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The VTA's 2008 Bus Service Restructuring Proposal
and How YOU Are Affected

• Background and Overall Impact
• Current and Proposed Community Bus Services
• Bus Lines Proposed To Be Made "Rapid" Similar To the 522
• Proposed New Express Bus Lines
• Proposed New Local Bus Lines
• Proposed Bus Service Increases
• Bus Lines Proposed To LOSE Service
• Proposed Bus Route Modifications
• Bus Lines Proposed To Be Eliminated
• Who Benefits In the Bus Service Restructuring Proposal?
• Who Loses?
• How YOU Can Make Your Voice Heard On the Proposal?

Background and Overall Impact 

As part of its Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) plan, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) plans to restructure bus service in three stages.  The first stage begins this July. In Morgan Hill and Gilroy, bus lines 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 would use smaller buses, similar to those currently serving Los Gatos on the 48 and 49 bus lines. The next stage will be implemented in January 2008 and the last stage in July 2008.

SCVTARU obtained a draft copy of the plan at the VTA's "Transit Planning and Operations" (TP&O) Committee back in March

The overall plan would result in a 10-12% decrease in rush hour bus service, but nearly a 5% increase in midday bus service and a 7% increase in weekend bus service.  The proposed plan is below:

Current and Proposed Community Bus Services 

Lines to be converted to Community Bus Routes with smaller buses, like those currently serving Los Gatos, and operated by VTA in-house:

• 11 (NEW) - serving Downtown San Jose, Japantown, and the Market Center on Coleman
• 13 - Convert from regular bus, and replace the 63 bus line south of Coleman
• 14 – would replace part of line 17 in Gilroy between the Caltrain station and St. Louise Hospital
• 15, 16, 17, 19 – Local bus lines in Morgan Hill and Gilroy to be converted to community bus
• 18 – would replace regular bus service from 68 from Gilroy Caltrain station to Gavilan College)
• 32, 34 40 – serving Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View
• 42 (NEW) – would replace the 72 bus line south of Monterey and Senter in San Jose
• 43 (NEW) – would run from Alum Rock light rail station to Eastridge Mall in San Jose only when the 522 is not running
• 45 (NEW) – would replace the 64 bus line from Penitencia Creek light rail station to Alum Rock light rail station
• 88 – after conversion, would only run between California Avenue Caltrain station to San Antonio Shopping Center)

All outsourced VTA shuttle services (River Oaks and Great America light rail shuttles, and the DASH downtown San Jose shuttle) will be brought in-house to VTA.

Bus Lines Proposed To Be Made "Rapid" Similar To the 522 

• 523 - Would perate from De Anza along Steven Creek to Downtown San Jose and continuing on Santa Clara/Alum Rock terminating at Alum Rock light rail station. This line's frequency would drop from 15 minutes to 12 minutes.
• 555 - Would operate on a small segment of Lines 54 and 55.
• 568 - Would operate between Downtown San Jose and Santa Theresa light rail station along the current 68 bus route.

Proposed New Express Bus Lines 

• 168 – To operate between Gilroy via highways 101, 85, and 87 to Downtown San Jose with a Morgan Hill stop, operating every 30 minutes during peak hours.
• 181 – Fremont BART to Downtown San Jose, directly every 15 minutes during peak.  Routingis rumored to be via highways 680/280 and Tenth Street.
  

Proposed New Local Bus Lines  

• 61 - would use the 62 bus route along Bascom Ave., then use 36 bus route to East San Jose, operating every 30 minutes all day

Proposed Bus Service Increases 

• 23 - would operate every 12 minutes.  Line would extend to serve East San Jose via Alum Rock Ave. east of downtown San Jose.
• 25 - would operate every 10 minutes all day between Alum Rock and Valley Medical Center
• 26 and 60 - would have segments of their route operating 15 minutes all day with the less traveled segments operating 30 minutes.  More specifics are not available at this time.
• 46 - Midday service would improve to 30 minutes
• 71 - would operate every 15 minutes during peak hours
  
• 72 and 73 - would operate 15 minutes during midday hours
  
• 77 - would operate every 15 minutes during midday and peak hours
  
• 180 Express - would be be timed to meet with every BART train in Fremont.  Service frequency will increase from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes daily.  During peak hours, service between downtown San Jose and Milpitas could be eliminated due to peak hour vehicle requirements.
  

Bus Lines Proposed to LOSE Service 

• 10 - would lose service to the airport employee parking lot at Mineta San Jose International Airport
• 22 - cut service between Menlo Park and Palo Alto
• 27 - Route would only operate between Santa Theresa and Good Sam. Hospital
• 31 - Route would operate 30 during peak and 60 minutes during midday.  Service north of Eastridge Mall in San Jose would be eliminated
• 33 - Route would operate 40 minutes all day.  Service between McCarthy Ranch and Baypointe light rail station would be eliminated.
• 35 - would cut service between Palo Alto Caltrain station and Stanford Shopping Center
• 51 - Route would operate 45 during peak
• 52 - Route would operate 20 minutes during peak hours.
• 54 - Midday would improve to 30 minutes
• 62 - Service would decrease to 30 minutes all day
• 63 - Cut service south of Coleman, ending at Almaden light rail station.  Route would operate 30 minutes during midday hours
• 65 - Cut service to downtown San Jose and south of Hwy. 85.  Route would operate hourly all day.
• 77 - Cut service north of Great Mall
• 81 - operate between downtown San Jose and Vallco Park)
• 82 - Cut service north of downtown San Jose.  Midday service would improve to 30 minutes.
• 53 and 54 - Cut service south of De Anza College 
• 103 Express - would have three morning and evening peak period runs instead of four
• 321 and 330 Limited - would have only one morning and evening peak period trip instead of three
  

Proposed Bus Route Modifications 

• 26 - Operate short line service on the eastern portion
• 52 - Reroute service to serve San Antonio Shopping Center in Mountain View and then use the current 23 bus route to Foothill College
• 55 - Change routing to intersect with 54, cut service south of De Anza College
• 57 – Run line only between Bowers and West Valley College
• 60 – Run line only between Santa Clara Caltrain and Winchester LRT
• 64 - Reroute eastern portion to run on McKee Road instead of Alum Rock Avenue in San Jose.  Also, service between San Jose Caltrain station and Penitencia Creek light rail station would be eliminated. From San Jose Caltrain station, the 64 would assume the current 81 bus route in San Jose from Park and San Fernando to White/McKee via McKee Road.
• 81 - Operate only between Downtown San Jose and Vallco Mall in Cupertino.  Service east of Downtown San Jose would be provided by the rerouted 64 bus line.  Service west of Downtown San Jose would be provided every 30 minutes.
  

Bus Lines Proposed To Be Eliminated 

• Local bus lines: 36, 37, 38, 39, 44, 58, 59, 67, 76, and 85
• Limited Stop bus line 305
• Express bus lines 101, 104, 122, and 140
  

Who Benefits In the Bus Restructuring Proposal? 

• Downtown San Jose, with new express bus service to Gilroy and increases in express bus service and frequency to Fremont's BART station.  Santa Clara Street will see bus service every 6 minutes with the 22, 522, 523, and enhanced 23 bus line services.
• South County (Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy), with extra express bus service to San Jose via the new 168 express bus line and use of smaller buses in Morgan Hill and Gilroy instead of 35-foot and 40-foot buses.
• Businesses along Stevens Creek Boulevard and Monterey Highway in San Jose, where proposed increases in bus service along these corridors (23 and 568) could mean increases in business.

Who Loses? 

San Jose City College students, via elimination of direct service between downtown San Jose and City College on Bascom and Interstate 280 with the proposed elimination of the 85 bus line.

Students at Foothill College and DeAnza College.  The 52 bus line would lose direct service between Foothill College and Mountain View's Caltrain/Light Rail station. Worse, the proposal would eliminate all bus service between the two colleges, as well as all bus service south of DeAnza College.

Los Altos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, and the Almaden and Evergreen foothills areas of San Jose, with reductions or eliminations in bus service. 

Gavilan College students living in Morgan Hill or San Martin, who would have to transfer at the Gilroy Caltrain station to reach the campus instead of having a one-seat ride on the 68 bus line.

Workers in the industrial areas of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara who are not near light rail or Caltrain, with the loss of the 140 express bus to and from Fremont BART station.

Residents in the northern Sunnyhills area of Milpitas.  They would lose access to the 140 Express bus and the 77 local bus under the proposal. 

How Can I Make My Voice Heard On VTA's Bus Service Restructuring Proposal? 

The VTA Board of Directors will discuss the proposal at its meeting this Thursday, April 5, at 5:30pm at the County Supervisors' Chambers, 70 W. Hedding Street in San Jose.  The discussion will be item #14 on the agenda.

Before that, the VTA Board of Directors will vote on the proposed community bus service conversions in Morgan Hill and Gilroy as agenda item #11.  Can't make the VTA Board meeting this Thursday?  Call VTA's administration number at (408)321-5680 and express your comments to the Board members there.

VTA will hold meetings on the proposal throughout May.  Watch our website for details as circumstances (and facts) warrant.

--Many SCVTARU members contributed to this report thru our email list.

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