Local governments in Wendell, Knightdale and Zebulon have made significant strides in working together in the past year or so, and they deserve praise for those efforts.

One of the biggest obstacles eastern Wake County residents face is access to services. County officials have tried to address that problem, in part, by establishing the Eastern Regional Center in Zebulon.

But it’s no easier for someone in Knightdale to reach an agency at the ERC in Zebulon than it is to reach the same agency in Raleigh.

Working with the Triangle Transit Authority, the eastern Wake County region is on the cusp of getting bus service that will link the area to Raleigh and its mass transit system.

That leaves a significant hole, however, for people who want to gain access to other locations within the eastern Wake County region.

Here’s where the three towns can really flex their collective muscle.

Leaders in each community should begin studying the creation of local bus service that would include stops at important commercial and institutional centers within the three towns.

Such a service is expensive, to be sure, but it would clearly be an investment in a service needed across the region.

Town leaders can look no further than the town of Wake Forest to determine the demand for such a service.

In that town, the demand was expected to be marginal at best, but from the beginning the bus seats were full and there has been little drop off as gas prices receded from last year’s ridiculous highs.

Agencies like the TTA are not likely to provide local bus service, but they can serve as a powerful resource for Wendell, Knightdale and Zebulon as they seek state and federal funds to help defray the cost of such services.

Together, the three towns could provide a better service than any of the three could on their own.

At a time when economics plays such a major factor in everything we do, providing a service that helps people get and keep jobs, or access vital services is about as important a function as there is in government.