On Monday, Jan. 20, the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) increased fares and made minor schedule modifications to its Intercity bus system.
The Commission approved a fare increase in October 2018 to address the rising costs of operation. The decision followed a public outreach process in the summer and fall of the same year. To minimize impact to customers, VCTC adjusted fares in phases, January 2019 and January 2020.
Reduced prices are available to seniors 65 years or older, Medicare, or ADA/Disabled riders. In addition, Ventura County college students can ride buses free with a valid student ID.
“VCTC’s Intercity bus service carries over 1,000 people every day to their jobs and schools,” said VCTC Executive Director Darren Kettle. “Our goal is that our riders have a safe, reliable, and comfortable trip. It’s a hard conversation to have to consider a fare increase but when we posed the question to our riders, they understood that to keep the quality service they have come to expect a small fare increase was worth it. This fare change will allow us to maintain our current level of service to the community while keeping VCTC Intercity Transit financially sound.”
Bus schedule changes, which will also go into effect on Jan. 20, include minor timetable modifications to address traffic congestion and improve on-time performance. In addition, VCTC will be reinstituting two weekday shuttle routes that serve CSU Channel Islands. The routes, which connect the University to Camarillo and Oxnard, were previously combined as a single line. For more information, visit goventura.org.
Route 77, formerly known as the East-West Connector, is also getting an update on Jan. 20. The new Cross County Limited provides the same one-seat service between Simi Valley, Moorpark, and West Ventura County. Many college students and faculty use Route 77 to travel between Ventura College and Moorpark College.
The Ventura County Transportation Commission is the regional transportation planning agency committed to keeping Ventura County moving. Program information is available at goventura.org.
