The operator refused to say how many scheduled services it had dropped and declined to provide statistics requested about staff shortages, drivers’ working hours and cleaning hours on buses.
The company also spurned an opportunity to rebut claims of a widespread failure of staff to publicise dropped routes and windows on buses becoming dislodged during passenger services.
The Guernsey Press has revealed today that Stagecoach is suspected of breaching its contract to run the island’s bus services after inaccuracies were uncovered in data which the company is required to submit to the States monthly to verify the reliability of its routes.
A Stagecoach spokesman acknowledged that passengers had recently faced ‘cancelled services, longer journey times and issues accessing service information’ and apologised for the inconvenience. But he insisted that the company was committed to the island and had already started to turn around problems with its services.
‘Our focus remains on increasing our driver numbers, making improvements where necessary to communicating in times of disruption and, most importantly, delivering the service that customers expect,’ he said.
‘Additional timetable information for bus shelters has been ordered and installed, issues affecting the bus app are being addressed, a new staff accommodation property has been secured and £25,000 has been invested in engineering equipment designed to manage the build-up of diesel particulates in vehicle exhaust systems, which has contributed to a number of maintenance-related issues affecting the fleet.
‘This investment has come about as a result of experience in operating this fleet of vehicles over the life of the contract so far.
‘We remain committed to working constructively with the States, our colleagues and the wider community to provide the safe, reliable and dependable bus service that the residents of Guernsey deserve.’
Stagecoach started running the island’s bus services in April 2025, after beating the previous operator, CT Plus, in a tender process overseen by the previous Environment & Infrastructure Committee.
E&I vice-president Sally Rochester said yesterday that Stagecoach, one of the UK’s largest bus companies, had ‘achieved the highest scores for both quality and pricing elements’ of the competitive tender process, and added that it was working with the company ‘to ensure that its UK capabilities are being leveraged’ to benefit services locally.
Deputy Rochester said the operator was required to provide monthly reports to her committee covering key performance indicators for service delivery, punctuality, the cleanliness of vehicles and maintenance inspections.
E&I’s concerns about the accuracy of the company’s data arose following the submission of these reports in August and September.
Asked about staff shortages among mechanics, the Stagecoach spokesman said the company had ‘experienced recruitment challenges in some areas of the business’ but that ‘vehicle maintenance remains a priority’. He stated that drivers’ working hours complied with the law.
He said that Stagecoach had ‘continued to invest’ in vehicle cleanliness since the start of its contract 18 months ago and that maintenance was always carried out ‘in accordance with established procedures and safety standards by suitably trained technicians’.
He claimed that the company ‘aimed to keep customers informed of service disruptions wherever possible through the channels available’.
E&I was due to face questions about the bus service from John Gollop at the previous States meeting at the end of September, but the length of the tax debate prevented them from being asked, and it was unclear last night whether he would try to put them at today’s meeting.
Deputy Gollop said yesterday that the States would need ‘to consider taking staffing and operations in-house via the States Trading Supervisory Board and States Works’ if Stagecoach failed to improve services speedily.
He said he had just experienced ‘another typical bus day’ full of cancellations and delayed services, inadequate information at bus stops and the bus app not working properly.