Bus Vannin has apologised for the disruption to bus services last weekend.
The public transport operator says that a timetable of 489 services was scheduled to run over the two days, of that 19 were unable to be operated on Saturday and four on Sunday.
It says that it was not possible to secure enough drivers to run the full service at the weekend.
Reason for Disruption
Bus Vannin explained its reasoning for the cancellations as follows:
“The bus timetable needs drivers to work overtime, particularly at weekends. Last weekend it was not possible to secure enough drivers to run the full service.
“There are currently 10 full-time vacancies from a full establishment of 92 – plus a number of long-term absentees – and a recruitment process is underway. Bus Vannin can also ask its casual drivers to provide cover, but last weekend it was not possible to fulfil all of the duties.
“Overtime is optional and many staff have continued to work additional hours to support the service in recent weeks – from driving colleagues to office staff. A driver’s hours must also be kept within daily and weekly agreed limits for safety reasons.
“Due to current rostering agreements it can be less than 24 hours before a service is due to run when it becomes clear it cannot be filled.”
Inaccurate Reports
Bus Vannin also clarified that the rumour of upto 13 staff walking out is “inaccurate”.
It says: “There was also some concern raised around drivers undertaking private hire work – three longstanding bookings were honoured and driven by office-based staff, not regular bus drivers”.
It is expecting difficulties in fulfilling some services again this weekend.
Services at Risk
Bus Vannin says that details will be posted when plans are in place for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
If a service is highlighted as being at risk and then can be covered, further updates will be posted.
To find out more about becoming a bus driver and how to apply for one of the vacant positions, visit gov.im/jobs
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