Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Encyclopedia
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is a special-purpose district
responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County
, California
, United States
. It is one of the governing parties for the Caltrain
commuter rail line that serves the county.
On September 26, 1974, the county Board of Supervisors dissolved the Public Works Department. Non-transit operations went into a new General Services Agency, while transit operations were placed into a new Santa Clara County Transportation Agency.
The biggest problem facing SCCTD in its early years was to replace the aging bus fleet it inherited from its predecessors. At first the district bought propane
-fueled Twin Coaches and Gilligs. SCCTD switched to an all-diesel fleet after six buses went up in flames between December 1977 and April 1978. At the time, critics referred to the buses as "rolling propane bombs."
Another issue was improving the diversity of its workforce. In December 1978, the SCCTD approved an affirmative action
plan for the Transportation Agency. After a long legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court by a 6-3 majority upheld the gender
component of the plan against a civil rights
challenge on March 25, 1987.
In 1996, voters approved a half cent general county sales tax, Measure B, and a companion list of transportation projects recommended to be funded with Measure B, called (1996) Measure A. The two measures were designed to circumvent the rule in the California State Constitution
that requires a two-thirds supermajority
to pass any special purpose sales tax, but only a majority vote to pass a general sales tax. The measure was challenged, but in 1998, the California Supreme Court ruled that the two measure system was valid. The tax was to be collected for ten years.
to Santa Clara
, which was strongly advocated by San Jose mayor Ron Gonzales
. 2000 Measure A also includes funding for light rail extensions, bus service expansion, and expansion and electrification of Caltrain service to San Jose International Airport
. The measure was placed on the ballot by the VTA and does not include funding specifically for highway projects. It was criticized by residents in the western and southern portions of the county, who stated that not enough benefit was being provided to those areas. Nevertheless, due to growing congestion during the dot-com boom, the measure passed with 70% of the vote. Revenues from the sales tax would not begin being collected until April 2006.
After 2000, due to the dot-com bust, existing revenue sources declined and VTA was forced to cut service and increase fares. VTA embarked on a series of fare hikes starting in 1998 and culminating in 2005. Base fares have increased 59%, monthly passes by 86%, and day passes by 139% over that time. VTA's farebox recovery
is approximately 12%, which is far below the national average. Attempts to increase VTA's low farebox recovery has resulted in fare increases and service cuts, which continue to reduce ridership and paradoxically do not result in major improvement in farebox recovery. A single consultant said in a 2003 editorial board meeting that in general increasing fares could scare away customers and VTA contemplated a 21% service reduction in 2003 to address its budget problems. Instead, VTA changed routes to respond to customer demands and by 2008 saw surging ridership numbers.
In the process of obtaining the federal
funding necessary to build the BART extension, VTA received a blow when the Federal Transit Administration
issued a "Not Recommended" rating in January 2004.
The FTA was concerned about the ability of VTA to operate BART and other bus services at the same time. Nevertheless, VTA continued to design BART and prepare the required environmental documents
.
In 2006, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors placed a ½ cent general sales tax increase for unspecified transportation projects along with other county services. It was advocated by supporters of the BART extension and labor groups, to avoid the likelihood of having two separate sales tax measures competing for voter support.
The tax increase would have meant that Santa Clara County would have the highest sales tax in the state. Recent California Supreme Court decisions had prevented the county from using the same technique as in 1996, so the transportation projects were not listed. The measure funded improvements to local hospitals, clinic and transportation. On June 6, 2006, voters defeated the measure by a margin of 58% to 42%.
Currently, VTA's plans still include the BART extension. In December 2006, the VTA board allocated $185 million to continue engineering work and environmental clearance on the extension, with a proposal to bring a tax increase to operate the BART extension in 2008.
In June 2004, a Santa Clara County Grand Jury
criticized the governance structure by calling it "too large, too political, too dependent on staff, too inexperienced in some cases, and too removed from the financial and operational performance of VTA." Since VTA board members are required to be elected officials, they must juggle their other duties in addition to VTA. The Grand Jury recommended that the VTA board be shrunk to 5 to 7 members, with members either appointed solely for transportation issues or directly elected by the voters.
VTA's current General Manager is Michael Burns, previously the General Manager of San Francisco Muni
.
lines, a number of bus
lines, and paratransit
service. VTA is a member agency of Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board that manages Caltrain
commuter rail, providing one-third of annual operating funds and all the funding for specific improvement projects within Santa Clara County. VTA is also a member agency of Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority that manages Capitol Corridor
intercity rail service.
As VTA covers Santa Clara County in general, it serves the major core city of San Jose
(where VTA is based and headquarterd), with service to the other municipalities of Campbell
, Cupertino
, Gilroy
, Los Altos
, Los Altos Hills
, Los Gatos
, Milpitas
, Monte Sereno
, Morgan Hill
, Mountain View
, Palo Alto
, Santa Clara
, Saratoga
and Sunnyvale
. Only Campbell, Milpitas, Mountain View, San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale are served by light rail. Express bus service is provided to nearby Fremont
where it connects with BART; it partners with Highway 17 Express
to provide service to Santa Cruz
and partners with Dumbarton Express
to provide transbay service between Union City
and Stanford University
.
routes as of April 2006. Many of these routes connect to VTA light rail service and Caltrain
stations. VTA also provides express bus service, including express bus service to BART
in Fremont
.
VTA's longest and most-used bus route is the 22, which connects VTA's Eastridge Transit Center
in East San Jose
with the Caltrain
station in Palo Alto
, which serves as a transfer point for SamTrans
bus
es from San Mateo County. Line 22 is the only line with 24-hour, 7 days-per-week service, including night bus service as part of the regional All-Nighter Network. One side effect of Line 22's 24-hour schedule is that it doubles as a moving homeless shelter. Line 22's fleet of coaches primarily consists of articulated
low floorbuses.
On January 14, 2008, VTA implemented major updates in its bus service. Some routes became part of a community bus network that utilizes shorter buses and charges a cheaper fee than standard bus service. Others became part of a core network with headways of 15 minutes or less. Additionally, some bus routes underwent changes in routing, while other, less-used routes were deleted completely.
VTA's current busses includes, but not limited to: Gillig Phantom
, Gillig Low Floor
(standard, shortened, and hybrid), Chevy
-chasis community bus, and New Flyer D60LF.
service in Los Angeles
, rapid bus Line 522 follows most of the Line 22 route, and features limited stops, headway based schedules, low floor fleet, and signal priority along El Camino Real. However, the current rapid bus service by VTA does not fully qualify as BRT, due to the lack of separate ticketing stations and platforms, distinctive vehicles, and special lanes (which make BRT mimic more of a light rail or tram route, instead of a bus route). Rather, it serves as a temporary rapid bus service until VTA officially opens a BRT transit corridor along the same route, which will upgrade the current 522 route.
VTA plans to split BRT into three separate lines. Construction is expected to commence in 2012, complete in 2013 on the line going east from HP Pavilion to Eastridge Mall
via Santa Clara/Alum Rock , and in 2015 on the second line, which will go from HP Pavilion to Palo Alto along the El Camino Real. VTA will also construct a similar additional route along a third line, which will run from HP Pavilion to De Anza College on the Stevens Creek corridor (complementing regular route 23 service). This route will open in 2017. Buses will operate with five minute headways on the line east of HP Pavilion, and on ten minute headways west of HP Pavilion.
service is door-to-door shuttle service available to disabled people that meet the requirements of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Outreach, a non-profit agency, is the contract paratransit broker for VTA.
Its paratransit fleet includes, but not limited to: Ford E-Series
(both with and without bus conversions), Chevrolet Uplander
, and Toyota Prius
.
. In this role, VTA was responsible for several highway projects such as widening portions of US 101 between San Jose and Morgan Hill
, and Interstate 880 within Santa Clara County. VTA will also be the leading agency in SR 152/SR 156
interchange and future widening projects.
Special-purpose district
Special-purpose districts or special district governments in the United States are independent governmental units that exist separately from, and with substantial administrative and fiscal independence from, general purpose local governments such as county, municipal, and township governments. As...
responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is one of the governing parties for the Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
commuter rail line that serves the county.
Founding of Santa Clara County Transit District
In 1969, Santa Clara County had three private bus companies, all of which were in serious financial trouble: Peninsula Transit, San Jose City Lines, and Peerless Stages. The California Legislature passed a Santa Clara County Transit District Act in 1969. However, the Act did not supply any funding for the new district, and county voters were reluctant to tax themselves to fund a public bus system. The formation of the Santa Clara County Transit District was rejected in 1969 and 1970 before it was finally approved by county voters on June 6, 1972. The SCCTD took over the operations of the three old bus companies on January 1, 1973.On September 26, 1974, the county Board of Supervisors dissolved the Public Works Department. Non-transit operations went into a new General Services Agency, while transit operations were placed into a new Santa Clara County Transportation Agency.
The biggest problem facing SCCTD in its early years was to replace the aging bus fleet it inherited from its predecessors. At first the district bought propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
-fueled Twin Coaches and Gilligs. SCCTD switched to an all-diesel fleet after six buses went up in flames between December 1977 and April 1978. At the time, critics referred to the buses as "rolling propane bombs."
Another issue was improving the diversity of its workforce. In December 1978, the SCCTD approved an affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
plan for the Transportation Agency. After a long legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court by a 6-3 majority upheld the gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
component of the plan against a civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
challenge on March 25, 1987.
Formation of VTA
On January 1, 1995, the SCCTA merged with the county Congestion Management Agency to become the SCVTA. For convenience, the acronym was later shortened to VTA.In 1996, voters approved a half cent general county sales tax, Measure B, and a companion list of transportation projects recommended to be funded with Measure B, called (1996) Measure A. The two measures were designed to circumvent the rule in the California State Constitution
California Constitution
The document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of California. The original constitution, adopted in November 1849 in advance of California attaining U.S. statehood in 1850, was superseded by the current constitution, which...
that requires a two-thirds supermajority
Supermajority
A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple majority . In some jurisdictions, for example, parliamentary procedure requires that any action that may alter the rights of the minority has a supermajority...
to pass any special purpose sales tax, but only a majority vote to pass a general sales tax. The measure was challenged, but in 1998, the California Supreme Court ruled that the two measure system was valid. The tax was to be collected for ten years.
2000 Measure A sales tax
In 2000, voters approved a 30 year extension of the 1996 sales tax to fund an extension of Bay Area Rapid TransitBay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
to Santa Clara
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, which was strongly advocated by San Jose mayor Ron Gonzales
Ron Gonzales
Ronald R. Gonzales is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party, who served as the 63rd Mayor of San Jose, California. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Mayor of San Jose since California became a U.S. state in 1850.-Career:...
. 2000 Measure A also includes funding for light rail extensions, bus service expansion, and expansion and electrification of Caltrain service to San Jose International Airport
San Jose International Airport
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport serving the city of San Jose in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is named for San Jose native Norman Yoshio Mineta, who was Transportation Secretary in the Cabinet of George W...
. The measure was placed on the ballot by the VTA and does not include funding specifically for highway projects. It was criticized by residents in the western and southern portions of the county, who stated that not enough benefit was being provided to those areas. Nevertheless, due to growing congestion during the dot-com boom, the measure passed with 70% of the vote. Revenues from the sales tax would not begin being collected until April 2006.
After 2000, due to the dot-com bust, existing revenue sources declined and VTA was forced to cut service and increase fares. VTA embarked on a series of fare hikes starting in 1998 and culminating in 2005. Base fares have increased 59%, monthly passes by 86%, and day passes by 139% over that time. VTA's farebox recovery
Farebox recovery ratio
The farebox recovery ratio of a passenger transportation system is the proportion of the amount of revenue generated through fares by its paying customers as a fraction of the cost of its total operating expenses....
is approximately 12%, which is far below the national average. Attempts to increase VTA's low farebox recovery has resulted in fare increases and service cuts, which continue to reduce ridership and paradoxically do not result in major improvement in farebox recovery. A single consultant said in a 2003 editorial board meeting that in general increasing fares could scare away customers and VTA contemplated a 21% service reduction in 2003 to address its budget problems. Instead, VTA changed routes to respond to customer demands and by 2008 saw surging ridership numbers.
In the process of obtaining the federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
funding necessary to build the BART extension, VTA received a blow when the Federal Transit Administration
Federal Transit Administration
The Federal Transit Administration is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transit systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administrations within the DOT...
issued a "Not Recommended" rating in January 2004.
The FTA was concerned about the ability of VTA to operate BART and other bus services at the same time. Nevertheless, VTA continued to design BART and prepare the required environmental documents
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
.
In 2006, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors placed a ½ cent general sales tax increase for unspecified transportation projects along with other county services. It was advocated by supporters of the BART extension and labor groups, to avoid the likelihood of having two separate sales tax measures competing for voter support.
The tax increase would have meant that Santa Clara County would have the highest sales tax in the state. Recent California Supreme Court decisions had prevented the county from using the same technique as in 1996, so the transportation projects were not listed. The measure funded improvements to local hospitals, clinic and transportation. On June 6, 2006, voters defeated the measure by a margin of 58% to 42%.
Currently, VTA's plans still include the BART extension. In December 2006, the VTA board allocated $185 million to continue engineering work and environmental clearance on the extension, with a proposal to bring a tax increase to operate the BART extension in 2008.
Cash
| Single Ride | Day Pass | 8-Hour Light Rail Pass | Community Bus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | $2 | $6 | $4 | $1.25 |
| Adult Express | $4 | $12 | - | - |
| Youth (5-17) | $1.75 | $5 | $3.50 | $.75 |
| Senior/Disabled/Medicare | $1 | $2.50 | $2 | $.50 |
Prepaid
| Day Pass Tokens | Monthly Pass | Annual Pass Subscription | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | 5@$27 | $70 | $770 |
| Adult Express | - | $140 | $1,540 |
| Youth (5-17) | 5@$22.50 | $45 | $495 |
| Senior/Disabled/Medicare | - | $25 | $275 |
Governance
The Santa Clara VTA special district is governed by a 12-member board of directors whose members are:- 2 members of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
- 5 San José City Council members
- 5 City Councilmembers selected from the other 14 cities in the county
In June 2004, a Santa Clara County Grand Jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
criticized the governance structure by calling it "too large, too political, too dependent on staff, too inexperienced in some cases, and too removed from the financial and operational performance of VTA." Since VTA board members are required to be elected officials, they must juggle their other duties in addition to VTA. The Grand Jury recommended that the VTA board be shrunk to 5 to 7 members, with members either appointed solely for transportation issues or directly elected by the voters.
VTA's current General Manager is Michael Burns, previously the General Manager of San Francisco Muni
San Francisco Municipal Railway
The San Francisco Municipal Railway is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2006, it served with an operating budget of about $700 million...
.
Congestion management
VTA also serves as the Congestion Management Agency for Santa Clara County. In this role VTA makes decisions on what local projects can utilize federal and state funding, and manage sales tax revenue that is specified for VTA usages, such as 1987 Measure A and 2000 Measure A sales tax measures.Transit services
VTA operates three light railLight rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
lines, a number of bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
lines, and paratransit
Paratransit
Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
service. VTA is a member agency of Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board that manages Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
commuter rail, providing one-third of annual operating funds and all the funding for specific improvement projects within Santa Clara County. VTA is also a member agency of Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority that manages Capitol Corridor
Capitol Corridor
The Capitol Corridor is a 168-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in California. Because it is fully supported by the state, the Capitol Corridor operates under Amtrak California. It runs from the San Francisco Bay Area to Sacramento, roughly parallel to Interstate 80...
intercity rail service.
As VTA covers Santa Clara County in general, it serves the major core city of San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
(where VTA is based and headquarterd), with service to the other municipalities of Campbell
Campbell, California
Campbell is a city in Santa Clara County, California, a suburb of San Jose, and part of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Campbell's population is 39,349...
, Cupertino
Cupertino, California
Cupertino is an affluent suburban city in Santa Clara County, California in the U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes...
, Gilroy
Gilroy, California
Gilroy is the southernmost city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 48,821 at the 2010 census. Gilroy is well-known for its garlic crop and for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, featuring various garlicky foods, including garlic ice cream. Gilroy also produces...
, Los Altos
Los Altos, California
Los Altos is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 28,976 according to the 2010 census....
, Los Altos Hills
Los Altos Hills, California
Los Altos Hills is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 7,922 at the 2010 census. Located in Silicon Valley, Los Altos Hills is one of the wealthiest cities in the nation.-Strictly residential:...
, Los Gatos
Los Gatos, California
The Town of Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 29,413 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains...
, Milpitas
Milpitas, California
Milpitas is a city in Santa Clara County, California. It is a suburb of the major city of San Jose, California. It is located with San Jose to its south and Fremont to its north, at the eastern end of State Route 237 and generally between Interstates 680 and 880 which run roughly north/south...
, Monte Sereno
Monte Sereno, California
Monte Sereno is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. The population was 3,341 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, about 10 miles southwest of San Jose and is immediately northwest of Los Gatos. The city is named for the 2249 ft...
, Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill, California
Morgan Hill is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, California, United States. Founded on November 10, 1906, the city was named after Hiram Morgan Hill, a San Franciscan who built a country retreat home there in 1884...
, Mountain View
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
, Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, Santa Clara
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, Saratoga
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....
and Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
. Only Campbell, Milpitas, Mountain View, San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale are served by light rail. Express bus service is provided to nearby Fremont
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
where it connects with BART; it partners with Highway 17 Express
Highway 17 Express
The Highway 17 Express is an Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach route provided by a consortium of entities that provides regional service between San Jose and Santa Cruz County in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
to provide service to Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
and partners with Dumbarton Express
Dumbarton Express
The Dumbarton Express is a California bus service operating between Union City BART station and Palo Alto Caltrain station via the Dumbarton Bridge. The service is operated by a group of operators including BART, VTA, Union City Transit, and AC Transit...
to provide transbay service between Union City
Union City, California
Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated in 1959, combining the communities of Alvarado and Decoto. Alvarado was the original county seat of Alameda County, and the site of the first county courthouse is a California Historical Landmark . The city...
and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Light rail
Bus routes
VTA operates 82 regularly operating busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
routes as of April 2006. Many of these routes connect to VTA light rail service and Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
stations. VTA also provides express bus service, including express bus service to BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
in Fremont
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
.
VTA's longest and most-used bus route is the 22, which connects VTA's Eastridge Transit Center
Eastridge Transit Center
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Eastridge Transit Center is a transit bus station located at Eastridge Mall in eastern San Jose, California...
in East San Jose
East San Jose
East San Jose is the name for several neighborhoods east of downtown San Jose, California. These neighborhoods include:* King and Story* Alum Rock* East Foothills* Little Portugal-Demographics:...
with the Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
station in Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, which serves as a transfer point for SamTrans
SamTrans
SamTrans is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto...
bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es from San Mateo County. Line 22 is the only line with 24-hour, 7 days-per-week service, including night bus service as part of the regional All-Nighter Network. One side effect of Line 22's 24-hour schedule is that it doubles as a moving homeless shelter. Line 22's fleet of coaches primarily consists of articulated
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...
low floorbuses.
On January 14, 2008, VTA implemented major updates in its bus service. Some routes became part of a community bus network that utilizes shorter buses and charges a cheaper fee than standard bus service. Others became part of a core network with headways of 15 minutes or less. Additionally, some bus routes underwent changes in routing, while other, less-used routes were deleted completely.
VTA's current busses includes, but not limited to: Gillig Phantom
Gillig Phantom
The Gillig Phantom was a transit bus produced by the Gillig Corporation in Hayward, California. The Phantom was first introduced in late 1980 and, with the exception of a small number of buses built in a three-year-long joint venture with Neoplan from 1977 to 1979, was Gillig's first transit bus...
, Gillig Low Floor
Gillig Low Floor
The Gillig Low Floor is a transit bus manufactured by the Gillig Corporation in Hayward, CA. The Low Floor was introduced in 1996. They are available in 29', 35' and 40' lengths. A diesel-electric hybrid version was introduced in 2004. Frameless side windows are an option. The Gillig Low Floor is...
(standard, shortened, and hybrid), Chevy
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
-chasis community bus, and New Flyer D60LF.
Current Service
On July 5, 2005, VTA implemented its first rapid bus line along the VTA's busiest corridor. Modeled after the Metro RapidMetro Rapid
Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit...
service in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, rapid bus Line 522 follows most of the Line 22 route, and features limited stops, headway based schedules, low floor fleet, and signal priority along El Camino Real. However, the current rapid bus service by VTA does not fully qualify as BRT, due to the lack of separate ticketing stations and platforms, distinctive vehicles, and special lanes (which make BRT mimic more of a light rail or tram route, instead of a bus route). Rather, it serves as a temporary rapid bus service until VTA officially opens a BRT transit corridor along the same route, which will upgrade the current 522 route.
Future
VTA plans to add distinctive vehicles, separate bus-exclusive lanes on Alum Rock Avenue, El Camino Real, and Stevens Creek Road, ticketing platforms separate from other buses, and possible amentities such as wait time for successive BRT buses by 2016 (making BRT behave more like a light rail or tram system, instead of bus service). This would also upgrade the existing 522 bus service to official BRT, and rename the entire VTA-operated BRT service to Valley Rapid, differentiating it from VTA's buses division.VTA plans to split BRT into three separate lines. Construction is expected to commence in 2012, complete in 2013 on the line going east from HP Pavilion to Eastridge Mall
Eastridge Mall
Eastridge Mall can refer to one of the following shopping malls:*Eastridge Center, a mall in San Jose, California*Westfield Eastridge, formerly Eastridge Mall, in Gastonia, North Carolina*Eastridge Mall , a mall in Casper, Wyoming...
via Santa Clara/Alum Rock , and in 2015 on the second line, which will go from HP Pavilion to Palo Alto along the El Camino Real. VTA will also construct a similar additional route along a third line, which will run from HP Pavilion to De Anza College on the Stevens Creek corridor (complementing regular route 23 service). This route will open in 2017. Buses will operate with five minute headways on the line east of HP Pavilion, and on ten minute headways west of HP Pavilion.
Vintage trolley service
VTA operates a vintage trolley service seasonally. It operates between Civic Center and the San Jose Caltrain stations. Information on this service can be found on VTA's website.Paratransit
ParatransitParatransit
Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
service is door-to-door shuttle service available to disabled people that meet the requirements of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Outreach, a non-profit agency, is the contract paratransit broker for VTA.
Its paratransit fleet includes, but not limited to: Ford E-Series
Ford E-Series
The Ford E-Series, formerly known as the Econoline or Club Wagon, is a line of full-size vans and truck chassis from the Ford Motor Company. The E-Series is related to the Ford F-Series line of pickup trucks. The line was introduced in 1961 as a compact van and its descendants are still produced...
(both with and without bus conversions), Chevrolet Uplander
Chevrolet Uplander
The Chevrolet Uplander is a minivan produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. It replaced the Venture and Astro. Although introduced for the 2005 model year, it overlapped with the final model years of the Venture and Astro. It was built on the same platform as the Saturn Relay, Buick...
, and Toyota Prius
Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius is a full hybrid electric mid-size hatchback, formerly a compact sedan developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation...
.
Highway improvement
Besides providing transit services to residents of Santa Clara County, VTA also manages countywide highway projects that uses county sales tax revenues, in conjunction with CaltransCalifornia Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...
. In this role, VTA was responsible for several highway projects such as widening portions of US 101 between San Jose and Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill, California
Morgan Hill is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, California, United States. Founded on November 10, 1906, the city was named after Hiram Morgan Hill, a San Franciscan who built a country retreat home there in 1884...
, and Interstate 880 within Santa Clara County. VTA will also be the leading agency in SR 152/SR 156
California State Route 156
State Route 156 is a state highway in California, USA, running from Castroville to State Route 152 near Hollister.This route is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.-Route description:...
interchange and future widening projects.
See also
- AC TransitAC TransitAC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
- Altamont Commuter ExpressAltamont Commuter ExpressThe Altamont Commuter Express is a regional rail service in California connecting Stockton with San Jose....
- Bay Area Rapid TransitBay Area Rapid TransitBay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
- California Fuel Cell PartnershipCalifornia Fuel Cell PartnershipThe California Fuel Cell Partnership is a public-private partnership to promote hydrogen vehicles in California. It is notable as one of the first initiatives for that purpose undertaken in the United States....
- CaltrainCaltrainCaltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
- Electric busElectric busAn electric bus is a bus powered by electricity.There are two main electric bus categories:* Non-autonomous electric buses:**The trolleybus is a type of electric bus powered by two overhead electric wires, with electricity being drawn from one wire and returned via the other wire, using two...
- Bus rapid transitBus rapid transitBus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
- SamTransSamTransSamTrans is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto...
- San Francisco Municipal RailwaySan Francisco Municipal RailwayThe San Francisco Municipal Railway is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2006, it served with an operating budget of about $700 million...
External links
- VTA
- Outreach
- VTA Riders' Union - A VTA Riders' advocacy group not affiliated with VTA
- VTA Watch
- Transportation and Land Use Coalition
- BayRail Alliance
- List of VTA bus routes and descriptions