On a recent Friday, I was in Churchill Square, Brighton, at 5.30pm looking for a No 1 or No 6 bus.

There should have been a No 6 but none arrived, just two limited-stop No 1Xs at 5.50pm.

A No 1 arrived but soon became totally packed. I arrived in the Westbourne area at 6.15pm - almost one hour to get home very uncomfortably from central Brighton.

Not good enough, Roger French. But rather than just criticise, I have a few suggestions to make.

Too many buses stop in Churchill Square. Long-distance buses such as Stagecoach should be routed along the seafront for pickups, relieving congestion.

Put up signs stating children must stand if an adult requires the seat. You cannot leave this to good manners any more, they do not seem to exist.

During the rush hour, buggies should be restricted to one or two on each bus.

They travel free and some of the larger ones take up three seats. There is just not enough room during busy periods and they cannot easily get on and off in the overcrowding.

Start a shuttle service every five or ten minutes between Churchill Square and Hove Town Hall or George Street. Many people get off in Hove town centre and this would relieve overcrowding on many buses going to Mile Oak, Hangleton and Portslade.

My mother lives in Bury, Lancashire, a fairly nondescript old mill town, but it has a newish combined bus and rail station in the town centre to put Brighton and Hove to shame.

We are a tourist and student centre and a city. It is about time we had a bus service to match this status, not the dreadful, uncomfortable overcrowded one we have now. Over to you, Mr French.

Mrs Marie Lefelle, Westbourne Place, Hove

-* Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, replies: The closure of Trafalgar Road, Portslade, for roadworks has caused gridlock in the Boundary Road area because of diverted traffic. Buses on services 1 and 6 have also been affected by the resurfacing of the junction of Montpelier Road and Western Road. Our drivers are doing their best to keep to time but delays at peak times are affecting all traffic. If I had the authority, power and finance, I would knock down the necessary buildings, move the rail station further south and create a wonderful transport interchange right by the Clock Tower to meet Mrs Lefelle's ideals. Over to someone else?