Bermuda’s broken-down bus fleet has adversely affected some of the island’s most vulnerable people and could damage the tourism industry, experts said yesterday.

Linda Smith, chairwoman of Age Concern, said the elderly had suffered as a result of cancellations because of vehicles being off the road.

She added: “Many seniors are dependent upon public transportation, specifically buses, to get them to stores and to Hamilton to do shopping, attend medical appointments and take care of their personal business.

“While bus schedules have been disrupted or cancelled more frequently in recent months, it wasn’t until we heard the most recent news reports that we became aware of the depth of the problems.”

Ms Smith was speaking after six buses broke down on Thursday, causing transport disruption across the island.

The breakdowns brought the number of buses out of service to 72 out of 105 vehicles.

Ms Smith said Age Concern appreciated the efforts of the Public Transportation Board to address the problem but emphasised the importance of a reliable service.

She added: “Apart from requiring transportation, seniors need the security of knowing that they can get to their required destination and safely back again.

And she said daily updates on the status of routes would help seniors to schedule their days.

Education and tourism representatives also said they were concerned about the state of public transport in Bermuda.

Leonard Santucci, chairman of the board at CedarBridge Academy, said he was “challenged” by the state of the bus fleet as children prepare to return to school after the summer break.

He added: “More than 50 per cent of our student body relies on public transportation.”

Dr Santucci said he had worked with the previous government to help find a solution to the problem.

He added: “I believe the current government is very much aware of it, and seeking to address it and to remedy it.”

Dr Santucci encouraged parents to have back-up plans in place in case of bus service disruption, but he said he was aware that not everyone had access to alternative transport.

He said: “We need to fix as many buses as can be fixed, and then we need to replace as many buses as can be replaced almost immediately.”

Glenn Jones, director of public and stakeholder relations at the Bermuda Tourism Authority, said an unreliable bus service affected visitors as well as residents.

He added: “When the service does not live up to its promises, vacations are negatively impacted.

“Unreliable service is also very unhelpful to the local tourism workforce and other residents who rely on buses to get to and from their jobs.”

A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport and Regulatory Affairs on Thursday blamed the problem on a lack of investment in new vehicles.

Overheating of bus engines was also said to be a significant factor in the unreliable service. New buses on order, however, should be less prone to the problem.

The spokesman added new buses were expected to be on the island’s roads “near the end of the year” and that maintenance staff were working overtime to get out-of-service vehicles back on the roads.