Updated - adds Arriva comments on video -

Arriva managing director Keith Bastow said today that unless there are exceptional circumstances the company does not expect those drivers who did not show up for work yesterday or today - about 60 - to continue working with the company any longer.

Speaking at a press conference, he said the vast majority of the drivers who did not show up were drivers/owners who used to work in the old bus service.

Transport Minister Austin Gatt said at the inauguration of the Valletta bus terminus on Saturday that he hoped that drivers who did not like the working conditions and did not go to work would be dismissed.

Mr Bastow unreservedly apologised for the level of the current service and said he expected the buses to be running on schedule by the end of the week.

The first of 55 temporary British drivers will be deployed tomorrow and others will follow in the coming days as they become familiar with the routes. The drivers, he said, were employed by Arriva in the UK and would work in Malta until the local company engaged and trained enough Maltese workers.

He said the no show drivers were the main problem in the introduction of the new bus service - causing delays across the system. The drivers, he said, were trained for particular routes. Because of the driver shortage, however, over the past two days some drivers had to be deployed from other routes, hence the unfamiliarity which commuters had complained about.

MECHANICAL BREAKDOWNS

Mr Bastow said that six buses - out of 250 -  had suffered mechanical breakdowns, Two of the buses had passengers on board.

There were also some software problems - the system in Malta having been tailored for the country - but these problems were being resolved.

Mr Bastow said the service in Gozo had worked 'pretty well'.

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