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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; Santa is swapping his sleigh and reindeer for Luzerne County Transportation bus 103 and treating shoppers to a festive ride this holiday season.</p><p>LCTA will provide its Holiday Shopper Express Bus starting Friday morning and stop at busy retail hubs in the Wyoming Valley. Santa will be at the wheel as driver Lou Lyons grew out his beard to play the role for a second year.</p><p>&#8220;I go out of my way to make sure I can do this,&#8221; Lyons said.</p><p>The bus brings out the holiday spirit in drivers fighting traffic to get into the busy shopping centers, he said.</p><p>&#8220;Nobody likes to be behind a bus,&#8221; Lyons said. But when they see who&#8217;s driving, they yield and smile and wave.</p><p>&#8220;Last year, I think people were riding the bus just for the opportunity to experience the holiday and enjoy the ride,&#8221; Lyons said Wednesday while dressed as Santa and showing off the bus decorated inside with garlands and lights, a faux fireplace and holiday music playing over the speakers.</p><p>The bus departs from the Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre for its 80-minute round-trip route. It stops at Walmart in Wilkes-Barre Township, the Wyoming Valley Mall, Target and retraces the route from the Arena Hub plaza to the Intermodal Center. The fare costs $1.50 and the bus runs six days a week until Dec. 31.</p><p>The LCTA is participating with the Marine Corps&#8217; Toys for Tots program and has a dropoff box for toys on the bus. Across the aisle, another box sits behind the driver&#8217;s seat for letters to Santa.</p><p>Lyons said he&#8217;s seen people exit the bus at one of the stops and return with a toy to place in the box. People also drop off letters for Santa, he said.</p><p>In addition to the shopper&#8217;s bus, the LCTA will hold a &#8220;Stuff the Bus&#8221; toy drive to benefit the Toys For Tots from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Friday at the Kmart on U.S. Route 11 in Edwardsville.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Transportation Authority&#8217;s Holiday Shopper Express Bus, along with the &#8216;Stuff the Bus&#8217; for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive, will begin Friday. Marine Sgt. Noel Becerra, left, Lou Lyons as Santa and Staff Sgt. Louis Cortes show off the bus at LCTA&#8217;s headquarters in Kingston Wednesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL112615LCTAholidayShopper.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County Transportation Authority&#8217;s Holiday Shopper Express Bus, along with the &#8216;Stuff the Bus&#8217; for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive, will begin Friday. Marine Sgt. Noel Becerra, left, Lou Lyons as Santa and Staff Sgt. Louis Cortes show off the bus at LCTA&#8217;s headquarters in Kingston Wednesday. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>For the Holiday Shoppers Express schedule, visit www.lctabus.com.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

LCTA set to roll Holiday Shopper Express bus