The preferred bidder for the provision of the bus service on the Maltese islands is the Spanish company Autobuses de Leon, which made the best offer according to established criteria, the government said.

It said that negotiations with the company will start in the coming days.

Last week, the ministry confirmed that negotiations had started with the preferred bidder leading to Island Malta Buses Ltd, one of the three bidders, to issue a statement raising questions on the manner in which the process was being handled.

The Spanish company is a subsidiary of the ALSA Group, which boasts to be a leading Spanish transport company with a fleet of 2,300 buses, carrying more than 183 million passengers per year.

Sources said its offer was €20 million cheaper than the Maltese bidder’s, which requested an annual subsidy of some €42 million.

Also bidding for the service was Gozo First.

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