City says more are taking buses
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

The number of people on the bus grows and grows.

Thousand Oaks Transit has made improvements that have resulted in an increase in ridership.

Among the service improvements that get credit for TOT's new popularity is the availability of Spanish-language posters and brochures promoting the service and providing information on bus route schedules, said Grahame Watts, project manager.

Another big plus is the emphasis on making sure buses show up on time.

"It's important people can rely on the bus," Watts said. "Buses should arrive on time and leave on time."

To make sure that happens, each bus now has a GPS tracking device so that riders can look up their bus on the Internet to see exactly where it is and what time it will be at a particular bus stop. Riders can visit www.nextbus.com and see this information in real time or have alerts about their bus sent to their cellphones.

Using NextBus satellite tracking technology, every bus's movements are recorded and arrival time predictions displayed at the Thousand Oaks Transportation Center on Rancho Road. This helps those responsible for making sure schedules are adhered to know exactly what is happening with the city's buses.

Routes have been adjusted to include the Dos Vientos expansion, Watts said.

High school students have been a part of the increase in riders, too, since bus routes and times now include stops next to schools after they let out.

"Sometimes schools change their times and don't let us know," Watts said.

Still, most days, many teenagers now use a city bus to get home or to the mall.

Interconnectivity- establishing bus routes that make sense with other things going on in the city- is a priority, Watts noted.

"We try to link with the park district, and they have included bus information in their park district guides," he said.

Ridership in 2007 continues to increase, even though it typically declines in winter months. According to a city report, nearly 16,000 passengers rode the bus in January, an 8 percent increase over last year.

One fact that might surprise people is the cost of gas is not credited with the increase in bus passengers.

"The rising cost of gas does not have a big impact on ridership, since many of our riders do not own a car," Watts said.

Typical riders are males 23 to 59 years of age who are employed fulltime and make an annual income of less than $15,000, according to a July 2005 on-board survey.

The buses will soon be getting a new look with a new logo.

Bus rides cost $1 each, with reduced fairs for seniors, the disabled and students. Bus schedules are available at city hall, libraries, the senior and teen centers, high schools and at the information centers of The Oaks mall and Janss Marketplace.

For more information, call (805) 375-5473.