Given the current mechanical problems facing the fleet of buses operated by Island Coachways, there were two obvious questions to be asked: what’s causing that and what needs to be done to rectify the situation?

The company and Environment, responsible for traffic management and public transport, responded quickly to provide the answers we published yesterday. And in essence, the root of the problem is the age of the fleet – the vehicles need replacing.

And therein lies a problem.

The buses were bought by the taxpayer in 2002 for a little over £3m. and the island provides a substantial annual subsidy to keep them on the road. Over the last three years that has amounted to more than £7m. and by the end of this year that will have risen to close to £10m.

If replacing the fleet at today’s prices costs, say, £4m., that brings the total bill for the island’s bus service to £14m., or more than £300 per taxpayer, a substantial sum indeed, especially with the many other demands on the public purse.

In turn, that level of expenditure begs a further question: what are islanders getting for their money?

Cynically, the answer is 33 nearly clapped out oversized buses, an irregular service due to mechanical breakdowns and higher petrol costs as the States wimped out of introducing paid parking and hit the motorist instead.

The benefit of the £10m. to date is not clear, although the original intention was to use cheap fares and an improved service plus parking charges to encourage less commuter car use and thus ease congestion in St Peter Port.

That, at least, would have provided measurable benefits and those commuters who decided not to use public transport would have paid the price when they went to park.

As it is, Environment’s reluctance to embrace a recognisable traffic management policy appears to have generated a lot of taxpayer cost, no obvious benefits and an ageing fleet with no clear funding plan to replace it.

If the department is to avoid being accused of creating yet another fine mess, it needs to find a  few more answers.