COMMUTER BUS SERVICE HITS THE ROAD IN LOW GEAR.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: KENNETH C. CROWE II Staff writer

A new commuter bus service between Saratoga County and Albany was off to a slow start Monday, as the first buses left the Wilton Mall with no riders.

Organizers said ridership did pick up during the day, but exact numbers won't be available until today. They said the slow start of the $750,000, yearlong federally funded pilot program did not surprise them.

``I'm not nervous at all,'' said Paul Kulls, president of Upstate Transit, which has a contract with Saratoga County to run the program. ``People are just finding out about it.''

The 5:13 a.m. and 6:23 a.m. buses left the Wilton Mall's …