A total of nine buses needed repairs after thieves raided their cash boxes as they were parked in a depot at Dockyard at the weekend.

Lawrence Scott, the transport minister, yesterday condemned the “selfish and unfortunate” theft, which had put extra strain on the bus fleet and took away resources.

Mr Scott thanked the DPT for repairing six of the buses yesterday, which avoided route cancellations.

Staff found that the canisters – where passengers deposit their fares – had been removed.

The canisters contained an unknown quantity of cash.

A police spokesman said: “Once the scene was forensically processed, officers conducted a search of the area and recovered a number of these canisters, minus the cash, hidden between rocks in the water near Moresby’s Plain.

“CCTV footage recovered from the scene showed the suspects wore dark clothing, with their faces covered.”

Anyone with information should call 211 or the main police number at 295 0011.

Mr Scott reminded the public that the temporary bus schedule that came into effect on January 14 would continue this week.

An update on when normal schedules will resume is expected on Friday.

The schedule is online here, and any queries can be answered by calling 292-3851.