Thousand Oaks to Fund Cabs for Seniors

Complaints from elderly Thousand Oaks residents about the lack of public transportation on weekends has prompted the City Council to establish a city-subsidized weekend taxi service for the elderly and disabled.

City officials predicted this week that the taxi service, scheduled to start sometime in the next two months, will serve about 60 riders daily. The fleet will consist of three or four four-door sedans or station wagons and will transport several riders at a time, said Tammy McLean, senior management analyst for the city manager’s office.

Riders will be required to show proof that they are 62 or over, or show a special transit card issued by the city to prove they are disabled, McLean said. Low-income, elderly patrons will be charged $1 a ride, whereas other elderly and disabled patrons must pay $2 a ride, she said.

The taxi service will cost the city $33,000 to $42,000, McLean said, with the money coming from the city’s share of state gasoline taxes.

Hours of service have not been established, but McLean said it is likely that it will operate between 9 a.m and 5 p.m.

Several recent public hearings held by the city’s Council on Aging revealed that weekend transportation is a major concern of elderly Thousand Oaks residents, who make up about 10% of the city’s population, McLean said.

Thousand Oaks now has a bus service for all residents that runs on weekdays only and a Dial-a-Ride program for elderly and handicapped riders that operates weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., McLean said. The city also sponsors the “Senior Survival Mobile Service” for weekday medical appointments, McLean said. There is no weekend city transportation service, except for an emergency shuttle service to hospitals, she said.

The city will contract with a taxi service within four weeks, McLean said, adding that city officials will probably choose the city-based Thousand Oaks Cab Co.

The City Council approved the measure at Tuesday’s meeting by a 4-0 vote, with one council member absent.