VALPARAISO | The first ChicaGoDash express bus to the Loop left Valparaiso's Franklin House just after 5:45 a.m. Monday with about a dozen riders on the 54-seat bus.

Road-weary commuters on Monday's ride, billed as a "soft-opening" for the twice-daily service, were full of hope.

"It will be nice not to deal with the traffic, the flooding on the toll road or whatever," said Tim Harmsen, an interactive marketing specialist who drives daily to Chicago.

Banker Gail Karjaka estimates she could save $3,000 per year by paying the $15 roundtrip fare on ChicaGoDash as opposed to the $30 per day she usually spends on tolls, parking and gas.

"I'm tired of driving," she said.

She said it would definitely be faster on a daily basis to drive herself, so she would carefully be weighing the pros and cons of the bus.