MEINERS OAKS : Residents Ask for Ojai Trolley Service
Residents living outside the areas served by the Ojai trolley would like to see the streetcar route extended to Meiners Oaks and the east end of the city, a county official said Thursday.
Ed Webster, an administrative assistant to Supervisor Susan K. Lacey, said about 20 people showed up Wednesday night for a community meeting to discuss the Ojai Valley’s transit needs.
“From what we’re hearing, we ought to go ahead and try the (expanded) service,” Webster said.
Lacey asked residents earlier this month whether they would be interested in riding the streetcar to downtown Ojai if its route was extended.
The city already has contracted for a new trolley, a larger streetcar that would serve more passengers than the aging green car that currently moves up and down Ojai Avenue. It is not scheduled for delivery, however, until late spring.
Webster said the county would contribute between $9,000 and $25,000 a year to pay for trolley service outside Ojai.
But city officials have not yet decided how to incorporate the county’s recommendation into the trolley schedule. Expanding service would either mean purchasing a second trolley or increasing the route length and time between destinations.
Assistant City Manager Daniel Singer said the extension would mean Ojai riders would have to wait about 15 minutes longer for service.
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