There seems to be a myth perpetuated by various correspondents (October 8) that the city's bus services are subsidised in some way.

I can only assume this arises from wishful thinking because it bears no sense of the reality.

West Sussex County Council has just withdrawn all funding for the few specific bus journeys we ran on its behalf in the Adur district.

East Sussex has done likewise for journeys in that county, except for one afternoon school journey in Ringmer.

Meanwhile, aside from specific costs of school transport, Brighton and Hove City Council is cutting back each year, in real terms, the amount of money it pays for competitively-won tenders from bus and taxi companies for specified journeys.

This payment is not a subsidy and has in any event reduced to such an extent it now represents less than one per cent of the turnover of the city bus network we provide on a commercial basis.

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