OXNARD — It's dawn at The Esplanade mall and the daily commute is well underway.
A couple of passengers climb into a long white van and settle comfortably into cushioned seats. At 6:15 sharp, the vanpool driver, 62-year-old Oxnard resident Ron Walters, pulls out of the lot into a steady stream of traffic on the southbound Ventura Freeway.
Destination: Warner Center in the San Fernando Valley, 45 miles away.
Roughly 8,700 Ventura County residents work at the Woodland Hills office and industrial complex, about a quarter of the center's total employees. Most of them cross the county line every day alone in their car, clogging up roadways and adding to pollution.
But Walters and the 12 people who ride with him are doing their part to ease the region's growing traffic congestion, reduce stress and save money, particularly with gas prices nearing $2 per gallon. According to officials at the Warner Center's transportation department, Walters' van is the only one--out of 30 vanpools--that transports workers from Ventura County.
A manager in the engineering department at Litton Industries, Walters had taken the same vanpool from Oxnard to work for 12 years. But when the driver retired a year ago, no one would take over the job. So Walters stepped in.
"I figured I have to drive anyway, so I should help others," he said. "It's not so bad. We have some good people on it. I allow them to have social hour or sleep or read the newspaper."
Unlike company-sponsored vanpools, Walters manages the finances and does the legwork himself--securing insurance, washing the van, filling the tank and figuring out who his passengers will be each day. He charges between $100 and $110 per month.
"If I charge anymore, people will say it's too expensive and will start car-pooling," he said. "So I keep it within that range."
Walters said he doesn't make money at the venture, but keeps a small fund in case gas prices rise.
The van will stop in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks before arriving almost an hour later at its final destination. To avoid traffic, the van leaves early and drops employees at work at 7:15 and leaves in the afternoon at 4:30.
As each person climbed aboard the van on a recent weekday, Walters--wearing a camel-colored sport coat--makes a hash mark next to the person's name so he doesn't forget anyone. Seven of Walters' passengers work at Litton, an electronics and technology company that has 1,500 employees at Warner Center.
