PORTSMOUTH — The handful of passengers who arrived early at Portsmouth’s first park-and-ride bus stop last Wednesday found more awaiting them than a convenient place to park.

There to greet them in the dark was a whole crew of Rhode Island Public Transit Authority employees. On a table were free coffee, doughnuts, even a green and white RIPTA umbrella for the taking.

“Well this is nice,” said a startled Lisa McGreavy as she got out of her car.

The Tiverton resident was at the new Boyd’s Lane station to catch the 6:37 a.m. bus for her commute to Providence.

Calling the new park-and-ride “beautiful,” she said it is a much better alternative than leaving her car on a side street and hiking over to East Main or the bus stop near the Mount Hope Bridge.

Best of all though, she said, was back when RIPTA used to run a bus up Main Road in Tiverton from Little Compton.

“When the weather was good, I could ride my bike to the bus,” she said.

When that service ended, she used the Fish Road stop in Tiverton but that too is now gone. Still, she said it is a real help to have an off-street place to leave her car for the day.

The delegation of greeters said they won’t be there every morning with free doughnuts. This special event was to mark the park-and-ride’s official opening (buses had actually begun stopping there a few days earlier).

The park and ride is located in Founders’ Grove on the north side of Boyd’s Lane near the Route 24 on-ramp. It has 20 parking places with more to be added once the Sakonnet River Bridge project is complete (Cardi Corp. is using adjoining land for equipment storage), and will eventually have a rain shelter.

“Providing service facilities for our customers is part of our mission,” said RIPTA General Manager Alfred J. Moscola. “With this lot, passengers from Tiverton and Little Compton will now have use of the bus.”

Arriving a bit later were state Rep. Raymond E. Gallison (District 69), Sen. Charles J. Levesque (District 11), and Town Administrator Robert Driscoll.

Rep. Gallison, who had pushed for the park-and-ride, said it benefits both bus riders and people who live in the area who will be spared commuter parking on their side streets.

“This park and ride provides people in the Portsmouth area with a safe area to park their vehicles and use the Route 60 bus to travel from Portsmouth to Providence, which helps reduce traffic on our roadways.” He thanked both RIPTA and the R.I. Department of Transportation for accomplishing the project.

Park and ride bus schedule

Morning northbound (toward Providence) Route #60 East Main trips enter the lot at:

5:07 a.m.

5:57 a.m.

6:37 a.m.

7:17 a.m.

7:38 a.m.

7:49 a.m.

Afternoon return Route #60 trips (shows Kennedy Plaza departure and park and ride arrival (stops upon request):

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

4:35 p.m. - 5:23 p.m.

5:10 p.m. - 5:59 p.m.

5:20 p.m. - 6:08 p.m.

5:35 p.m. - 6:21 p.m.

For more information, call 781-9400 or visit ripta.com