Arriva has asked Transport Malta to allow bendy buses to return to service after two of them passed a rigorous safety test over the weekend, the company said last night.
In a statement, the public transport operator said it intended submitting its certificates to Transport Malta so the buses will return to the roads.
It explained that two buses, including one which had been involved in the recent fire-related incidents, were tested “to extreme conditions” over a constant 36-hour period.
Arriva Malta managing director Mark Bowd said: “The tests have been concluded as a resounding success and an independent body has also certified that the tests have been concluded correctly on the buses.”
The company said it planned to present the certificates to TM so it will permit the buses to return to service.
The company did not say what caused the three fires which led to the buses being withdrawn from the roads, but said “works will commence on the remaining bendy fleet”.
All 68 Arriva bendy buses were taken out of service on August 27 after fire destroyed one bus and damaged two others. Arriva has since then chartered 65 buses of the Unscheduled Bus Service to augment its fleet.
Talks were held between Transport Malta and Arriva about the safety of the buses.
Buses were tested to extreme conditions over a 36-hour period
The first fire which sparked off the decision to remove them from the roads took place in the early hours of August 25, when one was completely destroyed after it was engulfed in flames near the Maltapost head office in Marsa. Luckily there were no passengers on board and the driver managed to get off.
The second incident occurred later that day when the back of another bendy bus caught fire on the way down the hill in Mellieħa. The 12 passengers were evacuated.
But two days later, another articulated bus had to be evacuated as it was driving through Xemxija after its engine started billowing smoke and then caught fire.
With a capacity of 143 passengers, all 68 bendy buses can carry 9,724 passengers.