General Manager of SCAT Plans to Retire

The general manager of South Coast Area Transit, a county bus transit operator, has informed the agency that he will retire early next year.

Peter Drake handed the five member board his resignation letter last week, stating that he was “looking forward to reading a number of books I have collected over the years and generally just taking it easy.”

He set his retirement date for February, leaving the board seven months to find a replacement.

“We will have to consider someone in-house, as well as looking outside for someone else,” said Oxnard Mayor Manuel Lopez. “My position has always been that we look for the best person in both places.”

Drake has been in charge of the west county’s bus service from its inception in 1974.

He did not return phone calls, but city officials said he had recently mentioned retiring.

“I think it’s obvious that there has been a bit more scrutiny recently on the part of the Ventura and Oxnard city councils with regard to how the agency operates,” said Ventura City Councilman Jim Friedman.

“But I would have no idea whether his retirement is related to that.”

The two cities have asked for more accountability from SCAT regarding spiraling costs, as well as improvements in service. SCAT serves Oxnard, Ventura, Port Hueneme, Ojai and the county’s unincorporated areas.