Eugene B

Happy Birthday, Dr. King, Jr.

by  • 

b/w photo of Dr. King, Jr. against American flag

Source: chatcentralgateway.com

Today, we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Transit agencies such as Caltrain, VTA and SamTrans will run on a regular weekday schedule. However, the Altamont Corridor Express will run on a modified schedule.  This modified schedule has three southbound trains for the morning hour and three northbound trains in the evening rush hour.

To celebrate and honor Dr. King, Jr., several events from San Jose to San Francisco will take place.

San Mateo will have a Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration at its Caltrain station starting at 8:30am. It will end at around 10:30am when the special Caltrain “Celebration Train” is due to arrive to pick up passengers going to the celebration parade in San Francisco.  That parade in San Francisco starts at the Caltrain Station at 4th/King at around 11am, when the “Celebration Train” arrives. The parade ends at the Yerba Buena Center a few blocks away, where the rest of the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration activities will take place.

I leave you with the full (as possible) audio Dr. King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech from 1963…

In some ways, the Dream must still be realized. We can still realize Dr. King, Jr.’s dream – and more – when we work together.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

No More Paper Passes

by  • 

20151226_152625

All paper passes are now a thing of the past. On January 1, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) eliminated the option of buying paper day passes from bus fare boxes and light rail ticket vending machines (TVMs). Instead, riders will need to purchase a Clipper Card and load money on to it from now on.

Exact cash and coins and day pass tokens are still accepted on buses and TVMs. Also, one-way light rail tickets can still be purchased at TVMs.

From January 4 thru the 28th, VTA will hold outreach meetings throughout Santa Clara County to inform people on how to buy a Day Pass (or Monthly Pass) using their Clipper Card.  This is an addition to meetings held back in December. Not sure how Clipper Card works? Please make the time to attend one of the outreach meetings VTA is holding. Alternately, you can visit this site to learn how the Clipper Card works.

Here is a search engine listing stores where you can buy a Clipper Card. For Clipper Card sales at Walgreens stores, purchase Clipper Cards at the photo counter where you used to buy VTA passes.

Use your Clipper Card a lot? Make sure to get the card registered after you purchase it. This way, if your Clipper Card is lost or stolen, you can report it and try to get it replaced. Treat your Clipper Card the same way you treat a bank credit card or debit card – keep it in a safe location and take it only when you need it.

More on Clipper Cards in a future post. See you on board VTA!

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

 

Happy New Year!

by  • 

Courtesy http://www.happynewyear2015pictures.net

Courtesy http://www.happynewyear2015pictures.net

On behalf of the Silicon Valley Transit Users, I want to wish you a Happy New Year!

Starting at 8pm, New Year’s Eve (Thursday) Caltrain, SamTrans, San Francisco MUNI and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) will have FREE transit services. These serve as an alternate to driving drunk, and expensive taxicabs and ride-sharing costs. These transit agencies will also have additional service to handle expected overcrowding; check the links for each transit agency for more details.

On New Year’s Day (Friday) these and other transit agencies will run on a Sunday/Holiday schedule. Make sure to read a guide of transit services running over the New Year’s holiday.  Weekday services for all transit agencies will return on Monday.

We hope you use these transit tips to safely get to and from your New Year’s Eve parties. Let’s be careful out there tonight!

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

 

Merry Christmas!

by  • 

christmas 2013

On behalf of the Silicon Valley Transit Users, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  I especially wish a Merry Christmas to those who cannot be with their families.

Today, many transit agencies serving Silicon Valley (VTA, SamTrans, are running a Sunday/Holiday schedule.  Also, Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) rail service and Dumbarton Express buses will not run today, with service resuming on Monday.

Flying to or from San Jose? Read our transit guide for VTA and other bus service to and from Mineta San Jose International Airport to help you beat traffic gridlock.

Taking Greyhound or Megabus to or from San Jose? Our transit guides to the Greyhound bus station in downtown San Jose and Diridon Station for Megabus help you beat traffic. Note that Diridon Station also serves Caltrain, Amtrak buses and trains, VTA buses and light rail, Monterey-Salinas Transit buses, and Highway 17 Express bus service to Santa Cruz.

Doing any last-minute or post-Christmas shopping? Our transit guide to shopping centers and malls throughout Silicon Valley helps you beat parking hassles and traffic gridlock. You will always have a parking spot when you take a bus or train to shop.

Make sure to stay safe out there this Christmas holiday season.  See you on the bus or train.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

 

History Repeats In Alum Rock

by  • 

Bus Rapid Transit build at Alum Rock/Jackson in May 2015. Courtesy Google Maps

Bus Rapid Transit build at Alum Rock/Jackson in May 2015. Courtesy Google Maps.

There goes the Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) record of having projects built on-time and on-budget. By now, you’ve probably heard the news about how construction delays along Alum Rock Avenue in San Jose have delayed the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project until Summer 2016.

More on this issue – and how it parallels a past transit project in San Jose – follows.

Read more →