A bus service has been nominated for a top national awards scheme dubbed the "Bus Oscars".

Brighton and Hove City Council is up for the transport authority of the year prize at the UK Bus Awards.

This accolade is designed to reward bus-friendly local authorities which operate pro-bus policies.

The council and Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company has also been shortlisted in the Claudia Flanders memorial award for accessibility.

The 2005 awards will be presented at the London Hilton in Park Lane on Wednesday, November 9.

John Owen, Chairman of the UK Bus Awards, said: "Bus travel has an essential role to play in building a balanced, less congested transport environment and the provision of a quality bus network can have a measurable impact on the quality of an individual's life.

"The Bus Oscars reward those schemes, initiatives and companies that are focused on providing attractive, reliable and efficient services.

"The standard of entries has been extremely high and I'm sure the judges will find it extremely tough to choose a winner in each of the categories.

"The quality of the nominations is testament to an industry that is working hard to improve services for its customers."