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.
Table of Contents
- Commuter Rail
- By Cities In Santa Clara County
- Sunnyvale
- Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy
- Regional Bus Stop Changes
- Where Can I Find More Updates On the Strike?
Commuter Rail
BART
In Santa Clara County, BART parallels Montague Expwy., and Lundy, between Milpitas Transit Center and Berryessa (North San Jose) stations. Thus, it’s parallel to where the 77 bus line normally runs.
The Milpitas Transit Center is a 5-10 minute walk to the Great Mall. The Berryessa Flea Market is located in the back of the Berryessa Transit Center and BART station. Both stations are served by BART’s Orange Line (Richmond) and Green Line (Daly City) trains.
Caltrain
Caltrain provides commuter rail service between San Francisco and San Jose. Service from Gilroy is provided only during morning weekday rush hour; return service to Gilroy only during weekday evening rush hour periods.
Between Palo Alto and San Jose Diridon Station, Caltrain parallels El Camino Real and The Alameda. VTA’s 22 and 522 Rapid bus lines typically run along El Camino Real; the 21 bus line typically runs thru neighborhoods between the Palo Alto and Santa Clara train stations. Note that the distance between the Caltrain station and El Camino can be up to half a mile away.
By Cities In Santa Clara County
Palo Alto
Palo Alto Link is the city’s rideshare service. It runs Monday-Friday from 7am-7pm. More information about Palo Alto Link is available by calling (650) 505-5772. The service, per a story in Palo Alto Online, started in March 2023, being a replacement for the Palo Alto shuttle.
Mountain View
Mountain View residents have two local options. The first option is the Mountain View Community Shuttle. It’s a free shuttle service that serves parks, the Senior Center, downtown Mountain View, San Antonio Shopping Center, and El Camino Hospital. On weekdays, it runs from 7am-7pm. On weekends and holidays, the shuttle service runs from 10am-6pm.
The other local option in Mountain View is called MVgo. Unlike the Community Shuttle, MVgo only runs during weekday morning and evening commute hours.\
Sunnyvale
In Sunnyvale – particularly northwestern Sunnyvale – there is the Peery Park Rides service. It serves northwestern part of the city, including the Caltrain station. Service hours are from 7am-7pm on weekdays only.
Cupertino/South Santa Clara
For Cupertino and southern Santa Clara, there is the Silicon Valley Hopper rideshare service. It currently runs on weekdays from 7am-7pm, and on Saturdays from 9am-5pm. Call (669)201-1892 for further information.
Milpitas
In Milpitas, there is the Simple Mobile Access to Reliable Transit (SMART) rideshare service. Their service hours are from 6am-9pm weekdays, and 7am-7pm weekends. Call (408)330-3302 for more information.
Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, San Jose, Saratoga
For these cities, the RYDE (Reach Your Destination Easily) rideshare service is available for adults 65 years old, or older. RYDE is a curb-to-curb transportation and trip planning service that provides transportation to appointments, train stations, and local hospitals.
Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy
Sourcewise provides curbside pick up and drop off transportation to adults 60 years and older and adults with disabilities who reside in Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy.
Regional Bus Stop Changes
Ride the Highway 17 Express Bus to/from San Jose Diridon Station? The bus stop for that line has been moved out of Diridon Station for the duration of the strike. More from Santa Cruz METRO:
Due to the ongoing ATU Local 265 Strike impacting VTA operations, METRO will not be entering Diridon Station. METRO will utilize a temporary stop at S. Montgomery & Crandall St. Highway 17 service will run as otherwise scheduled.
For the updates on VTA service, please visit https://vta.org.
Please visit https://rt.scmetro.org for Real-Time tracking.
In Milpitas, AC Transit’s 217 bus will not stop within the Milpitas Transit Center, due to the strike. Until further notice, the bus stop for this line will be in the exclusive bus lane located along S. Milpitas Blvd. between the BART station entrance and E. Capitol Ave.
Where Can I Find More Updates On the Strike?
Follow @svtransitupdts on X (formerly Twitter) for the latest public transit updates regarding the labor strike. This page will be updated with the latest information, as facts warrant.
Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users