Low Ridership Plagues VISTA Buses : Transit: To qualify for state money when a two-year federal grant runs out, the four luxury lines need a lot more passengers.

Traffic was heavy as bus driver Ralph Lopez steered his empty VISTA coach to an unoccupied Simi Valley bus stop Tuesday afternoon.

Engine running, air conditioning blasting, Lopez leaned back and waited as cars whizzed past the bus at the corner of Madera Road and Los Angeles Avenue. Ten minutes later, he revved the engine of his still-empty coach and headed north to Moorpark.

If ridership tallies for July and the first half of August are any indication, Lopez would be lucky to pick up half a dozen passengers on his hourly run between Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.

Passenger counts for the first month and a half of the countywide service show a less than enthusiastic response for the Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority.

From July 5 to Aug. 19, the most popular route between Ventura, Santa Paula and Fillmore carried a daily average of 146 riders.

About 139 riders a day rode VISTA buses between Ventura and Thousand Oaks, while buses between Oxnard and Camarillo carried a daily average of 62 passengers.

VISTA buses between Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Moorpark shuttled about 60 passengers a day, barely enough to fill one of the 19 buses traversing the route from 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Since VISTA began in early July as a two-year, $3.8-million trial service funded largely with federal dollars, the buses have traveled to each of the county’s 10 cites, providing unprecedented countywide public transportation.

To qualify for state funding when the two-year federal grant runs out, a minimum of 200 to 400 passengers a day will have to ride each of the four VISTA lines, transportation officials estimate.

Mary Travis, transit coordinator for the Ventura County Transportation Commission, said initial low ridership is expected in launching a new public transportation service. Once residents learn about the service, however, they will be more willing to try it, she said.

The new service uses luxury coaches with restrooms, costs only $1 for a typical adult ticket and provides far more connections than ever before available in Ventura County, linking city-run bus systems and stopping at Metrolink train stations in Moorpark and Oxnard.

Travis said she expects an advertising blitz timed to coincide with the start of the school year, to boost ridership.

Others are less optimistic.

Simi Valley Councilman Bill Davis, who serves on the commission, said he doesn’t expect ridership to increase substantially.

“I am not happy with these numbers,” Davis said. “I don’t really see any improvement unless we can attract some of the students.”

Supervisor Vicky Howard, chairwoman of the commission, said unless more residents use public transportation, the county will have a difficult time reducing pollution to levels that will comply with federal mandates.

“I did not anticipate that this would be a roaring success right from the start, and I’m not sure it will ever be a roaring success,” she said. “But we have to make sure people know that with (federal pollution control mandates) we’re going to have to work hard to cut down on the chief polluter, which is our cars.”

FYI

VISTA buses run Mondays through Fridays from about 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Some routes offer hourly service, while others offer service every half-hour. There is no weekend service. Fares are $1 for adults, 75 cents for students and 50 cents for senior citizens. Passengers must have exact fare. Monthly passes, which can be purchased by phone or at any city hall in the county, are $34 for adults, $26 for students and $15 for seniors. Passes may also be used on city buses throughout the county. For information, call (800) 438-1112.