MOORPARK : Bus Routes Changed to Boost Ridership
The Moorpark City Council approved a change in the city’s bus routes on Wednesday in an effort to boost ridership and retain state funding for the service.
Antelope Valley Bus Inc. will extend service in three areas of town, including the Condor Drive business park. In addition, the bus will always move in the same direction along the route. Under the old routes, the bus changes direction in the afternoon.
City officials hope that the changes, scheduled to start in mid-November when new maps are printed, will make the bus service more accessible, says a staff report by Mary K. Lindley, assistant to the city manager.
“It’s quite possible that we will lose funding for the bus service if ridership doesn’t increase,” Deputy City Manager Richard Hare said.
The state pays $91,600 a year for Moorpark’s bus service, which began more than two years ago. Because so few residents use the bus, the 50-cent fare pays for only about 6% of the cost of the service, Hare said. An average of 167 fares are paid each week, Lindley said.
The state requires that fares cover at least 15% of the cost of the service within three years for funding to continue.
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