A PIONEERING bus service will bring music lovers from Manchester to the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival in Colne for the first time.

Running over the August Bank Holiday weekend, a double decker bus will operate as part of the Vamooz scheme being operated by the Burnley Bus Company.

The bus will be crowdfunded meaning that the more people who book seats on the bus, the less that all of them will pay. The journeys will be specially timed to get everyone to the festival for when the live music starts and then return to Manchester around 1am. A blues musician will be on board for the journey into Colne to set the mood for the day.

Burnley Bus Company, part of Transdev, has teamed up with festival organisers Colne Town Council to become an associate partner of the UK’s biggest blues festival which this year celebrates its 28th year.

Rebecca Reeve-Burnett, Vamooz manager, said: “We were approached by the event organisers and were delighted to be able to lay on a bus at times that work for festivalgoers.”

Burnley Bus Company will also be providing a free shuttle bus to get music lovers from the main festival venues in the town centre to our outlying Roadhouse stages at Colne Rugby Club, The Legion and the Admiral Lord Rodney.

Steve Ottley, general manager of the Burnley Bus company said “We are delighted to add our support to this brilliant Blues August Bank Holiday weekend event.”

This year’s festival runs from Friday, August 25 to Sunday, August 27 featuring over 100 acts and 150 gigs at three main venues and nine official roadhouses.