By JIM HICKEY

After years of largely fruitless discussion, a plan to create a single set of taxi regulations for the Island is finally coming into focus, although uniform fares appear still to be on a distant horizon.

Spearheaded by the all-Island selectmen, a subcommittee headed by Oak Bluffs selectman Duncan Ross and Tisbury selectman Jeff Kristal has drafted new regulations for selectmen in all the towns to review.

Oak Bluffs and Aquinnah already have adopted the new regulations with minor changes, while selectmen in Tisbury, West Tisbury and Chilmark are expected to review and take similar action in the coming weeks. Selectmen in Edgartown have stated they will not adopt the regulations this year.

At the all-Island meeting last month, Edgartown selectman Margaret Serpa explained her board’s decision.

“We already had our yearly review of the [taxi] regulations. We have assigned a member of the police department to work with the taxi companies. And so far, knock on wood, there haven’t been any major problems,” Mrs. Serpa said.

As far back 1979 the all-Island selectmen endorsed a plan for uniform taxi regulations; in 1987 the group shopped a plan around to the six Island towns for a second time. Both plans died on the vine.

The idea surfaced again last summer amid complaints that some cab companies were overcharging.

At an all-Island selectmen’s meeting in October there was talk about installing meters in taxicabs, something never done before here. Mr. Ross and Mr. Kristal have met with Capt. Paul O’Connor of the Boston police department who oversees the city’s taxi licenses and rule enforcement to discuss meters and other taxi-related issues.

In the end the subcommittee decided to table the issue of meters. Rules on the table at the moment include increasing minimum insurance requirements for taxi companies and putting a ceiling on late-night fares.

The committee also wants to ban taxi drivers from texting on their cell phones, and require larger lettering on cabs to identify the cab number and company.