Well, they lasted a lot longer than school buses did.

The city’s public transit system opened on Tuesday and ran for most of the day before inclement weather caused it to shut down at 4 p.m. — four hours earlier than normal.

“It is important for us to provide service,” said Robert Nugent, the city’s public transit administrator. “About 60 percent of our passengers use the bus to go to work, and that doesn’t change, even in difficult weather.”

The transit system is scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m. Wednesday — about two hours later than normal.

Nugent encouraged Lawrence residents to take the bus rather than getting their own vehicles out on the road. Jeanna Wasylenko, a Kansas University graduate student, took that approach on Tuesday.

“They seem to be running OK,” Wasylenko said Tuesday afternoon. “I think it is a lot safer than taking your car out.”

But Nugent said bus riders do need to be prepared to change plans a bit during inclement weather. Riders need to keep an ear open for possible early shutdowns of the system. Nugent said when early shutdowns are required, the city strives to provide at least a few hours’ notice. On Tuesday, the city announced at 2 p.m. that the service would be closing at 4 p.m.

Riders also need to dress in layers because the city’s bus shelters are not heated. Nugent said riders may be standing at a stop five or 10 minutes longer than normal during inclement weather days.

And for those motorists who must drive, check out the city’s website to see the streets that have been cleared of snow: www.lawrenceks.org/publicworks/docs/SnowPlow_web.pdf.