A PILOT bus scheme in Tavistock providing a link between one end of the town and the other will need more passengers if it is to survive.

A recent review of passenger numbers of the ?Saturday Shoppa? showed only about 36 people were taking advantage of the service every Saturday.

?Peter?s Saturday Shoppa?, named after the late town councillor Peter Donkin who instigated it, was launched in December to provide cheap public transport for shoppers between Bishopsmead and Tavistock town centre.

Despite extensive publicity and an inexpensive fare of just 40p ? or 20p with a concessionary pass ? the hourly service has failed to attract as much custom as had been hoped.

Peta Humphries, a trustee of the Tavistock and District Local Transport Partnership, which monitors the service, said numbers would have to double if the scheme was to be saved.

She said: ?The pilot scheme is funded until November, and there?s every possibility that First Western will pick up on it and extend it if we can get numbers up.

?I think realistically we would have to double the number of passengers we are currently experiencing to keep the scheme going.?

The ?Saturday Shoppa?, which was funded by a grant of £10,000 from the Countryside Agency?s parish transport fund, travels from Bishopsmead, via Safeway car park, through West Street to Bedford Square and on to Somerfield?s store via Brook Street.

The return journey is via Parkwood Road, Dolvin Road, Bedford Square, Tavistock bus station and back out to Bishopsmead.

While morning journeys have been well used by passengers from Bishopsmead travelling into Tavistock, the later services have attracted little custom.

Mrs Humphries said people did not realise they could hail the bus at any of its stopping points along the route.

?The main problem is that people don?t know they can get on the bus at places like Parkwood Road. We are trying to get the message across by delivering timetables door-to-door along the route.?

Timetables were also being displayed in shops and businesses in Tavistock.

Peter?s Saturday Shoppa is operated by Carmel Coaches of Northlew and is scheduled to coincide with the First Western National 86 service.

The first bus leaves Bishopsmead at 9.45am every Saturday and the last service returns at 3.30pm.

The Tavistock and District Local Transport Partnership will carry out a survey to gauge awareness of the Saturday Shoppa service.