Supervisors to Discuss Expanding Bus Service : Transportation: They will review plan, which would increase frequency and, for the first time, serve large employers such as the Navy base and Camarillo State Hospital.

A major expansion of the county’s bus service, including a new route linking Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Moorpark, will be discussed Tuesday by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

The plan would replace Interconnect, the county’s existing bus network, which offers limited service between cities in the eastern and western parts of the county.

Under the new plan, buses would run more frequently on existing routes and provide service for the first time to large employers such as Camarillo State Hospital and the Navy base at Point Mugu.

The board Tuesday is scheduled to vote on the plan, called VISTA for Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority. The Thousand Oaks City Council has already agreed to participate; other councils will consider it in coming weeks.

County and city officials backing the proposal hope that it will ultimately improve the county’s air quality by encouraging more people to leave their cars at home and take the bus.

“It would be wonderful if the bus service would catch on like the Metrolink has caught on,” said Supervisor Vicky Howard, who sits on the Ventura County Transportation Commission. “I think it’s something that we have wanted to have for a long time, but we aren’t sure it will have the ridership to support it.”

Federal funds will cover 90% of the program’s annual cost for two years. The county and cities served by VISTA buses would share the remaining cost, based on the number of riders from each area. The federal dollars are available from a fund for cities and counties that do not meet federal air quality standards.

After two years, the county would have to apply for other federal funds or come up with the money to continue the bus service.

Howard said she supports the plan because the federal funds allow the county to test the service’s popularity without taking a huge financial risk.

“It’s extremely expensive to run a bus service, and most bus services in the county don’t even come close to sustaining themselves,” Howard said.

While officials are optimistic that the program will continue after federal funds run out, they acknowledge the difficulty of persuading commuters to take the bus.

“It’s going to take two years just to get people to know that it’s there,” said Frank Schillo, a Thousand Oaks city councilman and chairman of the Transportation Commission.

If it is approved, service on the new routes would begin in July and would cost $1 or $2, depending on the length of the trip. Discounts would be offered to senior citizens and people with disabilities. Countywide bus passes would also be offered for $40 or $50 per month.

Private companies would operate the buses, running 30 minutes during the peak hours of 6 to 9 a.m. and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Under the Interconnect system, four buses a day now run between Thousand Oaks and Ventura.

The network would expand existing bus routes along the Ventura and Santa Paula freeways, and would add two lines serving the east and central areas of the county.

Because buses would run more often, the number of passengers on the two existing routes is expected to grow by one-third. A study on ridership projected that the Ventura Freeway route would have the lowest ridership, serving 220 passengers a day. The east county line is expected to have the heaviest use with 540 daily passengers.

Schillo sees a strong need for the east county route.

“There is a lot of traffic back and forth between Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, and there’s undoubtedly people that would like to have some other means of transportation,” he said.

The east county route would run between Simi Valley, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills. Stops would include the Metrolink station in Moorpark, Moorpark College, The Oaks mall and a stop at Wood Ranch Parkway and Madera Road in Simi Valley.

The central route would offer bus service for the first time to employees at Camarillo State Hospital and Point Mugu. On the Ventura Freeway route, stops would be in Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Oxnard and Ventura.

The fourth route along the Santa Paula Freeway has already been approved by the county and cities it serves. Those buses would connect Fillmore, Santa Paula and Ventura. In addition, a dial-a-ride service will operate within the cities of Fillmore and Santa Paula.