City subsidizes 'Buy Local' campaign while offering low-cost bus transit to malls in Woodland Hills

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers TAKE A BUS, REDUCE POLLUTION, SAVE ON GASOLINE- Senior Concerns offers transportation to Kaiser Permanente and other destinations in Woodland Hills. Shuttle driver Cheryl Hogan of Camarillo waits for riders on Monday morning at the departure site, the Goebel Senior Center in Thousand Oaks. Thousand Oaks subsidizes a Buy Local program as well as a shuttle program offering transportation for shoppers to go to Westfield Topanga shopping malls in Woodland Hills at discount prices.

The Senior Concerns Shuttle offers a $10 fare for seniors and individuals with disabilities and a $20 fare for all others. Departing from the Goebel Senior Center on E. Janss Road, the shuttle was originally created to transport seniors to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Woodland Hills for their HMO doctor appointments.

"I'm in favor of the shuttle to Kaiser, but I'm a little thrown at the need to stop at the Westfield malls instead of our own Thousand Oaks malls," said Louis Masry, president of the Agoura/ Oak Park/Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce.

"After they shop outside of Thousand Oaks they'll realize how wonderful it is to shop in Thousand Oaks and they'll shop here," said a hopeful Janet Levett, CEO of the Thousand OaksWestlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The city has spent thousands of dollars for newspaper advertising, inserts in business license renewal notices and other promotions to make consumers aware of its Buy Local program.

Gary Wartik, economic development manager, said he was unaware the shuttle was taking seniors to malls out of Thousand Oaks.

"I'm in favor of the shuttle taking seniors to the Kaiser Permanente Hospital because we don't have a Kaiser hospital in Thousand Oaks," he said.

In 2006, the City Council approved $70,525 each year for three years up to $211,575 and authorized Senior Concerns to serve as the program operator. A Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant makes up most of the funding, and the city provides additional money through air quality fees from the transportation fund.

According to a city transportation report at the time, the city had received numerous requests for 17-mile transportation service to the Kaiser Permanente hospital due to the elimination of other HMO programs in the area.

The shuttle sells about 35 tickets a month, according to Carol Freeman, president of Senior Concerns, a nonprofit agency dedicated to serving seniors in the Conejo Valley since 1975. She said she was unsure how many different people that represents since some of the riders make repeat trips during the month.

The mall stops were added to the shuttle's route to serve the seniors and increase the number of riders, Freeman said.

The shuttle leaves the senior center on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m., 10:15 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. On Thursdays the shuttle departs at 8:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. only.

The shuttle picks patients up from the hospital in Woodland Hills on Mondays and Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. On Thursdays the rides are at 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.

Those who go to the malls return at 3 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and 1 p.m. on Thursdays.

The trip to Kaiser each way takes from 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the traffic, Freeman said.

For more information, call (805) 497-0189 or visit www.seniorconcerns.org.