Council OKs OCTA Van Program

Oakley and Invensys employees who train to work now won't have to worry about those final miles between the Metrolink station and their Lake Forest job site.

The two companies are working with Lake Forest and Orange County Transit Authority as part of a five-year pilot program to retain out-of-town talent by making commutes simpler.

Unanimously on Tuesday the City Council approved the project, which is being funded by a $287,725 OCTA grant awarded to Lake Forest in late July as part of the second iteration of Measure M, known as Measure M2.

The money will cover 90 percent of the cost of leasing vans to take employees from the Irvine Metrolink station to their Lake Forest workplace. Participating companies will pay the other 10 percent.

The carpool program is intended to benefit OCTA with increased use of Amtrak; Lake Forest with fewer cars on its streets; Oakley and Invensys by making it easier to retain out-of-town workers; and employees with easier commutes, according to city staffers.