The popular summer service provides a quick and easy way of getting up to the nearby downs from Brighton & Hove city centre.

A partnership between Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove Buses, the National Trust and the South Downs Joint Committee, ‘Breeze’ buses (numbers 77, 78, and 79) go to Devil’s Dyke, Stanmer Park and Ditchling Beacon.

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, Brighton & Hove’s cabinet member for environment, said: “This is a great service and especially popular with residents. It includes various special fare offers which means you can have a day out in the countryside for as little as £3. The eye-catching route guides also include suggestions for things to do while you’re out. It’s no wonder that ‘Breeze’ is the most popular leisure bus network in Britain.”

During the summers of 2005 and 2006, the University of Central Lancashire compared leisure bus services nationally through customer research. It was the first study of its kind and found that:

• 70% of passengers on the ‘Breeze’ buses were residents
• It was the most popular of all leisure bus networks in Britain, carrying the greatest number of people
• Passengers scored the service highly for comfort and frequency

The UK Bus Awards will be announced on 12 November at London’s Hilton Hotel.