Shawn Crockwell blamed a sickness bug for severe disruptions to the bus schedules that left hundreds of passengers stranded at various parts of the Island yesterday.

The Transport Minister told his fellow ministers at the House of Assembly this morning that ten bus operators are away from work on long-term sick leave, with the situation at the Department of Public Transport being compounded further by others being stricken during the cold and flu season, and a ban on overtime.

Yesterday, ten drivers called in sick, which led to about 40 cancelled runs, or 10 per cent of the Island’s total runs.

Mr Crockwell said: “In addition the department has implemented a ban on overtime and a combination of these factors is impacting the scheduling of bus runs.”

He added: “I am pleased to say that the DPT staff and bus operators are working together to ensure that the core commuter belts and services are provided to minimise the impact of disruptions to the general public that rely on the bus service.”

He said talks had been held with the objective of “collectively address the current shortage of bus operators.”

• For the full ministerial statement, click on the PDF file under “Related Media”.