After a number of very fruitful government meetings with the Bermuda Taxi Owners/Operators Association (BTOA), taxi dispatching companies and other transportation stakeholders, changes to the plan to introduce livery minicars will be reflected in new legislation promulgated by the Ministry of Tourism, Transport and Municipalities.

After extensive dialogue to allay industry concerns, Senator the Hon. Michael M. Fahy JP said he has taken to heart issues raised by industry representatives throughout the consultation process. The legislation will allow for licenced liveries to operate livery minicars that are no more than 60 inches wide and no more than 115 inches long. In addition the primary legislation makes it clear that the number of seats permitted is limited to two which is of course the limit on a livery cycle. There are also limits in respect of the power of the minicar with the cc being limited to 150cc and 20hp or 15kw.

Senator Fahy said, “There were some concerns as to the previously proposed size, and not withstanding that the types of vehicles we are talking about were always limited in their power and size, we have added extra clarity to give comfort to the transportation industry. We will continue this dialogue as we draft the regulations in support of the primary legislation.”

Senator Fahy added, “During our fruitful discussion a myriad of other issues were raised by both the Government and the industry stakeholders, among them concerns about the high cost of purchasing new taxis and the hardship it places on the taxi operators. To assist the industry we have agreed to permit the importation of second hand vehicles for use as a motor taxi, as long as they comply with the necessary restrictions long established by the Public Service Vehicle Licencing Board and the Transport Control Department. Consequential regulations may be adopted to assist with this new market.

“New guidelines to reflect this policy change will be released by the end of the year. I’ve been told that it is something that has been sought by the industry for a number of years.”

BTOA President Leo Simmons applauded the Government action, saying there were longstanding issues facing the industry which needed to be addressed.

He said, “We have formed a good working relationship with Minister Fahy throughout this process. We are very pleased with the solutions given to assist the taxi industry thus far and look forward to continued dialogue. The meetings were useful to get a number of issues on the table faced by taxi owners and for us to understand where the Government is coming from. The BTOA supports the actions thus far by the Ministry in this regard and looks forward to the new guidelines for the policy change regarding the importation of second hand vehicles for use as a motor taxi before the end of 2016.”