The boss of Brighton and Hove's buses has been honoured for his services to public transport.

Roger French, the managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, receives an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

He said: "I feel so lucky to be doing a job I love but to be honoured for it as well is just fantastic - and a surprise.

"But without the support and commitment of the wonderful staff here I would not be where I am now.

"When I see how hard they work, sometimes in the face of some difficult situations, I realise how much the teamwork we have is so important."

Mr French, 51, heads a list from Sussex which includes an opera singer, a policeman an economist and the founder of the Chichester Festival.

There is an MBE for Pippa Funnell, from Wadhurst, near Crowborough, one of the greatest horse riders of her generation.

She became the first rider to win the Blenheim International Horse trials three times. She was also instrumental in the British team, winning three European team gold medals, Olympic silver in Sydney and a team bronze at the World Equestrian Games in 2002.

The list included honours for Jonathan Ross and Midge Ure, Dame Judi Dench and a knighthood for David Jason, best-known for his portrayal of Del Boy in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses.

In the world of sport, there is an MBE for former England striker Les Ferdinand and a CBE for South African-born cricketer Basil D'Oliveira, who was at the centre of a political storm involving South Africa's apartheid regime.

Mr French said: "I always liked buses, even in my teens, and while I was at university I worked in the office at the bus station and then as a conductor during the summer holidays for three years."

He moved to Brighton 23 years ago when its public transport was provided by the Southdown Bus Company.

Mr French, who lives in Hove, said: "Every year we have expanded the market for people travelling by bus, and for the last 12 years bus use in Brighton and Hove has grown by five per cent each year."

He said the frequency of the service, the simple fare structure and the new electronic signs had all helped make the service so popular.

He said: "People ask me how I keep going because I have been here for so long, but there are always new developments in the city that affect the bus service and there are always things we can learn from and improve upon."

Opera singer John Rowland Tomlinson, of Lewes, received a CBE for services to music.

Adrian John Bickersteth Wood, of Brighton, receives an OBE for his work as the chief economist for the Department for International Development.

Professor Edward Francis Timms of Brighton, the founder of the Centre for German-Jewish Studies at the University of Sussex, also receives an OBE for services to scholarship.

Joyce Lillian Foote, the founder of the Chichester Music Festival, receives an MBE for services to music.

Sussex Police Constable Mark Hillman receives the Queen's Police Medal.