A German company has been contracted by Arriva to replace the engines of buses which formed part on the old service and have been retained.
Transport Minister Austin Gatt said in reply to a parliamentary question that Arriva is retaining 64 buses which used to be driven before the reform.
Arriva is obliged to have all its buses powered by Euro V engines by May. HJS Emission Technology Gmbh has been contracted by the company to carry out the engine conversions. The company was approved by Transport Malta and is certified by the Vehicle Certification Agency of the UK.
(Since the introduction of the new bus service, Arriva has also imported some buses from the UK to supplement the new buses bought from China. The increased number of buses was required because of the increase in the number of routes.)
Most of the 'old' orange buses have had their paintwork covered with white stickers until they are repainted,