Tag: Bus

Silicon Valley local and regional bus news.

Help Advise VTA & San Jose On Public Transit

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Several people are seated aboard a VTA bus moving within the City of San Jose. Seats have grey backs. Camera faces front of bus.
Several people are seated aboard a VTA bus moving within the City of San Jose.

Diane Solomon, host and producer at KKUP-FM in San Jose, informed us of an opportunity for you to help make public transit better in San Jose. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is still looking for someone who lives or works in San Jose to serve as a voice for public transit on its Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC).

As a BPAC member, you will have the ear of key decision-makers at VTA at staff level.

You would representing the City of San Jose as a public transit rider, as a member of VTA’s BPAC. The city committee’s next meeting to discuss this is this coming Monday at 6pm.  More details on what is required for you to be a representative on this committee, follow.

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Weekend Update – Memorial Day 2023

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Happy Memorial Day!
Happy Memorial Day!

This weekend, and especially Monday, we honor and mourn those who perished while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

On Monday, Memorial Day itself, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and all other transit agencies will run on a Sunday/Holiday schedule.

Given the long weekend, there will be plenty of activities going on, particularly in San Jose. Read more about these events – and travel advisories – below.

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April Showers (Of Service Increases)

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Passengers boarding a white and blue VTA 68 bus heading to Gilroy, in downtown San Jose.
People boarding VTA’s 68 bus in downtown San Jose.

On April 24, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) made several service changes to increase bus and light rail service throughout Santa Clara County. Read more about these changes here.

Key notes on the April 24 service changes:

  • Going to the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill? The 568 Rapid bus no longer serves the Morgan Hill Caltrain station. Instead the bus will stay on Monterey Hwy. thru downtown Morgan Hill. The stop now shares the 68’s bus stop on Monterey/3rd, a 10 minute walk to the Courthouse on 301 Diana Ave.
  • On weekends, the 27 bus no longer serves downtown Los Gatos due to area traffic and resulting delays. Those normally taking the bus to downtown Los Gatos. Bus stops for downtown Los Gatos on weekends will be Santa Cruz/Los Gatos-Saratoga (EB to Kaiser SJ), and Los Gatos-Saratoga/University (WB to Winchester LRT station).
  • Also, VTA still does not have enough light rail operators to run light rail at 15-minute frequencies on weekends. This will change as bus drivers apply to become light rail operators throughout the year. VTA is still hiring bus operators; here’s how to apply for a bus operator job.

What are your thoughts and feelings on today’s service increases? Please comment and suggest below.

More later this week. Meanwhile, have a nice day and stay safe.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

Happy Earth Day 2023

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"EARTH DAY" and "EVERY DAY" written in capital letters written in a leaf-colorful background.
Author: Linnaea Mallette Source: publicdomainpictures.net

On behalf of the Silicon Valley Transit Users, I want to wish everyone Happy Earth Day today.

To help celebrate Earth Day, we’ve learned that the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) will offer FREE fare on all buses and light rail lines from 5am today until 3am Sunday morning. VTA also notes Earth Day events in San Jose, Cupertino, and Morgan Hill you can get to by bus.

This weekend, follow @svtransitupdts on Twitter for public transit updates information and public transit tips for Santa Clara County. For more information on VTA bus and light rail service, call VTA Customer Service at (408)321-2300, or visit their web site.

Enjoy Earth Day and stay safe.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

Heavy Rain & Winds May Delay Transit

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Source: ABC 7 News Bay Area on Twitter

Severe rain and high winds are forecast for Silicon Valley today and tomorrow. Because of this, if you must travel, allow extra time for your commute. Especially if you ride Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses and light rail.

Based on events during recent storms, be prepared for delays of at least 20 minutes on BART, ACE Trains, and Caltrain. Also, be prepared for delays of at least 15 minutes on SamTrans bus service as well as all VTA bus and light rail service. They may need to traverse and detour around flooded streets and downed trees this week.

If at all possible, please stay home. Here’s how to report flooding you see in your part of Santa Clara County. Do you need to find warmer shelter? Here’s a list of warming centers throughout Santa Clara County. Other Warming Centers in Santa Clara County are also in county libraries. Many of these Warming Centers are near VTA bus and light rail lines. We’ll alert you when we learn from VTA whether or not they will offer free transit rides to and from these Warming Centers.

If you must travel, be careful when riding public transit. We have a guide that shows you how to ride public transit in wet weather.

Follow @svtransitupdts on Twitter for the latest public transit updates and tips this week. Here’s how to keep us and others updated on our Twitter feed.

Listen to your local television or radio news for the latest updates on the storms this week.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users