Red-haired people given free bus fares in Skelmersdale

Dec 10 2009 by Gemma Jaleel, Skelmersdale Advertiser

SKELMERSDALE’S newest bus company is offering free tickets to passengers with red hair.

People with auburn locks can travel free on routes between Skelmersdale, St Helens and Warrington.

The hourly service is operated by a company called Strawberry, which was set up by husband and wife Oliver and Lorraine Howarth.

Drivers will have a colour chart to check passengers qualify and dyed red hair will also count.

Strawberry Bus managing director Oliver Howarth said the promotion would add a touch of fun to the daily drives.

He hopes the campaign will raise awareness of the decline of redheads after research claimed ginger hair colours could become extinct within the next 100 years.

Oliver said: “At Strawberry we love everything red so when we heard about the decline of red-haired people we wanted to mark the news with our own tribute to redheads.”

Strawberry, which is based in St Helens, will offer the redhead promotion until December 15.

Find out more about Strawberry Bus routes at www.strawberrybus.co.uk.