in recent years.

He said that the industry had suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other problems included increases in fuel, repeated breakdowns caused by potholed roads, difficulties importing replacement vehicles and competition from new minibus operators.

“We are quickly losing patience and trust with this Government,” he said.

“They are throwing the industry under a bus. We haven’t had an increase in nine years and we keep on getting told different things. Membership of the association has increased because people are becoming really concerned.”

A government spokeswoman said last night: “The Ministry of Transport is committed to advancing the Throne Speech initiative to modernise the public transportation system.

“The availability of reliable and efficient public transportation is vital to the economy and any changes to the public transportation framework must benefit all stakeholders, including the travelling public.”

She added: “The Ministry of Transport held several meetings with representatives from the taxi industry on topics such as taxi rates and other important aspects of the industry.

“As we prepare for a busy visitor season, it's important that we all work collectively to enhance the transportation experiences for all.”