Shopping Shuttle May Be In for a Short Run

A new shuttle designed to relieve air pollution, reduce traffic and ease parking shortages at the city’s shopping centers circled mostly empty during its first four days of operation and may not survive beyond the end of the year.

The shuttle, which stops at seven Thousand Oaks shopping destinations, was approved last month by the City Council for a 32-day period that, if successful, will be extended for an additional two months.

But despite an extended holiday weekend in which thousands of shoppers flocked to the city’s malls, only about 50 people total boarded the shuttle to travel between the bustling shopping centers. On Monday, the shoppers’ shuttle, which operates at 20-minute intervals between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., had served just one rider by 1 p.m.

That is a far cry from the benchmark of 12 riders per hour the city has set as a measure of the shuttle’s success.

“It’s a new program,” said John Helliwell, a Thousand Oaks traffic official. “It’s probably going to take awhile before people become aware of it.”

The shuttle may indeed be suffering from a lack of publicity. While the city has run ads in local newspapers and distributed fliers at shopping centers and on its public buses, few shoppers during the past weekend said they knew about it.

But critics said the shuttle is failing because it is ill-conceived.

“I’m not at all surprised,” said Councilwoman-elect Linda Parks about the poor ridership. Parks has proposed a “fun” trolley service, similar to the one that runs successfully in Ventura. “The only similarity between the shuttle and [the trolley] I advocate is the route. If you want it to be a success, it has to be a fun type of transportation.”

Ventura has drawn about 1,000 riders a month each summer with its trolley service running from the Ventura Harbor to downtown. But service is aimed at tourists, not shoppers.

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Thousand Oaks officials are evaluating Parks’ proposal, Helliwell said. But in the meantime, the city opted for a more traditional bus service.

“We are trying to provide a service that is economical during peak shopping hours,” Helliwell said.

Buying or leasing a trolley would be expensive, he added.

The vehicle used for the shoppers’ shuttle is a small bus that the city owns and that became available when Thousand Oaks purchased larger natural gas buses for its transit system.

The shuttle, whose operation is expected to cost $9,600 for the first month, is funded with Air Quality Impact Fees. If successful and approved for the full three-month period, the cost of the shuttle would rise to about $28,800. The city plans to spend an additional $4,000 in advertising.

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By comparison, Ventura’s trolley cost about $80,000 and was purchased by the city with the help of a grant that covered 80% of its cost, said Debbie Solomon, a spokeswoman for the city of Ventura. The Ventura trolley is now privately operated and is largely funded with advertising dollars.

Thousand Oaks officials too hope to attract about $4,500 in advertising to help fund the fledgling shuttle. But with the current ridership numbers, that may prove a difficult task.

With the 25-cent fare, Thousand Oaks hopes to recover an additional $2,000.

Despite city plans for additional advertising and free coupons for the bus, Helliwell admitted that the shuttle is facing an uphill battle.

“A problem that is hard to overcome is that people just like to drive their cars,” he said. “Changing people’s behavior is going to be pretty hard.”

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During one of the shuttle’s Friday morning circuits, a single shopper boarded the bus between Janss Marketplace and The Oaks mall.

“I think it’s a great convenience,” Nancy Myers said. “Parking is always a madhouse during the holidays.”

She had no trouble finding out about the service. Her husband, Roy Myers, is in charge of the shoppers’ shuttle for the city’s Public Works Department.

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FYI

The Thousand Oaks Shoppers’ Shuttle operates at approximately 20-minute intervals between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. seven days a week. It travels a circuit from The Oaks mall, Lincoln Oaks, Janss Marketplace, the Village at Moorpark, Janss Village and Borders Books. The fare is 25 cents, but coupons are available at City Hall and in local newspaper ads. Detailedschedules are available at City Hall and at several shopping centers. For information, call Roy Myers at 449-2443.

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Shopper’s Shuttle Bus Route

1. The Oaks mall

2. Lincoln Oaks

3. Best Buy / Ross

4. Janss Marketplace

5. Village at Moorpark

6. Janss Village

7. Borders Books