The City of Malibu is spending $2,016 per week for a shuttle to the Point Dume Headland Preserves, but the bus remains mostly empty of passengers.
This nature bus route, operated by Malibu Shuttle Service, was set up as a result of a settlement agreement between the city and the California Coastal Commission.
The city allegedly violated the Coastal Act of 1972, which resulted in diminished public access to the Point Dume coastal area. Following a cease-and-desist order from the Coastal Commission, the city and the commission agreed to work together to provide public access improvements to Cliffside Drive and the bordering preserve.
The agreement requires the city to initiate and operate a shuttle bus service between the Westward Beach parking lot and the preserve.
But this attempt to make the Point Dume Headlands Preserve accessible to visitors, while minimizing parking that would impactson the neighborhood, has not been as successful a venture as hoped for.
The shuttle, which has been running since May 25, operates seven days a week during the summer and on weekends and holidays during the rest of the year. It runs every half hour from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on these days.
The annual cost to the city of operating the shuttle, if the service is provided as currently established, is between $50,000 -$60,000 a year.
But the service appears to be underused and the city may be spending money on a ghost bus.
“The reports are coming in and the usage is kind of light,” said Chuck Bergson, public works director for the City of Malibu.
The agreement also requires the city to review and adjust the frequency and service depending on the actual usage, every three months.
Councilmember Sharon Barovsky said the city is currently conducting an assessment of ridership and results will not be in until the end of the year.
“It looks like we may have to adjust it if it’s not used,” said Bergson. As an option, the city may reduce the size of the vehicle, using a smaller bus that will match the number of people who choose to use the shuttle. A 16- to 18-passenger vehicle is currently in operation.
The agreement with the state to operate the shuttle is not unique.
“Other shuttles exist in numerous cities,” said Sara Wan, Coastal Commission chair. These shuttles are required because some cities have parking issues, and the shuttle route is established in lieu of parking spaces that would normally be required in a particular area, she said.
“Maybe the people need to know about it,” she said, pointing out that young families with children would benefit from the shuttle.
An idea to attract attention to the shuttle is to have high school students paint the vehicle with natural designs, showing the headland’s wildlife and fauna, said Carolyn Van Horn, ex-council member and proponent of the shuttle.
“I do think that if the kids are allowed to paint this bus, it will be eye catching and people will become aware of the service,” said Van Horn.
“It could be used for taking seniors to shop down at the Civic Center and as a shuttle within the city during the off hours to serve school children,” suggested Van Horn.
But regardless of the usage, the city cannot cancel the nature bus service without prior approval from the state as stated in the settlement agreement.
If the City of Malibu terminates the shuttle service prior to the Local Coastal Plan certification or without obtaining an agreement to terminate from the proper agencies, it will have to construct an additional 22 parking spaces within close proximity of the preserve.
Robert Roy van de Hoek, a marine biologist who ran for Malibu City Council last year, is one of the two drivers who takes the shuttle back and fourth on its ghostly nature journey.