Simon Darrington highlights the price increases for the "centre fare" during the late Nineties (Letters, December 20) but fails to add during this time the zone boundaries were constantly moving outwards in response to passenger requests for a larger area where the flat fare applied.

The £1 flat fare from last January was the natural step of extending this popular idea city-wide and beyond.

As for longer journeys being reduced in price, it's easy to forget that as long ago as 1990/91 the price of a journey from all the main outer residential areas of the city into central Brighton was considerably more than £1.

Many more journeys priced at £1 (such as Portslade station to Brighton city centre) have been held at that price for more than a decade.

As for our profitability, I am delighted we are now one of the UK's most successful bus companies, allowing us to reinvest unprecedented sums in new buses and technology - £15 million on low-floor buses in the last few years alone.

Visitors from other parts of the UK frequently comment on the strides we have made compared to buses in their own home towns.

A big thank you to all our passengers who have supported us with their continuing custom. It's much appreciated.

-Roger French, Managing Director, Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company