Countywide : Transit Information Center Is Approved

The Ventura County Transportation Commission on Friday approved a plan to set up a transportation information center where residents can call a toll-free number to get information about public and private transit services.

The commission authorized its executive director, Ginger Gherardi, to begin soliciting bids from consultants needed to help set up the center, which officials said should be in operation by Sept. 3.

The commission last month agreed to set aside $50,000 for setting up the information center and another $25,000 to operate it for the first year.

The center is being established in response to numerous complaints from county residents and businesses who feel that information on transit services is difficult to find, officialssaid.

“I’m real excited,” Mary Travis, manager of county transit programs, said of the center. “It’s the first step toward uniting the county as far as transit is concerned.”

The center will have an 800 toll-free telephone number that non-hearing callers can also use.

An information officer will be available to answer calls during normal business hours on weekdays, and a message machine will be used to answer after-hours calls.

The center will provide callers with information about routes, fares and schedules of all available transit services in the county, Travis said.

In addition, callers will be able to request brochures and schedules of bus and other available transit services, such as taxis or special car and van pools available for handicapped passengers.

The information center will be located in offices of the transportation commission at the county Government Center in Ventura.