Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) announced Tuesday that the first shipment of buses to provide public transportation between capital Male, airport island Hulhule and reclaimed suburb Hulhumale, will arrive in late July.
According to a senior official of MPL, the first nine buses will arrive towards the end of this month, with seven more to follow in August and six in September.
"The first shipment is currently en route to Male via sea. There will also be a 100 seater double-decker bus when we commence services," said the official.
MPL had earlier revealed that 30-seater and 50- to 70-seater buses would be used along with 100-seater double-deckers for the Male-Hulhule-Hulhumale route, along the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge. The company estimated that it would take 12 minutes to commute between Male and Hulhumale.
The official further revealed that MPL was working to introduce an electronic touch-and-go card instead of paper tickets. A special bus terminal is to be developed in the Thaisey Koshi land plot in Male for the new service.