PROBLEMS with the current bus timetable are largely a result of ‘incremental creep’, where services have been added year-on-year, Environment has said.

But the department defended the extra routes and extra frequencies slotted into the existing timetable, saying it was forced by a States decision incrementally to increase the service.

Environment said the increases – from 2006/7 onwards – were added successfully until problems arose last summer when a number of buses broke down and were taken off the road at the same time.

‘The reliability issue [of buses] appears to have been addressed by the current operator and the present view is that the overall number of services currently offered can be retained but the timings in the timetables need to be amended in order to provide a more reliable service.’