SAN JOSE, Calif. — With a date still to be determined for the restoration of light rail service, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is resuming alternative bus service along the light rail line as of today (Monday, Aug. 2).
In a press release, the VTA said buses will operate at 30-minute intervals weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and hourly on weekends from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. No fare will be charged. The bus will serve stations from Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose to the Milpitas BART station.
VTA light rail service has been shut down since a May 26 shooting in which nine workers at the agency’s Guadalupe yard were killed by another employee, who also killed himself. VTA briefly ran a substitute bus service after the incident but discontinued it, citing a shortage of drivers. At one point, the agency had said it aimed to restore service by the end of July, but new general manager Carolyn Gonot said in mid-July that it was now hoping for a mid-August resumption [see “Santa Clara VTA pushes back date …,” Trains News Wire, July 15, 2021].
It is a start for the light rail. After 1 week since what had happened, there is no bus bridges. It has been 2 months. I still have to pay an extra $2.50 every day to get to work every month. That is $90 + $50 = $140. $50 that can go for food.