Andrew Hardwick, president of Bristol Property Agents Association, said the £42 million grant awarded to the four former Avon councils for 10 new routes would be better spent on other projects.

Mr Hardwick, who is also a director of Bristol commercial

property agents Williams Gunter Hardwick, said he believed there was a stigma attached to bus travel that could not be overcome by new schemes to improve punctuality - and says plans to give priority over other traffic along the routes will just annoy other motorists.

He said: "I think £42m for the bus routes sounds like quite a big investment, but I am not at all convinced it will give the citizens of Bristol the transport system they expect.

"At the moment I think the result of the showcase bus routes will be the penalisation of people in cars and it will antagonise their view of public transport.

"There is also the cultural issue of bus travel - the fact is that it is not 'hip' and it is not what people see themselves doing.

"I have learned a lot about bus travel from my kids. They talk about the routes and have confidence to use buses.

"But a lot of business people don't have that confidence - they are nervous about it.

"They have heard the urban myths about strange people on buses and I think there is a problem overcoming that."

"We represent major companies in Bristol. They are enthusiasts for what is going on in the city, like the redevelopments.

"For them, a priority is getting staff into work, so transport and parking is crucial, and they are saying the current transport plan doesn't work."

Mr Hardwick favours a "multi-level" solution embracing rail travel and improving journey times for car drivers. He said: "What I call the 'easy wins' have got to be achieved - like opening up the rail line to Portishead, and clearing traffic lights where junctions are snarled up."

Dennis Brown, Bristol City Council's cabinet member for transport and development control, said: "Our experience is that showcase bus routes have had a very positive impact on business.

"It is true that if no-one takes advantage of the buses, then they will fail, but the way it is arranged is that in Bristol they will be on major arteries.

"Evidence says they work, and it will create a substantial enhancement to the transport system."

City council spokesman Simon Caplan said the authority already supported rail services, citing the subsidy recently agreed for the Severn Beach line, and it was also working to improve flows through traffic lights.

He said: "The railway line to Portishead is not necessarily something that the local authorities can pick up because railway lines are ultimately the Government's responsibility. The Greater Bristol Bus Network can tackle congestion right across the region. It will make buses a fast, comfortable way of getting in."

Bristol City Council is currently beginning work on the city's second showcase bus route.