If you live near Brighton and Hove city centre, the £1 flat fare does not represent good value.

For example, on a recent visit to Cardiff, I was delighted to find I could travel from city centre to docks - a considerable distance - for £1 return.

So why can't those of us who live only a few stops away do the same here?

Perhaps the clue to this is on the bus timetable at the stops, which tells us: "This route is supported by Cardiff City Council."

Another gripe concerns those of us served by only one bus. To get to a pub only one mile away costs me £4 because I have to change buses.

Why not have timed bus tickets, so we can change buses within a certain period (say one hour) without buying another ticket, as I've seen elsewhere?

If we genuinely want decent public transport, central and local government need to put hands in pockets instead of mouthing platitudes.

Queens Park resident

-* Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, replies: The writer is welcome to take advantage of our maximum daily fare of £2.20, giving unlimited travel on as many buses as required throughout a large central area, including Queens Park.