A spate of bus breakdowns caused a number of cancellations yesterday, according to the Department of Public Transportation.

Oil leaks, air system failures, inoperable bells, steering problems, faulty airbags and doors failing to operate properly were among the reasons for the breakdowns, the DPT said.

Today, officials said they reduced the “out of service” number of vehicles down to 58, which left 47 buses in service.

The total number of 105 buses is down from ten years ago when there was a fleet of 123.

The weighted average age of the vehicles is more than ten years, while the industry standard is less than seven years. Officials said the fleet has become older and less reliable as DPT operates services more than 18 hours every day of the year.

The Department stated: “While the Department has had to wrestle with these issues over an extended period of time, circumstances will not consistently improve until the fleet is considerably upgraded. The DPT will endeavour to keep the public informed when there are future service interruptions.”