I have had enough of reading letters of complaint in the Argus about Brighton and Hove Bus and Company to last me a lifetime.

I would like to let you know about the other side of the coin, just for a pleasant change of perspective.

I travel a good deal on Routes 1 and 27 and have nothing but praise for the majority of drivers, particularly over the last few weeks of bad weather when the roads were like ice rinks during the early mornings.

To drive a double-decker bus full of passengers is skilled enough. To drive one on the coast road on slippery and windy mornings is something else yet again.

There are some good-natured and pleasant drivers on these two routes - and on others, I'm sure, but I can only speak from experience of those two.

One middle-aged driver from the Whitehawk garage is called Barry and, I believe, originally from the Birmingham area.

He is always polite and cheerful, to young and old alike, and never pulls away until both my wife and I are firmly seated. As my wife is quite unsteady on her feet, we both appreciate this kindly consideration.

Another gentleman called Keith, again middle aged but sounding as if he is a local, is also a polite and cheerful driver.

I've never heard him moan once, either about changing a banknote or any of the other thousand-and-one frustrating things that can hold up a bus from keeping to its timetable.

Both drivers always wish us goodbye as we get off. It's only a small gesture but it makes us feel valued as people as well as passengers.

I know there are a few miserable drivers but, after all, we're all human and prone to having the odd bad day. But those two - and, I suspect, dozens more like them - make up for the odd miserable one.

We originate from London and know by experience that the traffic in Brighton is on par with London traffic, if not worse in the summer.

To contend with vandals, abuse from passengers and other road users, awful weather conditions, inconsiderate car drivers, roadworks and the ever-present illegal and double-parkers that seem peculiar to the Brighton and Hove area takes a good deal of patience and driving skill.

So come on you moaners and groaners, let's have a vote of confidence in our local bus drivers who, on the whole, do a very good job in the most daunting conditions.

I'm sure a bit of honest praise would let those people who carry us about all hours of the day and night know their efforts are fully appreciated on the whole.

-William Sturgees, Church Road, Hove