Tag: Mountain View

Welcome To Super Bowl LX

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The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are ready for Sunday’s big game in Santa Clara. Are you going to the game itself?

If so, the Super Bowl LX Transit Guide is for you. It will help you beat traffic gridlock and parking woes at or near Levi’s Stadium. The money you save is money you are not spending on excessively high parking fees, fuel, or event surge pricing at some ride-hailing companies. This informative guide focuses mainly on events happening in and around San Jose and Santa Clara County. You will find that Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses, light rail, Caltrain commuter rail, and BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains will help ease your Super Bowl LX experience.

In addition to the Big Game on Sunday, this transit guide also features

  • Pre-game events and tailgating parties
  • Watch parties at bars and restaurants
  • Post-game after-parties

The watch parties are useful for those who don’t have a ticket to the Big Game, yet want to enjoy seeing the big game with fellow football fans.

The transit guide will be amended as needed. Check often for updates and additions.

Know of additional watch parties or post-game after-parties in the San Jose area? Tell about them in the comments.

On that note, Welcome to Super Bowl LX!

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

ETAs for VTA Light Rail Return

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Just learned that Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail service returns this week after workers went on strike for over two weeks. Estimated schedule of when train lines return to service:

Also, reports of two copper thefts during the strike have also played a role in delaying its service return. Meanwhile, labor negotiations between VTA and ATU Local 265 will continue, despite lack of a contract. Some quick reminders on light rail:

  • Orange line trains run round-trip between Mountain View, Old Ironsides (for connection to the Green Line) Baypointe (for connections to the Blue Line), Milpitas (BART connection), and Alum Rock in East San Jose
  • Blue Line trains run round-trip between Baypointe in North San Jose, downtown San Jose, and Santa Teresa in South San Jose.
  • Green Line trains run round-trip between Old Ironsides in Santa Clara, downtown San Jose, and Winchester in Campbell.

What are your thoughts on VTA bus and light rail service returning after the strike? Discuss in comments below.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

Transit Strike Update – 3/25/2025

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VTA Mountain View light rail platform, looking north, from the southern end of the platform. Shows empty platform indicating no light rail service at this time.
Empty Mountain View VTA light rail platform.

The Silicon Valley Public Transit Strike of 2025 enters its third week. Last Sunday, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) proposed a new labor agreement for striking workers representing the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265. This proposal was given at a special Board Of Directors’ meeting Sunday morning.

Per NBC Bay Area, about 100,000 transit riders are affected by this strike, which started March 10. Also reported: VTA mentioned they were losing $70,000 per day in lost fares as a result of the strike.

San Jose Spotlight described details of VTA’s proposal:

The VTA Board of Directors approved the revised offer in a special meeting Sunday. It included a 11% raise over the next three years, going up 4%, another 4% and 3%. It included updates to the conflict resolution process for workers filing a grievance, before going to a neutral third party. But it also introduced other contract changes, such as reducing overtime.

Yesterday (Monday) morning, 83% of ATU Local 265 members rejected the proposal. Per Rajvinder Singh, President and Business Agent at ATU Local 265, sticking points are overtime pay, and the need for a “no retaliation” guarantee for all striking employees – including probationary employees.

Yesterday, labor negotiators from VTA and ATU Local 265 met with a state mediator.

Sadly, no results came from that meeting. Both VTA and ATU Local 265 will be in a court hearing on Wednesday at 1:30pm. That hearing in Santa Clara County Superior Court will determine VTA’s legal request to end the strike.

Meanwhile, VTA has offered strike-affected riders $5 vouchers for their rideshare trips from 7am-10pm between VTA stops.

What are your thoughts and ideas on labor negotiations, and VTA’s $5 voucher for rideshare? Please comment and suggest.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

Transit Alternatives To the VTA Strike

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Picket signs say "ATU Local 265 on strike against VTA" in black and white. Source: ATU Local 265
Strike picket signs. Source: ATU Local 265

Bus and light rail service in Santa Clara County remains suspended indefinitely. This is due to a strike by workers who are members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265 over wages, benefits, and arbitration. See our prior update over what they are on strike against the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) over – a strike which began on Monday at 12:01am.

The strike does NOT affect ACCESS Paratransit service. The service is run by a private company on another contract.

Following is a list of commuter rail, community shuttles, and rideshare services within Santa Clara County that are alternates to suspended VTA bus and light rail service. Be advised: some of these services require premium fare, have age minimums, and have limited service range and hours. With rideshare services, they also require advance reservations before riding.

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Super Bowl LVIII Local Party Transit Guide

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Super Bowl LVIII logo with San Francisco and Kansas City team logos on the left and right, respectively.
Image courtesy foxsports.com

The stage is set for Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII.  Can’t make it to the rematch of the Big Game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs?  There are local parties at bars, clubs, and restaurants throughout Santa Clara County – and beyond. Read on for more details.

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