AGOURA HILLS : 2 Cities Intend to Operate Beach Buses

The cities of Agoura Hills and Westlake Village are gearing up for a joint summer beach bus program, designed to shuttle surfers and swimmers from the Conejo Valley to Zuma Beach.

A school bus will leave Westlake Village, stopping at eight locations in that city and Agoura Hills, every morning except Sundays, from June 26 to Sept. 4, said Dale Sumersille, who coordinates the program. The buses will make return trips twice in the afternoon, she said.

The program, started in Agoura Hills in 1985, serves mostly teen-agers, many of whom are too young to drive, Sumersille said. But the weekend crowd often includes families who would rather take the bus than look for parking or negotiate traffic, she said.

The stops in Westlake Village are: Three Springs Park, 3000 Three Springs Drive; the corner of Triunfo Canyon Road and Capstan Circle; the corner of Lakeview Canyon Drive and Lake Harbor Lane; and White Oak Elementary School at Village School Road and Shropshire Court.

In Agoura Hills, the bus will stop at the recreation center at 30610 Thousand Oaks Blvd.; the corner of Thousand Oaks and Lake Lindero Drive; Agoura High School at 28545 W. Driver Ave.; and Liberty Canyon Road at the Ventura Freeway.

The fare is 50 cents each way, and tickets must be purchased in advance by an adult because recreation at the beach will not be supervised, Sumersille said. Unlike previous years, when the buses stopped at Malibu Lagoon State Beach, the shuttles will go to Zuma Beach.

“We’ve heard from some of the surfers that the waves can be better at Zuma,” Sumersille said. “So we decided to try something new.”

The summer bus program is supported by about $14,000 in county transportation funds from each city. Calabasas reportedly will start a similar program this summer.

For more information about schedules and tickets, contact Westlake Village City Hall, (818) 706-1613; or Agoura Hills City Hall, (818) 597-7300.