Valley Express: Session to address local transit fails to attract riders

March 29, 2017
Santa Paula News

A special meeting to specifically address Valley Express bus service in Santa Paula failed to attract any riders when the special session, held March 15 at the Community Center Senior Center, did not draw any community participants.

There were a handful of speakers — all negative about the service — at the March 20 City Council meeting, when a wide-ranging Unmet Transit Needs hearing was held.

But, the March 15 meeting, staged by Moore & Associates and the Ventura County Transportation District, didn’t draw any participants.

Known formally as the Heritage Valley Transit Service, Valley Express has two fixed routes in Santa Paula and one each in Fillmore and Piru.

According to Jim Moore of Moore & Associates, the March 15 meeting was held to promote the service as well as to “gauge satisfaction” with the Valley Express service.

Tentative results of a recent Valley Express survey show that 80 percent of riders are satisfied with the service, which is ranked “good to very good…”

Methods of increasing ridership are being addressed to ensure the public is aware of the service and any future modifications that are largely based on riders’ input.

“We never had a person say there are too many riders,” noted Moore. 

Many of the present users of the service use it for work and school transit needs. 

The latest survey and outreach said Allison Moore of Moore & Associates is “kind of the refresher moment” and part of the evolving process of determining transportation needs and how well they are being met.

The meeting was meant to focus on transportation needs and priorities for its current service evaluation. Ellen Talbo, a VCTC Transit Planning Manager, also attended the March 15 session.

The fixed route Valley Express service was rolled out in March 2015 for the cities of Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru.

Valley Express operates fixed-route, Americans with Disabilities (ADA) para-transit, and general public Dial a Ride throughout the Heritage Valley. Service is provided by a cooperative agreement between the cities of Fillmore and Santa Paula, the Piru governing County of Ventura, and the Ventura County Transportation Commission. 

Riders on Valley Express can also connect to the VCTC 126 route. 





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