Fee Increase Weighed for Taxi, Bus Use

Trying to boost public transit in this suburban city without forgetting economic realities, the City Council on Tuesday considered expanding local taxi and bus services--and raising the price to ride them.

The council also discussed adding trolley service between Thousand Oaks’ two largest shopping centers and consolidating transportation efforts at a single hub.

With four new buses on order, the city could double the size of the tiny Thousand Oaks Transit fleet, city transportation planners said. Rather than double the service, council members mulled proposals to expand the bus line’s hours, starting at 6 a.m. and running the buses until 7:30 p.m.

They also considered posting bus schedules at stops and building rain shelters at some of the more popular stops.

Transportation planners are also asking the council to consider raising rates for the citywide bus services from 75 cents to $1 for adults, and from 40 cents to 50 cents for senior citizens and the disabled. More than 113,000 passengers used the four-bus network last year, and the higher fares would be more in line with other bus services in the county, according to a city report.

It costs $585,000 a year to operate Thousand Oaks Transit. The city uses state funds to cover 80% of the bus service’s budget--the maximum allowed by state law--and fares are expected to cover the rest. But Thousand Oaks Transit fares have been falling well short of that goal--forcing the city to chip in $54,000 from its General Fund this year to keep the buses running.

The increased Thousand Oaks Transit fares are expected to offset that balance.

Councilwoman Elois Zeanah suggested that the city could also raise money by advertising on buses.

“On the outside?” Councilwoman Judy Lazar responded skeptically. “Nah, I would rather not.”

City planners also asked the council to consider raising rates and expanding the popular Dial-A-Ride program, a subsidized taxi service for senior citizens in the city and surrounding unincorporated areas.

Senior citizen advocates have been clamoring for expansion of the program used by more than 60,000 passengers a year, saying that residents have to wait too long for the taxis to arrive. They are asking for at least one more taxi to be added to the six-car fleet.

The city is also considering a hike in fares in the taxi program from $1.50 to $2 for each weekday trip. The fares are already $2 on weekends and would remain the same under the proposal.

The taxi service now costs Thousand Oaks $393,000 a year to operate. About $343,000 of that is paid with state Transportation Development Act money. The rest comes from fares.

In addition to increases in existing fees, the City Council discussed proposals to add features to Thousand Oaks’ transit system.

One is a trolley system linking The Oaks mall with the Janss Marketplace shopping center and other Moorpark Road businesses, and the other is a plan for a multiuse transportation center to act as the city’s transit hub.

Mayor Andy Fox criticized the “T.O. Trolley,” as the proposed service would be called, saying it would be an unwise use of public money because few people would take advantage of it.

“I envision this as something that could be used in a tourist-type town, Santa Barbara or San Francisco. . . ,” Fox said. “This is a bedroom town.”

Zeanah, however, disagreed, saying the trolley could help alleviate traffic on an already busy strip of Thousand Oaks Boulevard. “We’re going to be in gridlock,” she said.

The proposed Thousand Oaks Transportation Service received a warmer response. The complex would serve as a sort of one-stop transportation center--a place where public and private bus services, taxicabs and airport shuttles could be found under one roof.

The City Council’s recommendations will be forwarded to the Thousand Oaks Traffic and Transportation Advisory Commission for review. The council will then debate the changes at a public meeting before they go into effect.