City Trying Several Avenues With Shuttles

Although not yet running anywhere near capacity on any given day, Calabasas city officials are hoping that residents will soon discover a new shuttle service designed to transport children to school, elderly residents to the grocery store and workers to local restaurants for lunch.

The 15-passenger van, which has been making its way around the city since last month, has found a small ridership for the school shuttle and the shoppers special, but two other services have yet to catch on.

Those who stand to benefit primarily from the pilot program are business owners in Old Town Calabasas, who have long complained of parking problems in the area. The parking situation has been exacerbated recently as construction got underway for a major street renovation project, which is due to last until January.

The city established the Old Town Shuttle line to help lessen the impact by requiring that employees park in a lot on Park Sorrento and be driven to their workplaces.

“Since the employees have more regulated hours, it made sense to allow their clients and customers to come in, use the spaces and enjoy Old Town,” said Robert Yalda, city traffic and transportation manager.

Since construction is halted on Saturdays and Sundays, Yalda said there are no immediate plans to run the shuttle on weekends.

But he said he will evaluate the need, especially during the Saturday Farmers’ Market, and possibly add weekend services at another time.

Another service, the Crosstown Lunch Express line, also serves Old Town Calabasas, as well as the Tennis and Swim Center.

Each weekday afternoon, the free shuttle makes nine stops on a continuous loop from the Lost Hills business park area and the City Hall/Calabasas Commerce Center area to the center and Old Town.

The shuttle “will help introduce people to this area,” said Rory Palmeri, president of the Old Town Calabasas Merchants Assn. “Maybe they live in Thousand Oaks or Agoura and drive in from work and they don’t often come over. We hope this will bring a lot of people here for lunch.”