By Keith Inman

JONESBORO -- Jonesboro Economical Transit Service shifted from preparation mode to performance mode Thursday as buses picked up passengers along scheduled routes for the first time.

JETS Director Joel Gardner said one load was lifted off his shoulders, but another was added -- "The load of making sure that we are constantly aware of our customers and meeting their needs, which is a harder one to have," Gardner said Thursday afternoon.

Many things remain to be done that Gardner would have preferred to have in place before starting the service.

Workers for the Street Department installed a few posts to designate bus stops around the city Thursday morning, but Street Superintendent Teddy Hooton said work was suspended as a storm moved in. The system will have 120 stops, with 32 shelters. Work to install shelters, which only arrived a couple of weeks ago, has also been delayed because of weather.

Eventually the posts and shelters will have signs indicating scheduled times of arrival for the buses. In the meantime, potential riders will have to guess -- or call the transit office at 935-JETS (5387).

"We are mailing out instructions; we are faxing instructions; we are e-mailing instructions," Gardner said. "We are using every form of communication necessary."

Gardner said he's also working to have the maps and schedules printed for wider distribution. The information will also be available on the system's Web site, www.rideJETS.com, he said. Information will soon be available on the government access Channel 24 on Cox Cable, he said.

"I know we're going to hit our goals because this phone has been busy all day," Gardner said.

Few people rode the three routes on Thursday, but the numbers are expected to increase as people learn the routes and believe they will be able to depend on them.

Gardner said statistics provided by the American Public Transportation Association showed that systems in cities the size of Jonesboro should have 5,000 passenger trips per month. In pushing for the system, Paul Copeland, who devised the original plan and budget for JETS, conservatively projected less than 4,000 passenger trips per month in the first year.

Gardner said each bus would have to carry an average of 5.12 passengers per day to meet the 5,000 goal. By 1 p.m. Thursday, one bus had already carried four passengers.

Bus rides are free this month, as both customers and drivers adjust to the new service.

Gardner said one bus stop location was changed because of safety concerns. The stop on Highland Drive at Shelter Insurance was relocated to El Acapulco at 1701 East Highland.

Shelter agents contacted the JETS office and advised that the bus was impeding traffic on Highland, and passengers faced the risk of getting hurt, Gardner said.

He said he appreciates that kind of input and would welcome any other calls of concern.

"We're going to be making slight changes like that for the safety of customers," he said.

inman@jonesborosun.com