Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company is being bold in introducing a flat fare of £1 as an experiment next year.

Fares have to increase to meet the rising cost of hiring staff and paying for fuel.

This new scheme has the danger of putting people off short journeys in the town centre when they have to pay 20p more.

But it could also persuade many more people from the suburbs to come into Brighton by bus when the fare has been reduced to just £1, cheaper in many cases than driving and finding a parking space.

It might also encourage more people on to the buses if they knew they could board them more quickly and the fare was always the same.

Flat fares work well in London. They are standard in many Continental countries where customers find it easy to buy blocks of tickets, saving even more time.

Overall, this scheme is worth a try.

It will run as an experiment for four months. If it proves unpopular, it can be abandoned. But we hope it will be a success and that other bus companies will be encouraged to do the same.