BUS LINE TO FERRY BETWEEN COUNTIES.

Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff Writer

Ventura County's crush of commuters bound for Warner Center in the San Fernando Valley will soon have an easier ride this summer, when the Conejo Connection commuter bus line hits the road.

Scheduled to begin July 13, the service will link Warner Center with stops along the Ventura Freeway between Oxnard and Agoura Hills, said Mary Travis, manager of regional programs for the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

About 4,000 of the 40,000 people working in Warner Center live in Ventura County - enough to support the government-subsidized bus line, Travis said.

``We aren't expecting 4,000 people to be on the bus July 13,'' Travis said. ``But we think that is enough of a pool of riders that they will be attracted by having a good hour of free time to read or take a nap.''

The service will probably start off with two buses seating 44 people each. Stops are tentatively planned at the Esplanade Mall in Oxnard, and at Park 'n' Ride lots in Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills.

Fares have yet to be set, but a one-way run from Oxnard will probably cost around $2.50, or about $80 for a monthly pass.

Christopher Park, executive director of the Warner Center Transportation Management Organization, said the new line has been a long time coming.

``For many years, we've lobbied and worked to put in more transportation lines,'' said Park, whose organization will help promote the new service. ``The Conejo Valley has been one of the key underserved markets in transit. So we're really excited about getting this going.''

In an informal survey last year, 400 people who work in Warner Center showed strong interest in swapping their cars for the bus line. But Park said it's too early to speculate how many will actually take the bus or to what extent the line may relieve freeway congestion. But, he added, ``every little bit helps.''

A similar commuter bus service operates between Simi Valley and Warner Center.

And buses are popular among commuters in the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys. About 170 passengers a day ride Antelope Valley Transit Authority buses to the San Fernando Valley, while 225 travel to downtown Los Angeles. From the Santa Clarita Valley, 350 people a day travel to the San Fernando Valley, and 400 more go downtown.

Ventura County's two-year demonstration program is fueled by a $400,000 federal grant to the Ventura County Transportation Commission and a $100,000 grant from the city of Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Transportation Agency.

Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo said the new bus line will help meet the growing need for transportation alternatives between Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

``We don't see this as a threat to Metrolink because our passengers are destined further into Los Angeles County,'' Hidalgo said. ``What's nice here is that the Ventura County Transportation Commission is providing alternatives to driving to the Warner Center with this new Conejo bus route. And whether it's taking the train or taking the bus, the bottom line is people are choosing transit over their automobiles.''