The 54 seats on a bus that Claudette Brown reserved to take Sweet Union Baptist Church parishoners to Barack Obama's presidential inauguration on Jan. 20 were quickly spoken for at $55 apiece. Then reality set in.

"When I first leased it, we were oversold. But the time came to pay the money, some people didn't have it," said Brown, president of the Northwest Roanoke congregation's Pastor's Aid Society.

There are still 20 seats available on Sweet Union Baptist's bus, and the Rev. Edward Burton plans to invite more buyers on Sunday morning.

Enthusiasm for attending Obama's inauguration immediately after the Nov. 4 election prompted the leasing of buses by many individuals, churches and various groups; some tour companies scrambled to arrange package deals that included hotel rooms.

"We sold some seats but not enough," said Virginia Savage, president of World Travel Service in Roanoke, who canceled the two buses her company had reserved.

"We're closing the books. I feel a lot of disappointment," said Savage, who had advertised World Travel's inauguration offers in this newspaper.

The dearth of demand for transportation to the swearing in of America's first black president probably has several causes, including news reports about the initial excitement and crowds that are expected to approach 2 million people. "I think some people heard they were going to have to stand a long time and decided against it," said Briggs Hensley, tour director of Abbott Bus Lines in Roanoke.

Within a week or so after the election, inauguration-bound travelers had chartered 49 of Abbott's 50 buses, including 26 for Virginia Military Institute students. Although the VMI caravan is still planned, the reservations for 12 of Abbott's other 23 buses have been canceled, Hensley said. The cancellations began before the end of November.

Chris Henson, who reserved a $2,200 bus with plans to take friends to the ceremony, said their initial fire for the pilgrimage gradually faded.

"We needed to fill 57 seats and early on we had as many as 54 who were interested. But as of last week that number had dwindled to around 10 or 12," Henson said Tuesday.

"As for folks deciding not to go, I can't really blame them," Henson said, citing, among other things: "needing to use the bathroom along with a couple million other people."

He added, "Initially we started talking about going to the inauguration as a way of taking our families to the epicenter of history. But, as anyone who's been to Disney World on a busy day will tell you, the lines and the waiting can really do a number on the 'magic.' The surer bet is to pop some corn and plop ourselves down in front of the TV."

To be sure, some who leased buses sold every seat. Among those are Priscilla Casey, a retired telephone company worker, and Sylvia Journiette, a real estate agent, who leased two buses from Abbott. They peddled tickets for $65 to friends and relatives -- some of whom are taking grandchildren on the trip.

"There were some people who changed their minds. They said it was going to be too cold or they might have to walk too far," Casey said. But she still hawked every seat -- even those on the buses last rows where she wanted to store coolers with food and drinks.

Some of those with buses who were less successful said inaugural attendance will be hurt by the nation's declining economy. "People were using all their money for Christmas," said Brown.

Some wondered if their trips were priced too high. At World Travel Service, Brown was offering overnight packages for $254 per person, and one-day turnarounds for $98 -- including a Metro rail line pass to get travelers from remote bus parking lots closer to the ceremony site outside the Capitol.

But even tickets priced much lower often didn't move. Henson was asking only $40 apiece for seats on his bus -- just enough to cover the rental fee.

Also hoping to break even -- in more upscale style -- George Daniels rented two 10-passenger Mercedes-Benz limousines and a Chrysler sport utility vehicle. He advertised seats for $165 apiece, including "drinks, water, snacks, music and good conversation."

Daniels said Tuesday he still has three spots left. "I'll probably give them away. I'm not going to make money. I'm going to lose money. But this is a labor of love."

Savage isn't so sanguine about the lack of demand for carriage to Obama's ceremony. Yet she has moved on and said Tuesday that among her travel agency's hottest tickets currently are seven-night cruises to the Caribbean on "a premium quality line" for $449 per person with two people sharing a cabin.

Savage said she's still going to the inauguration herself -- by car. But she'll save the cost of a hotel and stay with a friend.