RESIDENTS have raised concerns about a lack of bus services and information being made available to them.

In a public meeting held in Brighton people from Patcham complained that there were no electronic announcement boards at their stops.

Meanwhile, residents of East Saltdean complained about an absence of regular services.

The Breathe in Brighton air quality event held in the Brighthelm Centre in Brighton, took an unexpected turn when it emerged Brighton and Hove Buses managing director, Martin Harris, was in attendance.

The talk changed from air quality to buses with residents saying their areas had been neglected.

One resident said: “I travel on buses all the time - when I can get one. I have asked before if we can have times of buses displayed in the old Patcham village.

“Quite often I am stood with elderly people with bus passes who are made to wait 90 minutes.”

Currently bus routes 27, 47 and 57 serve Saltdean and routes 5, 5A and 56 serve Patcham from the city centre - despite Patcham being part of Brighton and Hove since 1928.

As there are no electronic announcement boards, passengers who want to travel into the city centre said they have no way of knowing when buses are running late - and have regularly experienced long waits as a result.

Audience members said the frequency of services is discouraging residents from taking public transport, and suggested a more reliable service might convince more villagers to ditch their cars.

They pointed out that if more took the bus instead of driving, it would cut down on emissions in the area.

Concern about emissions was particularly great in Patcham, due to its proximity to the A27.

Residents said many drivers have a tendency towards ‘idling’ their engines due to the traffic.

Another resident had concerns on the number of cars on the stretch of coastline from Saltdean into Brighton.

She said: “More must be done to encourage people to use the bus service, and not get in their cars.”

Audience members agreed that both Brighton and Hove Buses and Brighton and Hove City Council could do more to encourage residents to prioritise bus use above personal vehicle use in outer suburbs.

The two have already worked in partnership to reduce emissions in the city, with Brighton and Hove City Council implemented the Low Emission Zone in 2015.

Martin Harris, managing director of Brighton and Hove Buses, addressed the concerns.

He said: “We actually measured how many vehicles and how many people move into Brighton during the morning peak, and 48 per cent of people travel into the city in 2 per cent of the vehicles along the stretch from Saltdean into Brighton.

“It’s a powerful example of what bus priority can do.

There’s a big part to be played in reducing emissions by prioritising bus services.

“Double decker buses can carry 75 people at once - it’s very significant.

“We have to rely on mass transit to move around the city to reduce emissions in the long run.”