Well, who'd have thought tuk-tuks would be such an emotive subject (Letters, April 19)?

Most of those who wrote in response to my letter on April 17 seem to have missed the point.

If you remember, Brian Oxley and Ted Kemble - both Conservative councillors - wrote that they had "serious concerns" about tuk-tuks and had written to the traffic commissioner regarding the issue of licences. Nowhere in their letter was it stated that Ted Kemble had been a taxi driver for 15 years and in fact still is.

I think this should have been stated clearly, especially when the main objectors to tuk-tuks are taxi drivers. Is this not a conflict of interest?

If people are falling out of tuk-tuks as Alistair Jacobs suggests (Letters, April 20 ), then that implies the need for seatbelts.

Maybe the real danger of tuk-tuks is their vulnerability to taxis and cars. Perhaps we should take those off our roads and have more pedestrianisation, cycle routes and tuktuks - that would be safer and greener, too.

It would also tie in with my election message for less cars, more cycle routes and a greener environment.

  • Debbie Lunn, Labour candidate for Wesbourne ward, Westbourne Gardens, Hove

It seems to me there are two elements which people should bear in mind in the tuk-tuk debate.

Firstly, the tuk-tuks are neither taxis nor private hire vehicles - they are licensed as buses. Secondly, any debate on the new dial-a-ride tuk-tuk licence is simply speculation and will be until more detail is in the public domain.

The traffic commissioner has granted a varied bus licence for a dial-a-ride scheme. As I understand it, such a service is designed for those who, through infirmity, disability and so on, are unable to use normal public transport. Anything else would, effectively, need a private hire vehicle licence - but that is outside the commissioner's remit, as those are issued and regulated by the city council for both drivers and vehicles.

The issues will become clearer with time - and, no doubt, there will be close scrutiny to determine that licence conditions are adhered to.

  • Leslie Paine, Honeysuckle Lane, Crawley

Having waited for a taxi to come to my house on a Saturday evening for an hour, then to be told it would be another 20 minutes, I say bring on the tuk-tuks.

It is clear the taxis cannot cope at peak times as many of them are parked up for the night. Tuk-tuks, good luck to you.

  • Roger Jarvis, Uplands Road, Hollingdean