Six new buses have arrived on the Island to be tested out and put into service by mid-June.

Direct from Germany, the new Public Transportation Board vehicles have a slightly different paint job with pink ?waves? along the main body of the buses.

Another four buses are due on the Island this coming weekend to complete the new consignment of ten.

All feature design improvements including mini cameras fitted to the rear to help drivers reversing out of parking bays at the Central Bus Terminal and a camera that replaces the near-side exterior mirror to lessen the damage caused by the old mirrors striking roadside obstacles such as overhanging trees.

Passengers will notice smaller entrance steps and the ability of the bus driver to hydraulically lower the vehicle closer to the kerb to allow elderly and those with difficulty stepping up being able to board the bus.

The Goppell-manufactured buses are replacement vehicles for the PTB, however the buses that would now normally be retired from the 103-strong fleet to make way for the new buses are instead being retained for this summer at least.

This is as a precaution because it is not yet known if they might still be needed should visitor numbers prove to be much higher than 2005, said PTB director Dan Simmons.

The 38-seat buses have been fitted with an electronically controlled air-conditioning system that will maintain a pre-set temperature, and the seats are made with a thinner design ? allowing a few extra centimetres of leg room for passengers.

An automated passenger counting system, which uses ?magic eye? scanners to count passengers as they board and alight from the vehicle is also being fitted to streamline the ability of the PTB to monitor bus usage and it is envisaged this will be linked to an electronic fare box to give more data and conceivably allow lower priced off-peak fares to be charged.

Another useful trick is the ability for the buses? internal systems, such as lighting and air conditioning, to be checked by a diagnostic programme that can be run by simply ?plugging in? a special laptop computer.

And with worries about pollution an ongoing concern, the buses meet the Euro 3 standard for emissions, and Mr. Simmons said the PTB is working towards meeting the stricter Euro 4 standard.

?They are very clean. It was once, many years ago, a chore to ride behind a bus,? said Mr. Simmons, referring to the exhaust fumes and smoke that used to be expelled.

The new buses will be instantly recognisable once they are on the roads as they have licence plates that reflect the year they came in to service.

The new buses are numbered 2K601 to 2K610, the 2K6 referring to 2006 and the two-digits at the end reflecting the serial number of the bus.