As I stood at the Verde Lynx bus stop on Mingus Avenue where it meets Main Street in Cottonwood, a man in a baseball cap, his curly dark hair sticking out from underneath, leaned against a nearby wall munching on chips from a bag he bought at the gas station.

There were three of us waiting for a ride into Sedona to begin our work day. The schedule promised to have us in Uptown three minutes before 8 a.m., the start of work for most people.

The driver, Jack Bartolini, greeted everyone who came on board, most by name. Regulars showed him their monthly pass, others dropped $2 in the fare meter, which looks much the same as the one on the city buses I used to ride to and from work in Fort Wayne, Ind., back in the late 1960s.

This one didn’t make the “clink, clink, clink” sound like the old ones, but then the ride was only a dime or quarter, depending on whether you were a child or an adult.

Several of the passengers knew each other. They rode the Lynx every day together, and conversations continued throughout the trip.

One man sat in the front seat and talked with Bartolini about the weather and world events, a conversation they had shared on a previous day. A woman in the seat next to me took the opportunity to apply her makeup, and a man in the back read a book.

As I leaned against the window in the fabric seat, with a seat belt — every seat had one — I sipped my coffee, watched the Verde Valley roll by and even crossed my legs, something not recommended when driving. In fact, none of what I did is possible when driving.

In the distance, five hot-air balloons were making their way into the sky, as they do most days, but it was nice to just watch them. Bartolini was taking care of the driving and watching the traffic.

Seven of us rode the bus on its second run of the day to Sedona; Bartolini said it is much more crowded at the 6 a.m. run.

“That’s when a lot of the people who have service jobs in Sedona need to get to work,” Bartolini said.

A Verde Lynx leaves Garrison Park in Cottonwood every hour and 15 minutes Monday through Saturday beginning at 6 a.m. The last bus leaves at 4 p.m. The returns begin at 6:45 a.m. at the Sedona Municipal Parking lot and the last Lynx leaves there at 6:15 p.m. The Verde Lynx conducts eight round trips per day connecting Cottonwood, West Sedona and Uptown.

According to the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority — of which the Verde Lynx is a member — service between Cottonwood and Sedona, which began expanded commuter service in November, has seen consistent monthly increases in ridership and is transporting as many as 95 passengers on some weekdays.

The first stop after leaving Cottonwood was in West Sedona at Upper Red Rock Loop Road where the youngest of the passengers got off to go to classes at Sedona Red Rock High School. The other passengers wished him well with, “Study hard,” and “Have a great day.”

Bartolini picked up a passenger at Foothills Drive, dropped two off at Stutz Bearcat and another at Sunset Drive. The man who got on at Foothills got off at Soldier Pass Road. From there we went to Tlaquepaque and then the Poco Diablo Resort where Bartolini turned around and headed to Uptown, but first stopped to pick up a passenger at the Hillside Sedona shops and galleries.

He dropped me off at 7:57 a.m. [the promised time] at the Lynx stop on Jordan Road near Mesquite Avenue, ½-block from the Sedona Red Rock News office, where I work as the feature writer.

This was the first time I’d taken a bus to work in 40 years. The ride was enjoyable and relaxed, with only one challenge. After so many years of driving to and from work, I felt a little naked not being behind the wheel. Next time I’ll have to bring my knitting so my hands have something to keep them busy.

Economically, for me, riding the Verde Lynx the 22 miles into Uptown is a savings even at $2 one way. My car gets about 22 miles per gallon, so at $3.85 per gallon for gasoline, I saved about $1.85. That’s enough for coffee.

By the way, I rode the Verde Lynx incognito to experience what it was like but Bartolini recognized me about halfway through the trip. I interviewed his wife, Beth Bartolini, a few months ago for my “At Random” column.