Guernsey bus disruption due to 'shortages and sickness'

An island bus firm has blamed a disruption to services on staff shortages and sickness.

CT Plus, which runs scheduled services in Guernsey, said it was increasing pay for drivers to attract more local people into the industry.

Manager Kevin Hart apologised for "disruption caused by the driver shortage".

A full-time bus driver could expect to earn £38,000 a year with a "little bit of overtime".

Mr Hart said the shortage of drivers had been caused by a "perfect storm" of the Covid-19 pandemic, a shortage of drivers in the UK where the firm recruited from and the retirement of older drivers.

"We want to make bus driving a much more attractive option for Guernsey residents, be that for people just starting out or those looking for a change of direction," he said.

"We are delighted to announce an immediate increase on our basic rate of pay, and our pay for weekend and evening work.

"This means that a full-time bus driver could reasonably expect to earn £38k per year with a little bit of overtime."

He added: "In the meantime, we'd like to apologise to our customers for any disruption caused by the driver shortage and urge them to check our website for travel news."

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