Bus depot staff are working “even more feverishly” to get other buses on the road after several were pulled out of service as a result of a wheel coming off a bus, according to the transport minister.

Senator Michael Fahy spoke to The Royal Gazette after it was announced that buses of the same make and year as the one involved in the incident in Sandys on Friday would be subject to a “thorough inspection”.

He also dismissed claims by shadow transport minister Lawrence Scott that budget cuts were to blame for continuing problems with the island’s fleet.

“As a result of these buses being taken out of service, the depot is working even more feverishly to get other buses into service,” Mr Fahy said, adding that swift action had been taken to rectify the problems that led to Friday’s incident.

And while the Department of Transportation aimed to keep the service running smoothly, he said that in the event of any cancellations or disruptions “appropriate notifications will be made to the public if possible”.

But Mr Fahy also stressed that maintenance “has always been an ongoing issue”, with previous transport ministers admitting and accepting that the island has an ageing fleet

In response to comments by Mr Scott, who blamed continuing issues with the public transportation vehicles on a lack of funding for maintenance and claimed the One Bermuda Alliance Government had shown an “historic” record for bus problems, Mr Fahy pointed to numerous incidences under the Progressive Labour Party administration.

These included 18 buses being out of service because of a shortage in tyres in June 2012, mechanical problems with the bus fleet leaving primary students stranded in September that same year, and an incident in January 2012 that saw an empty bus roll into a Washington Street building. He also noted that, in September 2011, the transport ministry said it would be looking to bring in overseas mechanics to help retrain local mechanics because about 50 of the island’s 119 buses were off the roads.

“Based on what Lawrence Scott said, it is a falsehood to suggest that any of the bus maintenance issues have just arisen,” Mr Fahy said. “I dismiss what he said wholeheartedly.

“The past speaks for itself. It is really just an ongoing maintenance issue. It’s not a new problem as is being suggested by the shadow. We have buses in service since 1998. Given this ageing fleet, the mechanics at the depot do a fantastic job with what they have to work with.”

He also stressed that safety is paramount and added that a process was under way to identify other buses that may be more appropriate for Bermuda.