Proposed Bus Pass Program Would Link Cities : Transit: The program is part of a major effort to expand local service. The Thousand Oaks City Council is set to discuss the issue.

Hoping to link Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley by public bus for the first time, the Thousand Oaks City Council tonight will consider offering residents a monthly transit pass good on bus routes throughout Ventura County.

The pass is part of a major expansion of local bus service that will provide four new bus lines to link cities across the county.

The Ventura County Transportation Commission has already agreed to sell the regional transit passes offering unlimited trips on all county and city buses.

However, before the transportation commission can go ahead with the program, councils in each of the participating cities must approve the service, which is scheduled to begin July 5. Most major cities in the county have approved the bus service and pass program.

A federal grant will pay most of the estimated $600,000 annual countywide cost of the service for the first two years. After that, cities would be responsible for paying for the service, called VISTA, or Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority.

The cost of monthly passes would range from $31 for seniors to $50 for a standard adult pass.

In Thousand Oaks, the pass would be good on local buses, including the shuttle to Moorpark’s Metrolink station, Councilman Frank Schillo said. Residents could also use the pass to travel on VISTA buses elsewhere in the county.

And starting in July, pass-holders would enjoy unlimited use of a new east county and Conejo Valley VISTA bus linking Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills.

“If people are going to ride any kind of transportation regularly, they might be better off having a pass,” said Schillo, who also sits on the transportation commission.

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One VISTA line will replace Interconnect, a commuter bus service linking Thousand Oaks, Camarillo and Ventura. In addition, new routes will run to large area employers such as Camarillo State Hospital and the Navy base at Point Mugu.

Introducing the pass will not affect Thousand Oaks coffers because the city will receive a share of revenues from the sale of countywide passes, according to city transportation analyst Roy Myers.

Councilwoman Judy Lazar praised the plan, but said she is concerned that the city will be forced to continue the service after two years.

“In theory, the idea of an interconnected system is great,” Lazar said. “But I need to feel comfortable that we’re not going to be required to continue this when the federal dollars run out.”

Ginger Gherardi, executive director of the transportation commission, has told city and county leaders that if the buses do not attract enough riders to meet federal fare box requirements, the commission can halt the service. Gherardi has estimated that daily ridership throughout the new system will average about 600.

But Lazar said she wants to make sure that the city of Thousand Oaks can pull out if ridership falls short.

“We could run into problems if there is not sufficient ridership,” Lazar said, “Without enough riders, this could be a very expensive system to operate.”