All 81 bendy buses that once belonged to Arriva have been bought for €601,200 by a Maltese bidder who will be exporting them to Sudan within a month.

The unidentified Maltese company also bought the parts for the vehicles, bringing an end to the island’s strained relationship with the 18-metre behemoths.

Malta Public Transport Services received three expressions of interest for the much-maligned buses before Friday’s deadline.

The total price paid by the highest bidder equates to some €7,422 per vehicle, excluding VAT. The bidder must now sign an acceptance letter and pay a deposit by Friday.

The vehicles were brought to Malta when Arriva began operating the reformed public transport service in July 2011.

While they were popular with some commuters and drivers on busy routes due to their capacity to hold 150 passengers, others complained that they were too big for Malta’s congested roads.

They were withdrawn in late August over safety fears after three caught fire within a short time.

A report into the fires by experts appointed by Transport Malta concluded that diesel spillage and poor cooling were the likely cause.

However, arson could not be totally ruled out.

Malta Public Transport Services temporarily took over the running of the public bus network on January 1 after Arriva agreed to terminate its 10-year contract following persistent service problems and heavy financial losses.

The bendy buses did not form part of the negotiations with Arriva so Malta Public Transport Services acquired them free of charge. The money generated by their sale will go to the current public transport operator.

Malta Public Transport Services advertised the buses for sale in ‘tale quale’ (as they are) condition, including a stock of parts.

It offered no warranty or guarantee other than it owned the Mercedes Citaro vehicles and parts.

All the buses were manufactured between 2004 and 2005.

The buyer is obliged to ship all the vehicles and parts out of Malta within four weeks of the bid being accepted.

The Transport Ministry confirmed that they would be shipped to Sudan, although no further details were given.

Bendy buses have had a chequered history elsewhere. They were withdrawn completely from London’s streets in 2011 by Mayor Boris Johnson over fire and road safety fears.

Arriva imported some of the London buses to Malta, prompting Mr Johnson to proclaim in 2012 that they were “clogging up the streets of Malta” like a “jack-knifed diplodocus”.

Last November, the Isle of Man decided against introducing the buses after they were deemed unsuitable for the island’s roads following a trial period.