who proposed the idea. "We could keep the existing services going,
and add to them."
The council-appointed Transit Services Task Force and the
nonprofit Burbank Transportation Management Organization favor the
shuttle bus project.
Councilman Jef Vander Borght, who sits on the task force, said the
city would now have to determine what routes to set up for the
service.
"With the help of staff, we have identified this would be
worthwhile," Vander Borght said. "The issue becomes how and when."
J.J. Weston, the transportation management organization's
executive director, said a shuttle will significantly boost the
group's goal of getting people out of their cars and onto trains and
other public transportation.
"Once the service is up and running, it will be easier to market
it and perhaps increase demand," Weston said.
The transportation management organization is a nonprofit made up
of 130 businesses and the city. Its mission is to encourage
carpooling and mass transit.
The Got Wheels Youth Transportation program began in February
1999. Initially operated by a private company, the program was taken
over by the Park, Recreation and Community Service Department in
April 2000. The buses transport students after school and during the
summer break.
The MTA has two bus lines serving Burbank. The closest Metro Red
Line stops to Burbank, however, are in Universal City and North
Hollywood.
According to a staff report to the council, the transit task force
suggested that the North Hollywood station be the connection for the
shuttle buses to allow for stops in Magnolia Park on their way to the
Media District.
The shuttle bus proposal comes at a time when the city is taking a
hard look at how to improve local public transportation. The city
also operates vans for seniors and disabled residents, and vans to
shuttle people from the Metrolink station to their workplace.