Peter Knight, managing director of Stagecoach South West, which runs the Guernsey contract, admitted there had been a wobble in performance in August and September, but said the service had stabilised over the past two weeks.
He apologised to any passengers affected by the disruption, but asked islanders to judge the service on their own experience rather than on stories circulating on the grapevine.
Stagecoach said part of the problem was staff shortages, made worse when one of its properties used to house staff had to be vacated because of structural issues.
Mr Knight said that difficulty had now been overcome, and a newly acquired property would provide a net gain of eight bedrooms for drivers.
Six new drivers were about to arrive in the island following a recent recruitment drive, with more to follow.
But he said greater flexibility from the States on employment permits was what was really needed to provide continuity.
‘Those recent difficulties showed just how reliant this business and its operation is on staff working on temporary work permits, primarily from the UK,’ he said.
‘I think there needs to be a conversation at some point around how bus drivers are valued within Guernsey, bearing in mind it’s a critical service and infrastructure for the island.
‘We understand that other industries, such as hospitality, benefit from different types of arrangement, which means they can retain staff for longer. We’ve got drivers who have been with us at Stagecoach South West for 40 years, and that just is not available to bus drivers here in Guernsey.’
Mr Knight completely rejected claims that the late-summer problems were down to the mechanical reliability of the fleet.
‘No, we haven’t had issues with fleet or fleet availability,’ he said.
‘We continue to invest in the fleet through maintenance practices and procedures in line with how we operate and maintain our fleet in the UK. That’s seen us invest £20,000 in maintenance equipment, and we have seen pleasing improvements in reliability.’
He said that investment, along with the four electric buses bought by the States, would help to continue modernising the service.
Mr Knight accepted that the company had been at fault in providing some incorrect performance data to the Environment & Infrastructure Committee, but declined to give details publicly.
He said a number of internal challenges had been explained to the committee and the matter had been resolved as ‘a contractual matter between ourselves and the States’.
‘We would expect to be held to account for what is in the contract, and that’s what we set out to deliver every day,’ he said, adding that he would expect the States ‘to reciprocate in that as well’.
Mr Knight said he appreciated the past couple of months had been challenging, but insisted that Stagecoach was committed to the island for the long term and to delivering the best bus service possible for islanders.
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