It seems almost foolish now, but six months ago we took a swipe at the Butler Transit Authority when it converted to compressed natural gas-powered coaches and leased a temporary CNG fueling station while it builds a permanent station.

“Even if everything goes precisely as planned, the Butler Transit Authority is taking a significant risk by pumping piles of money into its conversion to buses that run on compressed natural gas,” we wrote in the Nov. 16 editorial.

Guess what? Everything rarely goes as planned. The national average for a gallon of regular was $2.43 in mid-November when that editorial was published. The same gas today sells for $3.10 in Butler. And the price is rising rapidly.

Meanwhile, a bus ticket to Pittsburgh remains $5 — and you won’t have to pay for parking your car when you get there.

This price is possible only because of state subsidies. The subsidies have a purpose: If subsidized low fares can attract a sufficient number of regular riders, then the bus routes can sustain themselves and either break even financially or generate a moderate profit — all while reducing commuter traffic congestion.

Butler Transit’s CNG-powered buses are new, modern, efficient and equipped with Wi-Fi, allowing passengers to occupy their ride with news, music and entertainment via hand-held devices and laptop computers — let the driver deal with the morning traffic.

If you’ve never tried it before, the coming summer months might be an ideal time to give the Transit Authority service to Pittsburgh a test run.

The run will end at the T (trolley) station outside of PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

From there, commuters can access the network of light rail, bus and incline services to access destinations throughout Pittsburgh. The Port Authority of Allegheny County has a flat fare system, which makes every fare $2.50 with a ConnectCard, $2.75 with cash. Many people — children, senior citizens and students included — can ride free.

The authority currently operates two routes into downtown Pittsburgh on Route 8 to Route 228.

Starting in July a route will be added via Route 68, I-79 and I-279. As with the other routes, the one-way rate is $5.

Authority director John Paul hopes county residents will embrace the service, as the state Department of Transportation has determined that each trip must have at least 11 passengers after the three-year pilot program ends to continue state funding.

Other state goals the trip must meet include operating costs per hour, operating revenue per hour and operating costs per passenger trip, Paul said.

The option of bus service into and out of Pittsburgh will only grow more attractive in coming years. Amazon might locate here; it might not. Either way, other employers will come. Butler County Transit’s CNG fleet might be little more than a prototype of what’s ahead.