Agua Dulce News Index12-2-04 A free shuttle service for Acton and Agua Dulce residents who need rides to Santa Clarita will continue operating on a month-to-month basis in 2005, Los Angeles County officials said Wednesday. The service is run by the Santa Clarita Valley Committee on Aging on Mondays and Wednesdays, and ridership has grown in its year-plus of operation, said Millie Jones, an aide to county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. "The supervisor initiated the shuttle services as a way to provide additional transit in rural areas," Jones said. "I can tell you, in meeting with the Agua Dulce Seniors Club, they are very pleased with the service and very grateful for it."
The shuttles pick up passengers in Acton between 9 and 9:15 a.m. at a bus stop on Sierra Highway and Crown Valley Road; Agua Dulce passengers are picked up outside the Agua Dulce Women's Club between 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. The shuttle arrives in Santa Clarita around 10:05 a.m. at the northwest corner of Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway. From there, riders can use Santa Clarita Transit or arrange for shuttles to other locations through the Committee on Aging, said Brad Berens, executive director of the committee.
Shuttles leave Santa Clarita at 3:40 p.m., arriving in Agua Dulce between 4 and 4:15 p.m., and arriving in Acton around 4:30 p.m.
Curb-to-curb service also is available for senior citizens and people with disabilities; this must be arranged 24 hours in advance.
The fixed-route shuttle service is available for anyone, though Berens said most riders are seniors who use the service to travel to doctor appointments or the pharmacy. "I'd say there's 30 people absolutely relying on it who are using it at various times," Berens said. "It's an interesting dynamic for the elders in Acton and Agua Dulce - even if they think they should give up driving, they won't (because of the distance to services). The more people utilizing (the shuttle service), the more apt the county will be to keep it going for folks."
The service is paid for through a $5,000-a-month allotment from Antonovich's Proposition A transportation funds. The shuttles carry three to four people per vehicle service hour, a solid figure when compared to similar service such as Dial-a-Ride, Berens said.
For details or to schedule a transfer or curb-to-curb pick-up, contact Maria Linares at the Committee on Aging at (661) 259-9444.