I recently moved back to the South Coast after living in London for 14 years and am astonished that bendy buses are being given a trial in Brighton and Hove (The Argus, October 15).

Don’t local authorities learn from each other’s experiences?

Ken Livingstone’s introduction of them has been a complete disaster, which is why Boris Johnson is so keen to scrap them and replace them with 21st century Routemaster equivalents which were an icon of London transport.

Having an open access point was so convenient before elf ‘n’ safety intervened.

Bendy buses are also known as “happy buses” to Londoners due to the lack of incentive to pay for your journey – passengers almost have a heart attack if they hear the beep of an Oyster card reader. They are not suitable for British streets and are designed for cities with wide roads and a grid system such as Copenhagen.

When these buses were first introduced to London several caught fire.

They are a danger to cyclists, as cited in your article, but also to pedestrians as on many original London routes the bus would have to mount the pavement to turn a corner.

Also, try to cross a pedestrian crossing when you have an inconsiderate or unlucky bendy bus driver straddling it.

What I find incredible, though, is that the trial is taking place on the 25 route.

I’m sure modern day students are as honest as the day is long but in my day as a hard-up university student I would do anything for a free lunch.

Darren Burns Church Street, Shoreham