A bus service serving the Hanover and Elm Grove area of Brighton is to be scrapped and replaced with two new routes.

Hundreds of people in the so-called “muesli mountain” rely on the 81 to scale the hills.

But from April 13 the service will disappear and be replaced with two new routes.

Brighton and Hove Bus Company claims it will result in a “better and more frequent service” with ten an hour to the Queens Park area instead of the current five.


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But some have expressed concerns those living in Hanover will no longer have a direct service to the city centre.

The new circular 20 route - dubbed the Queens Park shuttle - will run every ten minutes during the day from Churchill Square.

It will go via Egremont Place, Elm Grove, London Road and Brighton Station before terminating in Western Road.

A separate 21 route will run from Goldstone Valley to Brighton Marina via Elm Grove, Queens Park Road, Freshfield Road and Manor Hill.

Mo Marsh, a Labour councillor for Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, said: “It's a bit like Looking Glass Land - you have to travel in the wrong direction to get into town.

“There is absolutely no point in having up to ten buses an hour if you can't get directly to the centre and then on to Hove.

“Folk don't want to have a meandering route which takes longer, goes away from the centre via London Road before accessing Churchill Square and then a walk to get to North Street.”

Andrew Boag, chairman of Brighton Area Buswatch, said: “The new network won't please everyone but we believe Brighton and Hove Buses has tried hard to develop an improved network which will be more frequent and more reliable than the current 81 service.

“Brighton Area Buswatch supports these changes and welcomes your comments.”

Liz Wakefield, Green councillor for Hanover and Elm Grove, called for a public meeting to discuss the issue.

When publishing the timetable, a spokesman for Brighton and Hove Buses said: “We are always pleased to receive suggestions for improvements but as timetables have to be finalised some time in advance we would need to receive these by the end of May 2014 to be considered for the September 2014 Bus Times book.”

To comment, email info@buses.co.uk or write to 43 Conway Street, Hove, BN3 3LT.