The Infrastructure Minister has admitted he doesn’t know how long the current disruption to bus services could continue.

Bus Vannin in blaming a shortage of drivers for the cancellation of multiple bus services over the last few weeks.

It says the full service requires a total of 92 drivers but there are currently 10 vacancies for full-time drivers and this week eight were off work due to illness.

Douglas East MHK Joney Faragher tabled a Tynwald question to Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall asking what operational issues have resulted in the cancellation of bus services and how long he expected them to last.

In his written reply, Mr Crookall said: ‘It is important to note that the vast majority of services have operated as normal.

‘The operational issue for Bus Vannin is recruitment. Driving staff only need to give two weeks’ notice. The recruitment process and training take considerably longer than this.

‘Low level loss of service will continue until new recruits become operational. At this point it is not possible to give a date.’

Disruption first hit the headlines in early September when no fewer than 39 services were cancelled in one weekend.

Rumours had circulated on social media that the buses were being used to transport cruise ship passengers.

This was denied by Bus Vannin and Mr Crookall insisted in his Tynwald answer: ‘The cancellation of core bus services is not linked to the fulfilment of private contracts.’

The operator has also denied that the disruption was due to contract issues and overtime rates.

A spokesman said: ‘All staff are paid for additional hours. Depending on their contract, some drivers are paid a premium rate. No changes have been made recently - the last review was in September 2020.

‘Casual staff are paid the same rate for all hours.’

The spokesman said that department officers with a current PPV licence who step in to help drive buses can do so as casual staff.

‘Any officer who is required to drive through necessity during their normal working hours receives no additional or premium payment,’ they added.

In an update posted on its Facebook page, Bus Vannin said: ‘We would like to apologise to passengers inconvenienced by recent service cancellations and thank everyone affected for their patience.

‘Bus Vannin management will continue to work with the drivers, unions and the Road Traffic Licensing Committee to resolve matters as quickly and smoothly as possible.’

The operator thanked driving staff and supervisors who it said were ‘working hard to deliver the best possible service under challenging circumstances.’

It said the campaign to recruit new drivers is attracting applications and, in some cases, training is already being carried out. Anyone interested in applying can visit gov.im/jobs, using reference: DOI-020018.