A man who grew up in Plymouth has been appointed as London’s next transport commissioner.

Andy Byford grew up in the city and first joined Transport for London as a graduate trainee before embarking on a transport career that has included roles in Canada and Australia.

Byford is also the chairman of FlyPlymouth, the company set up in 2015 to acquire and reopen Plymouth airport.

His appointment was confirmed by the capital’s mayor Sadiq Khan and the board of Transport for London (TfL) on Wednesday.

The 54-year-old will begin his new role on June 29.

He arrived in his previous job at the New York City Transit Authority in 2018 after working in London, Sydney and Toronto, where he headed the Toronto Transit Commission.

Andy is most recently the former head of New York’s public transport system, and brings a "wealth of experience" to his new role as London's transport commissioner, according to Sadiq Khan.

Mr Khan said: “I’m delighted to confirm Andy Byford as London’s new transport commissioner.

“COVID-19 has had a profound impact on public transport in London but Andy brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise to lead TfL as it faces this unprecedented challenge.

“I look forward to working with Andy as we build a greener city with clean and environmentally-friendly travel, including walking and cycling, at the heart of its recovery.

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“I would like to place on record my gratitude to Mike Brown for everything he has done for the capital since starting at TfL in 1989. I wish him the best of luck in his new role.”

In his new position, he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of TfL and will report to the organisation’s chairman, who is Mr Khan.

Mr Byford said: “I am delighted to be taking up the role of commissioner and to have been chosen to lead the organisation where I started my transport career over 30 years ago.

“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, all transport authorities around the world will need to re-imagine how their services and projects contribute to the safe and sustainable re-start of the social and economic lives of the cities they serve.

“It is a huge challenge, but I know that Transport for London has some of the best people anywhere in the world and we will meet these challenges and will together help build an even better city for everyone.”

TfL has been hit by a collapse in revenue during the coronavirus pandemic, as people have been urged to avoid non-essential use of public transport.

Earlier this month it secured a £1.6 billion bail out from the Government to enable it to continue running services until the end of September.

This consisted of a £1.1 billion grant and a £505 million loan.