The service, provided by Capital Area Transit through a partnership with Triangle Transit Authority, the towns of Wendell, Knightdale and Zebulon, the city of Raleigh and other partners has been months in the planning.

Interest in the service was sparked last year during the times of $4 per gallon gasoline. And though fuel prices have moderated somewhat, the bus still provides an economic method of getting to other points in the Triangle.

The first month of service from Wendell and Zebulon will be free, so there is even less reason not to give the mass transit system a try.

Residents in Wake Forest have enjoyed the service for more than one year now and town officials there are exceptionally pleased with the quality of the service and with the public acceptance of buses as a means of transportation.

We realize the bus may not be for everyone. Someone with a mid-day appointment in Zebulon may find it difficult to get back to eastern Wake County on the buses that only run during peak traffic hours. But for those who will spend their entire work day outside eastern Wake County, the bus is an affordable alternative.

And it's a practical one too. Imagine not having to fight Interstate 40 traffic as your bus driver negotiates the traffic on the major highway. You'll have a few minutes to enjoy that cup of coffee or read your morning paper. Or you can simply watch as other drivers' experience the frustration of gridlock.

The Wendell-Zebulon Express doesn't serve I- 40 directly, but it is important to understand that the new route will put riders out at stops where they can catch a bus headed to other major employment centers like the Research Triangle Park.

The Triangle's transit system is a mature one. It provides easy access to nearly every major point in Wake, Durham and Orange Counties.

The newest leg in that system -- the Wendell-Zebulon Express -- is on trial, though.

The TTA has plans to operate the system for three years. At that point, officials will assess the route's viability.

If bus service is something you value, we hope you'll show it by making use of it -- starting Monday.