Cabbies have accused the Minister of Transport of being “reactive” in his commitment to meet the group this week, saying their previous requests had been ignored.

A handful of members of the Bermuda Taxi Owners and Operators Association held a protest outside Veritas Place, where Parliament convenes, this week against what they have described as inaction on the Government’s part in improving conditions for the industry.

A spokeswoman for the ministry said that before the Revenue and Expenditure Budget Debate on Transport on March 11, the day the protest was staged, a request was sent from the minister, Wayne Furbert, for a meeting with the BTOA membership tomorrow.

Dennis Furbert, the BTOA president, said the group had been attempting to secure a meeting for three weeks but received no response.

The BTOA said the ministry had asked for a meeting to be held on March 21, but after the protest was organised, it asked for the meeting to be moved to this week.

Mr Furbert, the BTOA chief, said: “The meeting will take place this Thursday, but this is reactive. We have been trying to get a meeting for the last three weeks. The minister was supposed to have a general membership meeting, but he never responded.”

Two years ago, the BTOA gave the Ministry of Transport a list of 31 items that needed to be addressed.

When speaking with members at the protest, the minister said the items mostly related to rate increases.

Dennis Furbert added: “We told him that is not true. He would have seen in our 31 points that this is about the industry all together. Rates are in there but we gave the ministry a complete list that would make the industry better going forward.”

The group is calling for a 20 per cent rate increase, as it would be the first to be implemented in close to a decade. It also wants a central dispatch service to improve efficiency and the inclusion of BTOA members in decision-making.