PEOPLE who go shopping on the bus on the first two Saturdays of October can expect some special deals from Huntingdon traders. Shops are signing up to a Hunts Post initiative to try to persuade more people to use public transport. On October 6 and 13, ope

PEOPLE who go shopping on the bus on the first two Saturdays of October can expect some special deals from Huntingdon traders.

Shops are signing up to a Hunts Post initiative to try to persuade more people to use public transport.

On October 6 and 13, operators of most services in Huntingdonshire - Huntingdon and District and Whippet Coaches - are offering return journeys on most services for the price of a single.

The Hunts Post has teamed up with the two operators, with the enthusiastic backing of Cambridgeshire County Council, in a bid to boost use of public transport in the district and encourage people to shop in Huntingdon, St Neots, St Ives and Ramsey, instead of going further afield.

Editor Andy Veale said: "When we made a number of test journeys earlier in the summer, Hunts Post reporters and other colleagues were impressed by many aspects of the services, although reliable information was sometimes hard to come by.

"So we wanted to do our bit to reduce the impact on the environment by encouraging people to use the buses.

"The operators tell us that services are far better now than those who don't use public transport regularly will remember from the past, and that travellers will be pleasantly surprised by the experience. Many buses are new and very comfortable. We want to give them the chance to impress you."

Information on all bus services is available on Traveline on 0871 200 22 33, but the operators believe the quality of information on their own lines is far superior to the industry-wide bureau. H&D is on 01480 453159 and Whippet 01480 463792.

The offer applies to all services within Huntingdonshire on Saturdays October 6 and 13, and includes journeys from Cambourne and Papworth to Huntingdonshire destinations. Journeys to and from Cambridge are excluded.

To take advantage of the Huntingdon town centre offers, all passengers will need to do is present a valid bus ticket to Huntingdon for the day.

The deal covers not just shopping trips but leisure journeys too, so readers may wish to check out the two operators' websites - or telephone them - to find out how extensive their networks are within the district. H&D is on www.huntsbus.co.uk/ and Whippet on http://www.go-whippet.co.uk/.