A group of poets in Perth have come up with a radical way to take art to the streets - by boarding public buses.

Jim Mackintosh, poet-in-residence for the upcoming Platform Festival in Perthshire, thought of the idea after hearing about poets who travel for free on Amtrak trains in the US in return for performing.

Dubbed 'Wheels in Emotion', the project will take Mackintosh and a team of fellow performers around Perth and the nearby countryside as they randomly get on Stagecoach buses to recite poetry and play music.

The performances are part of the Platform Festival, a celebration of contemporary arts now in its second year which officially starts on Saturday.

Mr Mackintosh, who is also poet-in-residence for St Johnstone Football Club, was joined on a bus on Friday by local spoken word artist Rana Marathon and musician Craig Lithgow to show the idea in action.

He said: "I just have these crazy ideas sometimes and this one came about after reading about the Amtrak poets-in-residence in the USA.

"I firmly believe there is poetry bubbling under the surface of many travellers on the buses of Perthshire and want to provide a platform for it to be heard.

"I'd encourage anyone from students at school, college and University, to young mums, folk going to and from work, folk shopping or our brilliant bus pass generations to share their poetry with us."

Helen Smout, chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross, which runs the festival, said: "Platform Festival gives artists and audiences a platform to innovate and to push their creative boundaries.

"The fact that Jim is using buses as a platform for poetry really captures the spirit of what this week is all about.

"We hope he can inspire audiences to find their own creative voice and take part in the festival in their own way."

Running from March 24 to March 31, Platform Festival will provide a week of exhibitions, performances, music, talks and workshops across Perth and Kinross featuring local artists and performers.