NASHUA – Nashua shoppers looking to keep things local as they scramble for last minute gifts can still take advantage of the city’s free holiday shopping circulator bus route.

The free Nashua Transit System bus service, shuttling between the Royal Ridge Shopping Center and the Pheasant Lane Mall, is available until Tuesday, December 23.

The Holiday Shopping Circulator will pick up at the Pheasant Lane Mall at 15 minutes and 45 minutes past the hour, every hour starting from 1:45-6:15 p.m. For regular riders, the service will meet the 6 and 6a bus on the hour and at 30 minutes past the hour from 2 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., a according to the Nashua Transit System.

This is the first year for the program, but the season’s success means it may be back again next Christmas according to Sarah Marchant, director of Nashua’s Community Development Division.

“It’s been going great so far,” said Marchant. “We’ve had a ton of ridership.”

The decision to add the special route stemmed from heavy ridership on the system’s route 6 and 6a, which feeds Nashua’s south end from the transit depot in the center of the city.

Marchant said the Christmas shopping season stresses the system’s capacity.

“It’s very challenging with the amount of traffic in the area. Looking at the numbers the past couple of years, our buses were running significantly behind schedule,” she said. “The idea was to create a circular route allowing shoppers and anyone in the area to park once and access the myriad of shopping in south Nashua and not fight for parking.

“By cutting this piece of route out of our regular route, we’ve been able to keep other routes on time,” said Marchant.

That sentiment was supported Thursday by bus driver Cynthia Pettengill, who waited for riders near the Pheasant Lane Mall’s Food Court.

Pettengill, a driver for Nashua’s service for 11 years, said “I wanted it to help out the craziness of the south end. It really helps our whole system. If the bus coming down here is late, it snowballs all the rest of the routes. By having a shuttle in the south end you’re relieving all the rest of the routes. It really helps out. As a driver, it’s great.”

Adding the bus didn’t cost the city any more money, said Marchant. It was a matter of reallocating resources.

“Buses running an hour and a half behind schedule was unacceptable,” Marchant said.

The route will end Tuesday, December 23.

Don Himsel can be reached at 594-6590 or DHimsel@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow Don on Twitter @Telegraph_DonH.