CALABASAS : City Studies Forming Own Shuttle Service

The city of Calabasas is studying the idea of forming its own transportation system to fill gaps in the bus service provided by the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

The study by a private consultant evaluates the wisdom of creating a shuttle bus service to areas not served by MTA buses, said city traffic engineer Robert Yalda. “At this stage it is only a preliminary study,” Yalda said. “We have to determine if there is a need.”

The routes of the shuttles would intersect those of MTA buses and would be directed to neighborhoods where they are most needed, Yalda said. To launch the program, the city would require approval from the MTA, which appropriates funds from transportation bond measures.

“It’s something to explore,” MTA spokesman Mark Dierking said. “I would not tell cities not to. I think that everything is possible. It’s something that we need to look at.”

Under the city’s contract with the consultant, Walker Associates Inc., the study must not exceed $38,000, Yalda said. The consultant is expected to turn in a first draft this week.

The study is one of several steps taken recently by Calabasas officials to improve mass transportation. Calabasas recently joined 10 other cities to fund the salary of a transportation expert who will work with the MTA to improve service to the cities. A search is under way for a candidate to fill the position, according to officials from Glendale, which proposed the idea.

For its part, the MTA acknowledged that problems exist and has vowed to work with the cities to find solutions. In the case of Calabasas, the MTA proposed adding buses during peak hours and on weekends. The agency’s existing bus line runs through the city on a route that roughly parallels the Ventura Freeway.

But Mike Barnbaum, a college student from Calabasas who attends Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, says the MTA’s proposal does not go far enough. Barnbaum, who is studying to be a transportation expert, proposes extending service to Calabasas Park, for the benefit of maids who must walk long distances from Parkway Calabasas to get to work. His proposal would also extend service to Calabasas High School.

Barnbaum also wants to extend bus service to Mulwood, a residential area near the high school, as well as to an area along Las Virgenes Road near Lost Hills Road. He said he intended to pitch his plan today at a public hearing in Van Nuys.