Last Wednesday I was caught in the terrible traffic jam along Brighton seafront. I read in the following day's edition of The Argus that Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove Buses, had visited the scene immediately to ascertain what had caused the chaos.

He made a statement the following day and apologised to his passengers for the delay in getting them home (The Argus, March 6).

On Monday morning at 7.20am, Mr French managed to get a message to his passengers through the radio, informing them that there would be single-decker buses running along the seafront and not double deckers due to the adverse weather conditions. Again, he apologised for any inconvenience.

I salute you Mr French, your commitment to your customers is first class.

  • P Hessell Brighton

I don't agree with Martin Smyth's statements that the recent accident to a rail replacement bus was an accident waiting to happen, or that these buses are sent time and again down narrow country lanes unsuitable for them (The Argus, March 10).

In the photograph of the bus which came to grief recently near Berwick, the road seen in the background looks eminently suitable for buses, and it should be pointed out that the roads on which rail replacement buses run have been surveyed and approved beforehand by the operators involved.

Does Mr Smyth think that bus or coach operators would run passenger-carrying vehicles on unsuitable roads?

Until I retired in late 2004 I worked for the railway and my job included arranging replacement buses in connection with altered train services. I can therefore safely state that accidents to rail replacement buses are a rare occurrence.

There is no need for a kneejerk reaction such as Mr Smyth proposes - to use vehicles fitted with seatbelts. If this was done, rail replacement services would have to be run with coaches alone because buses don't have seat belts. Because a coach takes fewer passengers than a bus the result would be a large increase in the number of vehicles involved.

More vehicles and more drivers would cost more. Who would bear that cost? I also think that finding coaches and drivers in the numbers required would itself be a problem.

  • John L Hyde-Smith Belton Road Brighton

KJ Page wonders why The Big Lemon Bus Company operates a route already served by many other buses if our stated aim is to reduce reliance on cars (Letters, March 5). Let me explain.

There are many reasons why people use cars rather than buses, but these reasons fall into two categories. Broadly speaking, people don't use buses either because there aren't any, or because they find them not as convenient, comfortable, cheap or quick as their private car.

The Big Lemon aims to address these reasons in the long term by developing services where they are lacking and by introducing competition where there is none.

We started with our first route because bus prices in the city have risen substantially in the past few years, and if people don't want to pay them, the only other option, assuming they don't live near the railway, is to go by car.

High bus prices also affect those on low incomes who may not use the bus frequently enough to benefit from the season ticket discounts, but who cannot afford to pay for a day ticket every time they travel. If there is only one operator in the city and bus prices keep rising this means more people start using their cars and some people are priced out altogether.

We hope that by introducing cheap, cheerful and environmentally friendly transport, we can encourage those who would have driven not to, while also providing a service for those who find themselves priced out of the market.

One day we might even be able to extend our service up to Forest Row and East Grinstead, where there is no bus service to Brighton.

  • Tom Druitt, managing director, The Big Lemon

Peter Usher can be reassured that there will be more buses running along the A259 coast road from next month when the new bus lanes open (Letters, March 11). New peak-hour limited stop journeys will run from Seaford and Newhaven as well as more journeys from Peacehaven. I hope he gives them a try.