Rosie Winterton made her comments while she was in the city on a fact-finding mission for the government's proposed local transport bill.

The minister said: "Brighton and Hove's performance in increasing bus patronage has been impressive - long may it continue."

"It's essential we learn from the success of places like Brighton and Hove," she added.

The draft Local Transport Bill, which was published in May, sets out proposals to improve services and cut congestion.

The most controversial part of the bill involves measures to set up pilots for road pricing schemes.

Ten areas have indicated that they are interested in piloting the technology required, but 1.8m people signed an e-petition on the Downing Street website against the idea.