By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
Three workers at the Rowan County Justice Center tried out Rowan Express Monday morning ó the first day of the new low-cost bus service.
Ramona Jackson of Kannapolis boarded the bus at the Kannapolis Train Station.
Jackson said she has to make the daily commute to Salisbury and is thinking about using Rowan Express.
Two other courthouse employees, Ranele Stamper and Sonia Pozwck, boarded the bus at stops in China Grove.
Stamper may have felt she won a lottery prize.
She boarded at the China Grove Food Lion, where the manager gave her a gift certificate and free tickets for future rides on Rowan Express.
Gary Price Jr., transportation coordinator for Rowan County, expects ridership to increase as word spreads.
Schedules and literature are being distributed at meal sites, town halls and bus stop sites.
Price said he and others will be sporadically riding the service to check on how things are going. And they’ll be giving out free tickets.
The fare is $1, with no charge for children under 5 years of age. Transfers to the Kannapolis-Concord Rider System and the Salisbury Transit system are free.
For example, a rider from southern Rowan would pay $1 to ride to Salisbury and transfer to the Salisbury system, and $1 for the return trip.
The service runs mornings between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and afternoons between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Stops will be at the Kannapolis Train Station, Landis Town Hall, the Food Lion on South Main Street in China Grove, the China Grove Police Department and Depot Street in Salisbury.
The service was scheduled to start last fall, but federal and state red tape delayed the launch.
Passengers arriving on Rowan Express will be able to transfer to any of the Salisbury routes.
Likewise, passengers going south will be able to access the Kannapolis-Concord system, which travels to various destinations including Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast and Concord Mills.
For more information on Rowan Express call 704-216-8888.