The cancellation of bus services over the weekend has been attributed to ‘staff availability’.

A total of 31 bus services across the island were cancelled on Saturday (September 8).

A further 13 services were then cancelled on Sunday morning, but five of these were later announced to be running as usual.

This means that 39 services were cancelled in total over the weekend.

Rumours circulated on social media that the buses were being used to transport tourists in the form of private hire, but Isle of Man Transport have since confirmed that this was not the case.

A spokesperson has stated that the cancelled bus services was the result of staff shortages.

They said: ‘There is no truth in the rumours that the buses were used for cruise ship passengers. A private firm looked after these passengers on both Saturday and Sunday.

‘Staff availability was the main issue, and a recruitment process is currently underway with the aim of bolstering numbers.’

The services which were cancelled as a result of ‘operational constraints’ included popular routes such as Port Erin to Lord Street, Douglas to Ramsey, Peel to Lord Street and Ballachrink to Port Erin.

It was not an ideal weekend for bus services to be disrupted either, as two popular summer events took place in Castletown and Laxey.

The Laxey Duck Race and the World Tin Bath Championships both took place on Saturday afternoon, two of the island’s final summer events of the year.

The island was also busier on Saturday due to the arrival of Bury FC fans for their game against FC Isle of Man, which had an attendance of over 2,000 people.

Isle of Man Transport apologised ‘for any inconvenience caused’ on its Facebook page.