BRIGHTON and Hove Buses has announced a multi- million pound investment which will see more buses travelling between the city and Eastbourne.

The company has bought three new buses to cover the coastal route and spent £2.5 million on a new depot in Newhaven.

Bus routes to benefit are the 12, 12A and 12X between Brighton, Newhaven, Seaford and Eastbourne.

Managing director Martin Harris said: “We are committed to improving our bus service in general and in particular on the popular coastal route served by the Coaster 12, 12A and 12X services.

“We want to make it possible for all car owners to get out of their cars and on to the bus whether it’s for leisure or business purposes and no matter what time of day or night.

“Our investment in Newhaven will help create more local jobs as part of the push to regenerate the town’s economy.

“We’ve long had a presence in Newhaven but barely more than a temporary facility and a separate engineering site.

“The two different sites were becoming increasingly inadequate for our ambitious plans to support the needs for the future of this city.

“We’ve bought adjacent buildings to the engineering site in Beach Close which we’re refurbishing to make the building fit to provide the infrastructure needed for bus services.”

From April 24, the popular limited stop 12X service will run every 20 minutes instead of every half-an-hour from Monday to Saturday.

There will be an improved service in the morning from Eastbourne to Brighton, with an earlier first journey.

At the end of the day there will be more frequent departures from Brighton in the evenings, as well as a new later journey through to Eastbourne at 11.48pm.