P.V. Estates to End Van Service Unless Reforms Are Made

Over the objections of numerous residents, the Palos Verdes Estates City Council voted 3 to 2 Tuesday to put the brakes on its participation in PV Transit, the peninsula-wide dial-a-van service, unless changes are made to increase the number of occasional riders and reduce the amount the city pays to subsidize fares.

The city staff was ordered to present alternatives to the council at its May 23 meeting. If no agreement is reached, the city will withdraw from the service July 1.

Under the present system, which is administered by Rancho Palos Verdes, riders can buy monthly subscriptions that let them reserve seats for specific times and destinations. Occasional riders who call on short notice are often told that no seat is available, said City Manager Gordon Siebert.

Palos Verdes Estates council members have complained since 1985, when the city joined PV Transit, that too few residents use the door-to-door system (3% in 1988) because 166 families in the city monopolize it by purchasing subscriptions mostly to transport children to and from school.

PV Transit also serves Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills Estates and some unincorporated areas on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Fund Trade Urged

Palos Verdes Estates pays $180,000 in special transportation taxes for its share in the system. Although such funds can be used only for transportation services, city officials said, they can be traded to other cities for funds that could be used to repair streets and storm sewers or pay for police, fire and paramedic services, thus benefiting all the city’s residents.

Councilman Edward Ritscher said residents who use the service on a subscription basis should pay more. Riders pay $1 for a one-way trip, and the city pays up to $8.

“Basically, the system is dominated by a few individuals in the city,” Councilman James Kinney said. “One hundred sixty families out of 5,000 use it. That’s a $1,100-per-family subsidy from other taxpayers in our city. People I talk to are absolutely shocked that we’re paying $9 per ride to move people around. It’s a very, very expensive system.”

Households with two working parents seem to rely most on the service to transport their children to and from school and to after-school activities. Maids and other household workers without automobiles also use the service extensively, Siebert said.

About 75 people turned out at Tuesday’s public hearing to plead with the council for continued participation in the program. Many said they would be willing to pay more to ensure that their children have safe, reliable transportation to and from school.

“We live in a beautiful city that is very inhospitable to children getting around,” said Carol Davis, a single parent. “(PV Transit) is one of the most civilized and forward-thinking things we do.”

Mayor Ruth Gralow, who voted against pulling out of the system, said she favors using the transportation system for students. “I don’t think we should penalize our children because parents have to work,” she said, adding that tax-subsidized programs rarely benefit everyone.

Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Jacki Bacharach said Wednesday that the Palos Verdes Estates City Council has been repeatedly invited to explore alternatives to the present dial-a-van system.

“We can’t do this in a vacuum,” she said. “If we’re going to have any constructive changes, it’s going to take some time and commitment.”

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council will sponsor a community forum at Hesse Park at 7:30 p.m. on May 11 to discuss peninsula transportation issues. Bacharach said Palos Verdes Estates was asked to help sponsor the event but declined.