A study which calls for an urgent cash injection to improve bus services has found favour with passengers in the West Midlands.

The report, by the Commission for Integrated Transport, says a 40% increase in funding is needed to get more people out of their cars and onto the buses.

A range of suggestions - like giving buses more priority in traffic and increasing the number of concessionary fares available - were put forward by the government advisers to boost the number of passengers.

But bus users in Birmingham told BBC News Online the most effective way to get more people onboard would be to make services more reliable and more frequent.

Daphne Harris wants more seats for older people

Daphne Harris, 73, suggested more could be done for older people to encourage them to use public transport.

She said: "You usually can't get a seat, and they could do with being cleaner. I feel sorry for the drivers with the traffic jams."

The length of time that potential passengers can be forced to wait for a bus is a major issue for 34-year-old care assistant Evande Daley.

She said: "The buses need to be more frequent, at the moment you can wait 45 minutes to an hour."

'Anti-social behaviour'

And 17-year-old student Oliver O'Sullivan wants to know that buses will run when they are supposed to.

He said: "They don't stick to the time table. There could do with being more in the morning, for when I go to college."

The cost of public transport was also a concern for many of the people BBC News Online spoke to.

Robin Butler is worried about the reliability of services

Unemployed Robin Butler, 28, said: "They're over-packed, they don't run on time and a bit expensive."

Trisha Harper, a regular car user, also bemoaned the cost of using buses.

She said: "I don't use them often enough, I usually use my car. I might use them more if they were cheaper."

Another concern raised was about the safety of passengers who travel outside peak times.

Grace Bulos, 35, from Birmingham, said: "I wouldn't use them at night because of the amount of anti-social behaviour. Sometimes the driver drives too fast." .