Barring a last-minute labor agreement, all bus and light rail service in Santa Clara County will shut down indefinitely at 12:01am Monday morning. Over 100,000 bus and light rail riders in Santa Clara County will have to find alternatives afterward. The shutdown is due to a strike by 1,500 members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265 against the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) over wages, benefits, and grievances. The prior labor contract expired March 3.
The strike does NOT affect ACCESS Paratransit service. The service is run by a private company on another contract.
In addition to operators of VTA buses and light rail, ATU Local 265 also represents VTA’s
- Maintenance workers
- Dispatchers
- Fare inspectors
- Customer service representatives
More on the strike – and how YOU can get around during the strike – follow below.
Table of Contents
- What the Strike Is About
- Who Does the Strike Affect?
- What Public Transit Will Still Run in Santa Clara County?
- Where Can I Find More Updates On the Strike?
What the Strike Is About
ATU LOCAL 265’s PRIMARY ASK: 6% salary increase each year, over a three-year period, due to rising inflation and housing costs.
VTA’S LAST, CURRENT OFFER: 9% salary increase over three (3) years. Includes 4% first year, 3% the second year, and 2% the third year. Also, a step pay increase for light rail operators, making it consistent with bus operators. In addition, a one-time payment of $1,500 in return for reduction in long-term leave from two (2) years to one (1) year.
LABOR AGREEMENT STICKING POINTS: Arbitration for contract disputes. Proposed reductions in long-term leave. This in addition to salary increases asked for and offered.
Information above is sourced from the Mercury News. Video of a VTA press conference March 7 on the labor dispute is below.
What Greg Richardson, VTA Chief Financial Officer, had to say:
Having increases like that, and having the pressure that’s placed on our overall operations from that perspective, a 6% increase just is not palatable. It just cannot happen,” he said in an interview. “In fact, if we do that, there’s a good chance we would wind up cutting service or actually removing or eliminating positions.
What Rajvinder Singh, ATU Local 265 President & Business Agent, had to say:
“If the agency offers something fair, we could still consider it,” Singh said. “We’re willing to compromise. But they haven’t shown any good faith.”
Who Does the Strike Affect?
The labor strike means more than 100,000 transit riders in Santa Clara County will have to find other means (walking, bicycling, carpooling, ride-hailing) getting to and from
- work
- school
- medical appointments
- family visits
- other activities
VTA Customer Service at (408)321-2300 will not be available during the strike. Also, real-time transit information in Santa Clara County will not be available, as no buses and trains will be running.
At the March 6, 2025 VTA Board meeting, I testified about the need to reach a labor settlement as soon as possible, to help keep service running. That video starts when it’s my turn to speak; it’s about one minute long when you start the video.
A riders’ story from KQED gives the impact this strike will have on working transit riders:
Adele Cuevas of Santa Clara stepped off a light rail stop near Levi’s Stadium Friday afternoon on her way home from work. She’s an in-home caretaker and relies on the VTA’s light rail and buses to get to her clients all over the South Bay. She was notified about the possible strike on the VTA.
“I’m probably gonna lose a lot of clients because I can only do ones that are closer to me,” Cuevas said about the possible strike. “I don’t think it should happen, because it does help those of us out that have to use the transportation. It does suck, but it is what it is.”
Public transit agencies that will still run in Santa Clara County during the strike is in the next section.
What Public Transit Will Still Run in Santa Clara County?
BART, Caltrain, Dumbarton Express, SamTrans, Stanford’s Marguerite Shuttle and the Highway 17 Express Bus will still run in Santa Clara County during the strike. Separate public transit agencies; thus, separate labor contracts. This in addition to ACCESS Paratransit for qualified seniors and the disabled in Santa Clara County.
Be advised: these services have more expensive fare than VTA buses or light rail. They also require walking, biking, or an automobile if your destination is not near any of the stops. Consult each transit agency linked above for more fare details.
Some cities like Mountain View have their own local bus system. Their systems will still run during the strike, to take folks to places within those cities. Note these local systems have limited hours, and may not run on weekends. These and other alternatives will be posted in a separate guide.
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