The new bus provider Autobuses de León will take over on January 8... but commuters will not see a difference in the service immediately, according to Transport Minister Joe Mizzi.

“Everything is going to be exactly the same as it is now. It’s a soft entry. From then onwards, there will be a programme in place which will gradually roll out the IT and ticketing infrastructure. The orders have already been made,” he said.

“What one can expect to see in January are hired buses. They won’t be brand new but they will help kick off operations until the new buses come along.”

The company will eventually introduce an additional 142 new buses to the island. No bendy or double decker buses have been ordered. New routes will be introduced once the fleet is complete.

Mr Mizzi said he expected to see the new routes in place during the first six months.

Buses will sport a light green and white livery when the Spanish operator takes over next week.

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