Baltimore’s newly revamped system of bus routes got its first real test during the Monday morning rush.

And while it’s designed to be quicker and more efficient and to get commuter closer to their jobs, it didn’t go all that well for Rodney Bennett, who was making his way from his home in North Baltimore to work in Cherry Hill.

His first bus was 10 minutes late.

"And it didn’t link with the other bus," he complained. "I just saw it going down the street when I got to the corner. So, right now I’m not feeling the link."

The $135 million system, two years in the planning, was launched in the pre-dawn hours Sunday. Routes and route numbers have changed. Some routes are color coded—red, blue, orange, green and so forth.

The Mass Transit Administration, or, MTA, detailed employees to major bus stops to answer questions and hand out bus schedules. Riders also can go to the web site, baltimorelink.com, or call 410-539-5000.

Or maybe just ask the front line guys, the bus operators, like Debron Baruch, who was behind the wheel of a Route 53 bus on the Alameda.

“They don't know where they’re going so you just got to tell them which line they're going on,” he said.

Got a question, he says. Just ask.