Passengers on trentbarton's villager routes are invited to join in with the 2016 Derby Book Festival by swapping a book they've read for one they haven't.

The Big Bus Book Swap will see distinctive turquise bookcases introduced onto the buses up until June 30 to tie in with the second Derby Book Festival.

Stocked with lots of great titles, the bookcases are an open invitation to passengers to pass on a book they've enjoyed whilst taking one someone else has read.

And the buses are also the place to pick up one of the Festival's bookmarks printed with the winning stories from this years Fifty Word Flash Fiction Writing Competition on the theme of 'Secrets'. There are six stories to collect, each illustrated by University of Derby art and design student Kaye Lindsay.

Liz Fothergill, chair of Derby Book Festival, said: "We are delighted to have this exciting new partnership with trentbarton. We know, from last years ticket sales, that many of our audience members lived along the and villager routes.

"The Big Bus Book Swap is a great way to encourage a love of reading and to promote the festival. We really hope that trentbarton passengers enjoy reading their new books as well as the bookmark stories."

Jordan Kemp, Marketing & Communications manager at trentbarton, said: "Reading a book is one of the many ways to enjoy travelling by bus. its a chance to let someone else worry about the driving whilst you dive into a story."

"And with so many great events in the Derby Book Festival we look forward to transporting lovers of books to lots of stimulating talks and readings. If you haven't seen the Festival programme yet, make that your next must-read."

Derby Book Festival will be held in venues across the city, including QUAD, Deda, Derby Cathedral, Derby Theatre and Derby Museums. This years programme has more than 70 exciting events for all ages and interests.

There's something for everyone with topics ranging from cycling to cricket, railways to real ale and birding to board games. Full details at: derbybookfestival.co.uk

For routes and timetables for the villager which links Derby with Burton and the villages between: trentbarton.co.uk/services/villager