Spanish transport provider Autobuses de Leon will start operating with a leased fleet of UK buses at the end of this month taking over from the Unscheduled Bus Service, according to Transport Malta CEO James Piscopo.
The Spanish firm had announced it would be holding a “soft launch” later this week but had not provided details of how and when the service would begin.
Mr Piscopo, however, told this newspaper that UBS had reached the end of its subcontracting agreement with the transport authorities and would be replaced at the end of this month.
It is not known how much the Spanish firm is paying to use the UK buses, but these will only be used until the operators’ own vehicles are delivered.
Mr Piscopo said the new buses were being specifically designed for the Maltese road network and were expected to be delivered in the coming months.
Some 100 new drivers are to be trained, with as many as 300 new drivers added to the transport grid before the busy summer months, he added. This will translate into some 3,000 seats being added to the network and will bring 142 new buses to the island.
“We wanted to avoid a big bang approach. So together with the new operator, we agreed it would be best for the system to adapt gradually. That said, work on the necessary changes will start immediately,” he said.
The new provider will also usher in discounts for students, pensioners and disabled commuters. Under the new system students will pay €55 for a 90-day ticket instead of the current €60, while pensioners and blue badge holders will pay €2 instead of €2.30 for a week ticket.
Ultimately, however, it may be the ticketing system that sees the broadest changes. Mr Piscopo said the emphasis would be on off-board ticket purchases, in a bid to increase route punctuality and clamp down on ticket fraud.
Commuters will still be able to purchase tickets onboard buses, however, Mr Piscopo said there would be a strong drive towards online purchasing.
Another new feature would see the introduction of a transport card system, based on the UKs Oyster Card.
The system is widely used across London and allows the carrier to pay as they go on various different transport systems. Asked if this would be valid for different public transport service, such as the Gozo Channel, Mr Piscopo would only say that the government would promote the system together with the new provider