Arriva managing director Keith Bastow has left the company due to ill-health and will be replaced by Dave Kaye, the company said yesterday.

Mr Bastow steered Arriva during the bumpy first months when the company took over Malta’s public transport system last July.

He had to deal with a barrage of problems that included a mass no-show of drivers on the first day of service, faulty buses and ticketing machines as well as inconvenient routes designed by Transport Malta.

The system has improvedover the last couple of months,especially after the routes were revised.

Mr Kaye was appointed interim managing director for the next six months. The 48-year-old will be responsible for overseeing the operations and development of the 285-bus business as part of the 10-year contract Arriva signed with the government.

“I am looking forward to playing my part and making a difference in Malta over the next six months. Working with the team and our partners to deliver the frequent, reliable bus services the people of Malta deserve is at the top of my list,” he said.