SHOPPERS in Derby will be able to travel around the city centre for free from next month on a new bus service launched as part of the Credit Crunch: Derby Bites Back campaign.

The Shopper Hopper will transport passengers between the Westfield centre and the Cathedral Quarter, with services running every 20 minutes.

The move is the latest initiative from the Evening Telegraph-inspired Derby Bites Back campaign to support businesses in the city during the economic crisis.

City council leader Hilary Jones said the decision to introduce it had been made after extensive discussions with shoppers and local businesses.

She said: "I'm really excited about the Shopper Hopper. It's the result of a lot of planning and is in response to feedback from traders and the public and those with mobility issues.

"They said they wanted to improve access to every part of the city. I really hope it will encourage people to get more out of their visit to Derby."

The new service has already been given the thumbs-up by shoppers. New mum Lucy East, of Walter Street, Derby, said she would use the route to travel across the city centre while on shopping trips with her three-week-old daughter Georgie.

She said: "It's a really good idea, especially if it encourages people into the Sadler Gate end of town. I shop in both areas at the moment and a free bus would definitely encourage me to move around more."

The route will be paid for by City Centre Management Derby, an organisation funded by the city council using money secured from Westfield to improve the city centre.

The service, which starts at the end of February, will run from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays. Setting off from the Spot in Osmaston Road, the Shopper Hopper will stop in Traffic Street, The Morledge, Albert Street, Victoria Street, the Wardwick, Cheapside and The Strand before going back down Victoria Street, The Morledge and on to London Road.

Business have also welcomed the move. Gary Monk, owner of design shop Interior Options, in Sadler Gate, said the new route was a "fabulous idea".

"I think it's a really positive step. At the moment the city is a bit divided and hopefully this will get people moving through the whole city centre."

The Derby Bites Back campaign is supported by the Evening Telegraph, the city council, Derby City Partnership, Marketing Derby, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber, Westfield, the Cathedral Quarter BID company, the University of Derby and City Centre Management.

It has promoted hundreds of business, secured special offers for shoppers and arranged free weekend parking and cheap bus travel since launching in November.

Today is the end of the first phase of the campaign and to mark this we have produced a 20-page pull-out inside this paper featuring profiles of more businesses, four pages of discount vouchers and reviewing what has been achieved so far.