The overhaul of the public transport service will not be ready by the end of the year, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said this morning.

He said that by November the review of all the routes wouldbe complete.

Mr Mizzi said that it was already evident that extra buses will be needed, meaning that the government would have to finance part of the investment and cover the extra mileage of the new routes

The Transport Minister distanced himself from the statement made recently by public transport operator Arriva, who said that the new system will be introduced by November.

Mr Mizzi said the amount of work and planning involved to overhaul the service, meant that the new system would be introduced next year.

He also acknowledged that the level of the service was still unacceptable. Mr Mizzi said that a new Maltese management team will be taking over Arriva, “to reflect the Maltese mentality ”.

Asked about his planned surprise visits on buses, the Minister said that there were some shortcomings especially related to punctuality. However he said that he was pleasantly surprised by a female driver especially for her manners as well her ability to handle the situation.

The news conference was held in Melita Street in Valletta, where extensive repairs had to be carried out following shoddy paving works during the previous administration.

The Transport Minister said that an extra €100,000 had to be spent, as the contractor who had originally carried out the work could not be held responsible due to negligence on the government’s part.