Northern Wisconsin residents are getting a new alternative when it comes to transportation.

The interstate bus company Jefferson Lines has started service that links the Wausau area with Milwaukee, Minneapolis and other cities in between.

Bonnie Buchanan is vice president of the Minneapolis-based line.

She says people called to ask for the service as soon as Greyhound eliminated more than 40 Wisconsin stops in 2004, and those in the Wausau area have continued to call, especially with the recent rise in gasoline prices.

Among stops on the route are St. Paul, Minn., Menomonie, Chippewa Falls, Stanley, Abbotsford, Wittenberg and Manitowoc.