I had to respond to the letter from Mr Kelleher (February 8), suggesting a boycott of bus services if bus drivers demand better pay. I am one of the drivers he refers to and feel his views are misguided.

He says his partner earns the minimum wage yet seems to think bus drivers are greedy to pursue a better one. I agree minimum pay is rotten but everyone has some say over the level of pay they choose to earn. No one is forced to be a martyr to their salary.

I resent the implication I am greedy because I happen to earn something approaching a reasonable salary.

While £8.41 per hour sounds a lot, Brighton is an expensive place. Many of my colleagues and I are in danger of being priced out of the region. If the cost of living was less, drivers wouldn't be seeking an increase. I would be slightly better off, were I paid less, because I could claim housing benefit.

Nor can Mr Kelleher accuse me of an extravagant lifestyle. I struggle to pay rent on my one-bedroom flat, can't afford a car and my partner works part time, bringing in half what I earn. I am dependant on public transport so work-to-rule would also affect both of us.

I doubt Mr Kelleher is fully aware of what is involved in being a bus driver and what the job entails.

He may get irate if he gets carved up on car journey or if someone steps in front of his car without looking. He may even spend half an hour in a traffic jam. Us drivers face this carnage 39 hours a week, in a 12-ton steel box with up to 70 people in our care. We are also expected to remain calm, civil and cheerful throughout.

Sometimes, the aggressive verbal and physical abuse, spitting, threats, personal injury, trauma, road rage and theft we endure from passengers and road users, is such that money is precious little comfort. No salary increase could compensate for the loss of face or the massive knock to your confidence suffers following an assault.

I find the concept of working to rule daunting, as I'm sure do a lot of drivers. Mr Kelleher makes us out to be extremist agitators but work-to-rule is less disruptive than strike action, which would mean no buses.

Brighton and Hove Bus Company portrays itself as a leading company within the city - a reputation which is well deserved - but the company would have little status without the efforts of the drivers. Sadly, the current pay offer doesn't reflect this.

-Lawrence Rumell, Brighton