Autobuses de Leon has debunked the myth it will be bringing over Spanish drivers to run its bus service in Malta.

Company chairman Felipe Cosman said yesterday Malta Public Transport wanted to employ Maltese drivers because they knew the domestic scenario.

“I believe the company had a Spanish driver but he went back home,” he said jokingly at an information briefing with journalists.

He was responding to rumours over recent months that the Spanish company wanted to bring over drivers from Spain.

Malta Public Transport will increase its complement by 300 to about 1,000 employees by the end of the year as it plans to expand the route network and add another 142 new buses to the fleet.

Autobuses de Leon took over the bus operation on Thursday in what was an uneventful day. It even retained the name Malta Public Transport, which the government had chosen for the company set up to take over from Arriva a year ago.

The company will introduce changes gradually with the more radical development happening in July when a transport card will be launched to encourage commuters not to buy tickets on the bus. Mr Cosman said bus fares would remain unchanged until then.

The card will work on the same lines as the Oyster card on London’s public transport system. Mr Cosman said it would be given free in the first year to encourage as many commuters as possible to have one.

Swiping the pre-topped up card on the bus would allow a holder to travel for up to two hours at a go for 75c irrespective of the number of journeys made. Commuters who opt to buy tickets on the bus would have to pay €1.50 and €2 in summer.

Mr Cosman said having a quick turnaround of passengers at bus stops was crucial to ensure an efficient and timely service. “We expect the use of the card to have a big impact on passenger turnaround as will the use of the new buses with two doors,” he said.

He ruled out having double-decker vehicles, saying they were not suitable for most of Malta’s roads.