City of Agoura Hills flags down new cab service





By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

The city of Agoura Hills is changing its taxi service for the first time in 18 years, but the move shouldn’t affect the price of fares, officials said.


Thousand Oaks Cab Co., the city’s cab provider since the mid-1980s, planned to increase its contract for the coming year by 20 percent to $333,000, prompting city officials to seek bids from other companies.


After reviewing 23 bids, the city signed a three-year deal with Laidlaw Transit Services of Sherman Oaks for $319,000 a year.


Laidlaw will continue the Agoura Hills Dial-a-Ride program in which customers pay a subsidized fare of only $1 for one-way rides within city limits.


"For years we received a below-average rate relative to the rest of L.A. County and we got a great deal and great service, but the company realized it needed to make increases and we decided since we were going to pay for a 20 percent increase, we had a responsibility to go out to bid and test the market," said Greg Ramirez, assistant city manager.


Alan Reer, Thousand Oaks Cab vice president, said market conditions forced his company to seek higher compensation from the city. "We had been losing money on the service and with the dramatic increase of insurance, workmen’s compensation and also the gas price in itself just going through the roof necessitated an increase in rates," Reer said.


Under the new contract, Laidlaw will charge the city a higher hourly rate than Thousand Oaks Cab, but will save money in the long run by guaranteeing greater passenger loads and less wait time.


The company will use four minivans and one van for handicap riders for its Agoura Hills service, Ramirez said.


The Laidlaw contract represents a 16 percent increase over the city’s current Dial-a-Ride operations, but Agoura Hills won’t be paying the entire $319,000 contract by itself. The city receives a regular grant from the Metropolitan Transit Authority and reimbursement from other transportation contracts with Los Angeles and Ventura counties.


Laidlaw will run its local operations from new offices at 5320 Derry Ave. in Agoura Hills. The company also runs a fixed-route service in Thousand Oaks.



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