Ridership expected to increase on T.O. Transit buses

New shuttlesized buses rolling through the streets of Thousand Oaks are air-conditioned, economical and ready to pick up and drop off passengers anywhere along the bus route.

"People can flag down a bus almost anywhere and can ask to get off any place the driver can stop safely," said Mark Watkins, public works director.

Additionally, about 50 designated bus stops with shade and a bench are located throughout the city.

"We've been getting nice comments. People like the new buses because they are so nice and clean," Watkins said.

The new 35-foot-long buses that rolled out at the beginning of June are wheelchair accessible, CNG (natural gas) fueled and can carry 34 passengers. Their smaller shuttle size better fits the city's needs, Watkins said, and all of them buses have bicycle racks.

Although the popularity of the buses has risen, summer months usually have fewer riders because school is out, he said.

This summer may prove to be the exception, however, with high gas prices and two new resources for passengers: the Internet search engine Google to plan routes and the website www.nextbus.com to see if the bus is on time. All of the buses have tracking systems connected to that website.

As buses wind around the city's streets they make scheduled stops at such places as the teen center, the senior center, The Oaks mall, Janss Marketplace, Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center, the Civic Arts Plaza and the libraries.

All of the buses leave from the city's transportation center on Rancho Road at the 101 Freeway and return to the center in what is called a pulse system, which helps riders more easily transfer to other buses and connects all the routes.

"Our buses are on time and very reliable," Watkins said.

Also leaving from the city's transportation center are LADOT Commuter Express 423 that goes to downtown Los Angeles; METRO MTA Bus 161, which takes passengers to Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Woodland Hills and the Warner Center; VISTA Conejo Connection, which makes a round trip to Oxnard and Camarillo; VISTA 101, which makes a round trip to Ventura; and VISTA East, which makes a round trip to Simi Valley, Moorpark College and Moorpark.

The transportation center also serves as a park-and-ride parking lot.

Thousand Oaks Transit schedules can be picked up at city hall, city libraries, The Oaks mall information desk, the Janss Marketplace information center, at high school and California Lutheran University administrative offices, the senior and teen centers, and on the buses themselves.

Schedules are also posted at the Thousand Oaks Transportation Center and at bus stops.

Residents can also request that a schedule be mailed to them by calling Dial-A-Route at (800) 438-1112.

Riding a TOT bus costs $1 for adults, 75 cents for students, 50 cents for seniors, and 25 cents for lowincome or disabled riders. Children under age 5 are free. Transfers cost 15 cents. The costs are subsidized by gasoline sales taxes.