Fatal Greyhound Bus Crash In S. San Jose

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Tuesday morning’s commute from south of San Jose proved to be a nightmare. At around 6:30am this morning, a Greyhound bus from Los Angeles to Oakland overturned and crashed on Highway 101, just south of Highway 85 in southern San Jose. As of 8:30am, two people have died and 18 have been injured.

The resulting traffic gridlock on Highway 101 northbound has caused at least 30 minute delays on VTA’s 121 and 168 express bus lines from Morgan Hill and Gilroy. Also, delays are expected on Monterey-Salinas Transit’s 55 and 86 bus lines between San Jose and Monterey County.

See your favorite news outlet for more information regarding this tragic bus crash. One definitely must consider use of public transportation like VTA or Caltrain today, if you have not done so already. Let this also be a reminder to SLOW DOWN if you must drive.

Stay safe out there…

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

Happy Birthday, Dr. King, Jr.

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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

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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