BUS services in Suffolk are better than the national picture painted in a report by lobby group Transport 2000, a transport boss said today.Ipswich Buses managing director Malcolm Robson said the report which claimed bus passengers are suffering from "poor or non-existent" services and paying "high and rising' fares was not borne out in this part of the country.

BUS services in Suffolk are better than the national picture painted in a report by lobby group Transport 2000, a transport boss said today.

Ipswich Buses managing director Malcolm Robson said the report which claimed bus passengers are suffering from "poor or non-existent" services and paying "high and rising' fares was not borne out in this part of the country.

"Certain in Ipswich and the areas we cover the services have improved year on year – we are investing in new buses and we try to achieve high levels of reliability.

"Our recent figures show that 99.88 per cent of our services run," he said.

There were some problems – on Saturday evening and Monday morning services were thrown into chaos because of the amount of traffic on the roads.

"It was very difficult keeping up with any timetables then, but the services themselves were running – there was no problem with them," he said.

However Transport 2000 painted a bleak picture of bus services nationally.

There are too many cancellations, too few bus lanes, poor security on buses and vehicles can be difficult to enter, the report added.

Better funding and regulation of services were among improvements required, Transport 2000 said.

Stephen Joseph, the group's director, who wrote the report, said: "Buses are the forgotten wing of public transport and in many places are not up to scratch. But although they may lack the glamour of rail transport, they do matter.

"For many journeys they are the only form of public transport available and for people without cars, they are often the main way of getting to shops, employment, education, friends and family.

"They are a social lifeline and the Government should take the lead in getting them into gear.'