They wonder where it went.

"I didn't realize quite how much I would relax, not having to do the driving myself," Susan Sauls of Wendell said Friday morning on the ride to Raleigh.

The chance to let someone else drive is a new option for commuters in eastern Wake County. The Zebulon-Wendell Express bus to Raleigh started rolling Oct. 26.

It makes rush-hour trips, three each way, weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Inbound riders are picked up at park-and-ride lots in Zebulon - in front of the Old Time Cafe, a good spot for hot ham biscuits - and Wendell.

Sauls, 41, a Wake County Health Department nurse, travels to the first Raleigh stop near WakeMed. Maxine Champion, 58, of Zebulon gets off at one of four stops in the downtown Raleigh state government complex.

"It's much easier," said Champion, who works for the State Employees Credit Union.

"I don't have to hassle with traffic and the rainy days," she said. "Everybody would act as if they were late and should have been there an hour ago, and they were flying and cutting people off."

The bus stops at Moore Square Transit Center, where riders can walk to their offices or transfer to other Triangle Transit and Capital Area Transit buses.

Commuters in Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh have had transit options for years, while Triangle bedroom towns waited for their turn.

Now there's a Wake Forest-to-Raleigh express that serves more than 80 riders a day, and a bus from Hillsborough to Chapel Hill. Plans are under way to introduce rush-hour buses from Pittsboro, Knightdale and other outlying towns.

The Zebulon-Wendell/Raleigh bus averaged 57 riders a day in its second week. Already, each run has its own group of regulars - a little community on wheels.

Champion enjoys a quiet morning talk on the way to Raleigh with Betty Harris, a childhood friend who joins the 6:55 bus in Wendell.

The afternoon trip gets louder. Two city of Raleigh workers who ride into Raleigh on an earlier morning bus usually join this group for the 4:15 p.m. bus back home.

These guys are a lot of fun.

"One of them is always telling jokes and talking about his wife and everything," Champion said. "When they get on the bus, you know you're going to be laughing all the way home every day."

Triangle Transit operates the Zebulon-Wendell/Raleigh Express with support from the governments of Raleigh, Wendell and Zebulon. CAT provides the bus. A dedication ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. today at the Wendell park-and-ride lot on East Fourth Street at Oak Avenue.

The bus runs fare-free through the end of November. Starting Dec. 1, the fare is $2.50 each way or $5 round-trip for single tickets.

Riders who buy passes can cut the cost to $2 each way, and many Triangle employers provide transit passes and subsidies that reduce the cost further or eliminate it. Details are available online at triangletransit.org/zwx/ and by phone at 485-RIDE (485-7499).