Five years ago, my company took the lease on Pool Valley coach station ("Call for investment in city coach service", The Argus, November 7).

We spent considerable sums of money on building works and refurbishment.

East Sussex County Council paid for roadworks and Brighton and Hove City Council paid for some street furniture and the building works for a disabled toilet.

But, without significant investment, Pool Valley was never going to be anything other than adequate.

Since that initial investment, we have received from Brighton and Hove City Council a payment to redecorate the toilets and a shared payment for decorating the outside.

All other costs are met by ourselves. We do not receive any subsidies from any source.

The result of this underfunding is that the coach station is now very shabby. As one of the gateways to Brighton and Hove, it sets a bad example of what the city has to offer.

Since we opened five years ago, passenger footfall has risen from 250,000 a year to an expected 850,000 in 2001.

Arrivals and departures of coaches total 2,000 a week in the summer months and that figure is rising.

Yet, as a city, we do not cater for or encourage coach operators or their passengers. Hundreds of thousands of pounds are being lost annually to other destinations such as Worthing, Eastbourne and Bournemouth.

As a company, we have tried over the past two years to put together an initiative with the council to remedy the situation but with no success.

My last meeting with Councillor Alison Hermitage (lead councillor for transport) was two months ago, since when nothing has happened.

We know the council has no spare funds to buy or operate the coach station or provide a subsidy.

But it does have Black Rock and Madeira Drive, under-used and poorly administrated as a coach and car park.

Promises of redevelopment have never materialised and it is likely next year to be passed over to NCP. The money from this area will then go out of the city.

I have proposed that my company is allowed to operate Black Rock and Madeira Drive as a coach and car park, the revenue from parking to go back into the coach station to provide the necessary funding to pay ongoing costs.

The roadway beside the fountain in the Old Steine could be used as a holding area for scheduled services in the summer and traffic orders put in place so charges can be made for vehicles that lay over at night.

My company will put time, effort and money into any initiative that benefits the Pool Valley area and coach station.

If there is no initiative forthcoming, we will be forced to review our long-term commitment to the area because the situation is becoming increasingly untenable.

-Howard Trevette, Pool Valley Coach Station, Brighton