HUNTINGTON -- Commuters using the new bus service connecting Huntington and Charleston that debuted on Monday said they enjoyed the ride, despite some first-day kinks.

The weekday-only service, called Intelligent Transit, was scheduled to leave Pullman Square at 6:40 a.m. and arrive at the State Capitol at 8 a.m., making stops in Barboursville and Putnam County along the way. But early delays made the bus about 20 minutes late Monday morning, according to Paul Davis, executive director of the Tri-State Transit Authority.

The bus service left Charleston around 5:15 p.m. and arrived a few minutes early in Pullman Square at 6:40 p.m.

Skip Gebhart, with the Higher Education Policy Commission, used the bus service both ways and said he got an hour's worth of work done before he got into the office thanks to the bus' wireless Internet.

"By the time I got in the office, I didn't know what to do," Gebhart joked. "(Because of the Wi-Fi) I got all my e-mailing done during what is normally an hour worth of dead time spent driving."

On the first day of service, Davis said the buses carried a full load, about 32 passengers, to and from Huntington. The service is a joint effort between the West Virginia Division of Public Transit, The Tri-State Transit Authority in Huntington and the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority in Charleston.

Keith Spears, with the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts in Charleston, also took the bus both ways and echoed Gebhart's sentiments. After spending countless hours on the road commuting to Charleston, Spears said he's grateful to finally have a bus service that allows him to be the passenger on the way to work.

"It's a great opportunity to have other people do the driving in the morning," Spears said.

Davis said the main draw to using the new bus service is the money saved by commuters. Typically, Davis said, commuters have to pay for gas, parking and the daily wear-and-tear on a vehicle, but people can bypass those headaches by riding the bus.

"When gas reached $4 a gallon, it was a wake up call to people to look for alternate modes of transportation," Davis said. "We'll see more people turning to public transit to get to their destinations."

Though Gebhart and Spears said they enjoyed the Monday commute, both said using the bus service on Monday was an opportunity for them to determine if taking the bus every day is a viable solution to commuting. A number of current limitations will make daily bus travel an impossibility, they said.

"I would use the service more, but I have to travel a lot (for my job)," Spears said.

"Using the bus adds two hours of driving time to the commute," Gebhart said. "There's logistical issues with parking your car at Pullman Square, and there's another 10 to 15 minute commute back home."

Though he will not be able to use the service every day, Gebhart said he's happy to see there is finally a bus service from Huntington to Charleston.

"We've been separated for far too long by far too few miles," Gebhart said. "It's great to see the cities working together on this."

Though the bus service appeals to college students and professionals that need to commute between both cities, Davis said the service is a good conduit for increasing day visits.

Sherry Richards of Scott Depot, W.Va., took the bus from the Crooked Creek Park and Ride near Teays Valley, W.Va. for a day trip to Huntington and to try out the new service. She hoped with increasing bus usage, more bus stops at the Huntington Mall and surrounding areas would be implemented.

"I just wanted to come down and check out the bus service because I come to Huntington from time to time," Richards said. "After today, I'll use this service again."

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Howie McCormick/For The Herald-Dispatch

Commuters step off the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority bus at Pullman Square on Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, traveling from Charleston to Huntington with the Intelligent Transit service. Monday was the first day for the new service.

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