The allegations were made in a Facebook post which also criticised bus maintenance and claimed that faulty vehicles were being sent out on the roads. Stagecoach said the post was written by a former member of staff.
The post described drivers working 11 or 12 consecutive days, sometimes doing 15-hour shifts and getting only four to five hours’ sleep between each shift.
The claims followed an increase in problems with the bus service, including mechanical breakdowns, service cancellations, issues with the bus app and Stagecoach putting up timetables which could not be read at various bus stops.
Environment & Infrastructure president Adrian Gabriel insisted the allegations were taken ‘extremely seriously’ after he received questions from Deputy Ross Le Brun. ‘An investigation carried out by the provider has found that incidents raised have not been fully substantiated and there is no evidence of planned behaviour in this regard,’ said Deputy Gabriel.
He said that regular contract monitoring meetings were held with Stagecoach to review performance, customer feedback and agreed targets.
Following scrutiny by his committee, the firm had begun introducing new processes and was recruiting to improve resilience and reliability.
Stagecoach said its driving schedules complied with laws on working time and driving hours. ‘The safety of our customers, colleagues and other road users is our highest priority, and we take any concerns raised about driver welfare, working hours or vehicle maintenance extremely seriously,’ said a spokesman for the company.
‘We recognise the important role our drivers play in keeping Guernsey moving, often in challenging operating conditions, and we are committed to supporting their wellbeing and ensuring they have a safe working environment.’
The company urged any staff with concerns to raise them directly so they could be investigated.
Deputy Le Brun said assurances were needed about the service, on which the States spends more than £4.5m. of taxpayers’ money every year.
‘If we have questions around both driver fatigue and the condition of some vehicles, I think it is worth making sure we have a clear picture of what is actually happening,’ he said.
‘As taxpayers are funding a significant part of the service, we should also be confident that we are getting a safe, reliable and properly managed service for that money.’
Deputy John Gollop, a regular bus user, said he shared concerns about unreliability, cancellations and breakdowns.
‘Any examples of drivers working overly lengthy or unsafe hours are worrying, but I am assured there is no evidence or proof of these disturbing suggestions,’ he said.