The Bismarck-Rapid City, S.D., bus route is off to a slow start with just a handful of riders in its first two weeks of existence.

Hopes are that with nicer weather moving in more people will start traveling the route which makes eight stops between Bismarck and Rapid City, according to Pam Ternes, director of Standing Rock Public Transportation.

"The phone has been ringing off the wall with people asking about the new route," Ternes says.

But since the first run on Feb. 26 there have been few people taking advantage, only one or two riders a trip, according to Ternes. It runs each Monday and Thursday leaving Bismarck at 7 a.m. and arriving in Rapid City at about 5 p.m. On the flip side the bus leaves Rapid at 9 a.m. and arrives in Bismarck between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Stops along the way include Cannon Ball and South Dakota stops in McLaughlin, Mobridge, Oneida, Selby, Pierre, and Vivian. Riders will make two bus transfers during the course of the route in Pierre and Vivian.

"They did a survey of bus routes and found a gap in the routes," Ternes says. "I was asked to write a grant for a new route and it was accepted."

Fifty percent of the grant comes from federal transportation funds. The rest comes from the North Dakota Department of Transportation and South Dakota Department of Transportation.

Bismarck-Mandan Transit director Robin Werre notes that Bis-Man actually makes money from the sales of tickets and has little financial obligation in the route. She's also gotten a number of calls about the route and hopes usage numbers improve.

Prior to the new route, anyone wanting to travel to Rapid City from Bismarck would have to travel to Fargo then to Sioux Falls and finally to Rapid City; alternately they could also take a bus to Billings, Mont., then to Cheyenne, Wyo., before heading to Rapid City. The trips were up to 20 hours in length and much more expensive than what's being charged for the new route.

A one-way ticket is $75, according to Ternes. Otherwise a rider pays $37 from Bismarck to Pierre and $38.48 from Pierre to Rapid City. Reaching the other stops along the way varies in price.

Anyone interested in taking the trip, other than those leaving from Bismarck or Rapid City, are asked to call a day ahead to make sure the bus stops at their location.

This is the third bus route being catered to by Bis-Man Transit, according to Werre. The others include a route to Billings and another to Minot.

"We'll run the Bismarck to Rapid City route for a year and see how it goes," Ternes said. "We realize that it's going to take a while before people know it's available."

Ternes has heard about a similar route called the "Jack Rabbit Express" back in the 1960s. But she knows there hasn't been this type of route available for decades and think the interest is there to keep it running.

"This route has been in the planning process for nearly six months. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, getting everyone on the same page and funding cycles," Ternes said. "It's been a long process and I hope people start using it."

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 701-250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)