The first of Bermuda’s new electric bus fleet have arrived on the island.

The 30 buses, built by the Golden Dragon Bus Company in China, are expected to be on the roads in the next four to six weeks.

Lawrence Scott, the Minister of Transport, said in December the new fleet would result in a safe and reliable service.

He added: “In order to have a reliable and consistent bus service we need 88 buses. We currently have 51 operational buses – you add the 30 to that and you are getting very close to 88.

“So this should put us in a position where we can arrest or close to eliminate the mass cancellations but we can’t say that we can eliminate all cancellations at this time.”

He added that a second delivery of buses was planned and was “under consideration for the next budget period”.

According to a notice in the Official Gazette, the electric buses cost $3.7 million through a contract with Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus.

Bermuda Container Line signed a $265,871 contract for the transport of the buses from China to Bermuda, while electric charging stations were shipped to the island by Meyer Freight at a cost of $66,830.