Our View: Hop aboard bus to Reno

In less than a week, a sorely needed bus service begins between Carson City and Reno.

It remains to be seen, however, whether enough people will use the service to make it worthwhile.

The service, which will start Monday with free rides for a couple of weeks, is scheduled almost hourly weekdays from three locations in Carson City. (See last Sunday's Appeal for a complete schedule.)

As with most transit systems, this one will have to be subsidized.

But it fills two large deficiencies in regional transportation: Availability and affordability.

Commuters now have an option other than joining the ribbon of vehicles each morning and afternoon on Highway 395 between the two cities. It has the potential to ease some of that congestion, although we'll have to see whether people actually take advantage of it.

For some people, however, there previously has been no workable option for getting to Reno. Bus service and shuttles have long been available, but for considerably more money than the $3 one-way fare being offered by Public Rural Transit.

We're talking about poor and elderly people who, for the most part, have had to rely on the kindness of friends and relatives to give them a ride.

For that reason, we're hoping PRIDE, as the new service is called, is given a chance to succeed. Any mass transit service takes time to gain its customer base.

In the couple of weeks after the service starts, take a free ride. You'll get a chance to become familiar with how it works.

The more people who ride, the better chance the service will still be there when you need it.