Chak's Editorial: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the Transit Service Plan for 2023 and beyond?

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) certainly had it's challenges in the past year up until now. Even a tragic event hitting VTA's light rail yard in San Jose, next to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's headquarters along Younger Avenue off 1st Street. I'm definitely familiar with many Santa Clara County naming conventions, from Gilroy to Palo Alto, Los Gatos to Milpitas, and everywhere in between. In this editorial, I will address what I can contribute to my suggestions, but I'm also inputting more than just the 2023 service plan - I'm also addressing features such as wi-fi use on VTA transit regardless of transit mode. 

VTA is still asking for public input on a full public transit comeback in the year 2023 and beyond. However, as I do have a lot of input on many of VTA bus and light rail routes, I have way too many to say beyond what is asked in the transit plan. Instead of a long and complicated comment that are subjected to the maximum word limit on the linked page, let me address them here, route by route, including all light rail lines. Below are the categories by my grouping: VTA light rail, South County, and the divided Silicon Valley Core subsections between regular, frequent, express, and rapid lines. All bus and light rail routes are scrutinized on my end for suggestions and improvement. At the end of the article, I also have further suggestions for other parts of VTA, including wi-fi coverage.

LIGHT RAIL (ALL LINES), BART, CALTRAIN CONNECTIONS (EXCLUDES SOUTH COUNTY): When the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) eventually returns to 20-minute intervals, VTA's light rail will need to be adjusted so that on both ends, passengers connecting between the light rail and BART will have ample time to get to where they're going without waiting more than the number of minutes necessary. For example, if BART has 15-minute intervals on weekdays and 20-minute intervals on weekends/holidays, VTA's light rail lines will need to be adjusted to the extent that ample time to connect with VTA bus line 68 at the Santa Teresa station, plus any applicable VTA bus lines at the Winchester station and the Alum Rock station. Regarding the future of the light rail stations, I strongly suggest that VTA makes investment to put barriers preventing people from walking across the tracks (unless it's a designated crossing area) via digging deep trenches at light rail platforms to remind people to not cross illegally, having higher walls or fences around light rail tracks in downtown San Jose of at least 6 feet or more (in addition to deeper trenches; similar to the character of a Caltrain inspector checking the undersides of a train), and building fare gates when possible at most light rail stations. If VTA plans to extend the light rail to the Eastridge Transit Center, I suggest that most of the length is elevated along Capitol Expressway. While planned stops include Story Road, I suggest leaving Ocala as a potential infill station in case of any rider demand. 

SOUTH COUNTY COVERAGE (Gilroy, San Martin, Morgan Hill, San Jose): VTA's line 68 is the only line that serves areas between Gilroy and San Jose that operates every day of the week including holidays, as well as the only core route in South County that is part of VTA's frequent network. Connections on this line south of San Jose are not as frequent as the ones in the core Silicon Valley. In regards to character and rural area, VTA line 68 is very similar to eastern Alameda County's WHEELS (Livermore-Almador Valley Transit Authority) line 10, but unlike that line, VTA line 68 operates more often than WHEELS line 10 in frequency even though both run all days of the week including holidays. Complaints from passengers to VTA about taking too long to get between Gilroy and San Jose when a faster route is unavailable have gotten the attention of the mayors of both Gilroy and Morgan Hill, leading to the eventual replacement of line 168 to line 568 in the fall of 2021. So here are the breakdown of each line that serves South County and suggested improvements that could be made.

VTA Line 68: For the time being, the route will stay as is, but could make some changes to the bus stops with the exception of downtown San Jose stops that only serve one direction (1st/2nd Streets). Any stop on VTA line 68 that is exclusively served only in one direction should be eliminated in order to streamline the route (e.g. Monterey/Pierce in Gilroy). The stop at Monterey/Crowner in San Martin will also need some elimination in favor of a traffic signal that will include a crosswalk or two at Monterey/East Middle to avoid accidents, as there are no traffic signals between San Martin Avenue and John Wilson Way. Regarding the last bus of the night, I would suggest having ample time for those transferring from VTA line 86 to line 68 to adjust the timing on weekdays. For students going to or returning from Live Oak or Sobarto High Schools, VTA line 68 will need to play a huge effort to lure high school students from South San Jose and providing them with Clipper cards (digital or physical) equipped with monthly passes that is equivalent to the school year at a reasonable rate. A shuttle bus, provided either by VTA or the Morgan Hill Unified School District with a wheelchair lift, will need to be stationed at the Hale/Tilton bus stop for a short shuttle to Sobarto High School, making at least 2 trips each in the morning and afternoon. In this way, the Morgan Hill Unified School District would save some cash by lessening the reliance of their own school buses for weekday bus trips as their bus yard is located on Edes Court (off Monterey Road just north of the Tennant-Edmonson split). 

VTA Line 84: This route is part of a two-route loop with line 85, though it mainly serves the eastern half of the Gilroy city limits to the hospital on No Name Uno. The route won't need changes for now, but I suggest doing minor changes to accommodate people from the Gilroy outlets on weekends.  

VTA Line 85: This route is part of a two-route loop with line 84, though it mainly serves the western portion of Gilroy, especially along Wren Avenue and Leavesley Road to the hospital on No Name Uno. No route changes are needed for now, but I would suggest minor changes to accommodate people's needs. 

VTA Line 86: This route serves the southwestern portion of Gilroy only on weekdays to those going to Gavilan College or Gilroy Transit Center, but some classes at Gavilan may go as late as 10pm, hence the current schedule. The bus route does stop by Gilroy High School in between the two points, though it does serve the residents in between, especially Thomas Road, Luchessa Avenue, Princevalle Street, and 10th Street. No changes are needed for the time being, but will need to monitor Gavilan College's website for any changes so that VTA is better prepared.

VTA Line 87: This route is the only bus route serving Morgan Hill proper and does serve both Live Oak and Sobarto High Schools, but the route is limited to peak-period hours on weekdays. Although the hours and times won't change for now, the problem is that most of Morgan Hill, especially along East Dunne Ave, is not served by the route and bus service is extremely limited east of highway 101. My concerns that I've sent to VTA regarding changes to roadways in Morgan Hill have not yet been noted by the VTA board that serves South County, but the problem is the lack of available alternate routes that clashes between dismissal times at Sobarto High School in particular, which is contributing to my main reasons why I strongly suggested a road link between Vista de Lomas and Mission View Drive to alleviate the problem, in addition to the ongoing construction of the Hale Avenue extension. Even worse, walk times from Sobrato High School to VTA line 68 bus stop at Hale / Tilton is about 25 minutes long, as line 87 uses a winding route via Live Oak High School to transfer with line 68 at Main Ave and Monterey Road in downtown Morgan Hill, which may explain the reason why students residing in South San Jose (mostly south of Bernal Road) are having to rely on private cars driven by parents or buses provided by the Morgan Hill Unified School District. The problems I mentioned is part of the Morgan Hill Community-Based Transit Plan, but I still question the lack of coverage area along East Dunne Avenue and the lack of signals between the southern end of the city limits and John Wilson Way, especially with the intersection at East Middle Avenue.

VTA Line 121: This route is currently the only Express route that serves South County, though uses bus stops near Caltrain stations. The southern portion of the route uses Monterey Road between the Gilroy Transit Center and East Dunne Avenue in Morgan Hill, but uses Butterfield Blvd to serve the Morgan Hill Caltrain Station before using U.S. Highway 101 to serve businesses in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale near light rail stations. No improvements are needed for the time being, but I suggest that the route uses Butterfield Blvd between the Monterey-Watsonville split and the Morgan Hill Caltrain station with a intermediate stop at Butterfield Blvd / Tennant Avenue and eliminate the Monterey / Dunne stop. A replacement stop may need to include Monterey / East Middle with a future Park & Ride lot of 6 stories plus eateries would be suggested in the long term as an alternate to the existing Park & Ride lot at the San Martin Caltrain Station. 

VTA Line 287: This route is a school route that uses portions of lines 68 & 87 that serves Live Oak High School, however, that route only runs just once when the students are dismissed from school in the mid-afternoon. The route starts on Main Avenue at Live Oak High School heading west, then turns south onto Monterey Road until the end of the line at San Martin Avenue. No improvements are needed for now, but I suggest that the Morgan Hill Unified School District work with VTA to help provide Clipper cards to students residing near existing bus lines. In addition, VTA will need to decide whether the transit agency or the Morgan Hill Unified School District will provide a smaller bus (including those on wheelchairs) between Sobato High School and the VTA line 68 stop at Hale/Tilton. 

VTA Line 568: This route is the Rapid version of the existing VTA line 68 between Gilroy and San Jose with a notable exception: While the route uses Monterey Road for the most part, the route uses Butterfield Blvd from East Dunne Avenue to Cochrane Road in order to serve the Morgan Hill Caltrain station, then continuing on Monterey Road between Cochrane Road and the San Jose Diridon Station via Santa Clara Street, with 2 exclusive stops at Flintwell Avenue and Ford Road in South San Jose, something that were never served before. This route replaced VTA bus line 168 as that line had a limited number of trips in each commute direction during certain times. Complaints from VTA line 68 riders that the bus ride between Gilroy and San Jose still takes too long between the two points, as that line has 95 stops and spans over 30 miles. Improvements to this route is extensive, but rather straightforward: keep the route on Butterfield Blvd between the Monterey-Watsonville spilt and Cochrane Road, eliminate the bus stops on East Dunne Avenue/Monterey Road and Monterey Rd/Tennant Ave intersections but add a bus stop at Butterfield/Tennant. A replacement stop may need to include Monterey / East Middle with a future Park & Ride lot of 6 stories plus eateries would be suggested in the long term as an alternate to the existing Park & Ride lot at the San Martin Caltrain Station. A further suggested stop at the Capitol Caltrain Station (Monterey / Farhen) would also be included in the improvements as well in case of missed Caltrain rides, plus possible stops in the Coyote section near Monterey/Blanchard and Monterey/Menard as the route currently bypasses the Coyote section; this depends on VTA reaching out to those living along Monterey Road between Tilton Avenue and Metcalf Road plus any side streets near Monterey Road. This route is similar in character to WHEELS bus line 10R, which is a limited stop version of WHEELS line 10, and I hope that VTA learns from that route. This route should also serve for those needing to go to Live Oak High School from either Monterey/Blanchard or Monterey/Menard. 

Caltrain Stations in South County (Gilroy, San Martin, Morgan Hill, Blossom Hill, Capitol): The VTA manages the five stations in South County as a direct link between Gilroy and San Francisco during commute hours. While Caltrain stations except Tamien are paid parking, those stations provide free parking subjected to VTA regulations and can be used during major events such as the annual Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras festival. However, improvements are suggested for each of those stations, and multi-story parking lots are strongly advised that are near transit hubs; all of them with 6 stories or more and have at least 4 high-speed elevators (2 on each side minimum) plus accessible parking on each floor. As VTA has only two customer service centers in downtown San Jose and at their River Oaks headquarters, most people in South County must take a long journey to reach at least the downtown San Jose customer service center, which means almost 2 hours on line 68 when Caltrain is not in service. A VTA Customer Service Center in Gilroy would preferably be more helpful to those that need assistance. Furthermore, VTA ticket vending machines (TVMs) should be stationed at Caltrain stations in South County to supplement Caltrain's existing machines that will include VTA bus passes and any bus passes that is not limited to just VTA; currently, VTA bus riders in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, or San Martin must take a trip to the Santa Teresa Station to load Clipper cards via TVMs. Clipper cards serve many Bay Area transit agencies not limited to just VTA, but also as far north as Sonoma County Transit and as far east as WHEELS, County Connection, and Tri-Delta Transit, which VTA should also include in their TVM. 

VTA COVERAGE IN CORE SILICON VALLEY (Except Light Rail/Caltrain): The following VTA bus lines are up for suggestions. Not all bus routes are listed; this is due to recent routes not yet reviewed. 

VTA Line 22: This route is a 24-hour service between the Eastridge Transit Center and Palo Alto Transit Center and runs mostly along Alum Rock Ave, Santa Clara Street, The Alameda, and El Camino Real. I would suggest that 15-minute intervals should be used during the day with service at 20-30 minutes during the early mornings and evenings, and 60 minutes overnights. I also suggest making use of articulated buses only during the daytime hours, while 40-foot buses are used between 7PM and 6AM. Furthermore, I suggest that in the future, VTA bus line 22 should run in tandem with their rapid counterpart and when the light rail is built to the Eastridge Transit Center, VTA bus line 22 should end at the Alum Rock Station. 

VTA Line 23: This route is a frequently used route that mainly along Stevens Creek Blvd and San Carlos Street, but east of downtown San Jose also runs along Santa Clara Street and Alum Rock Avenue. This route runs 15-minute intervals only during the day, but less frequently in the early mornings and after 7PM. I would suggest a few time changes in the short term, but in the long term, be rerouted along Santa Clara Street, King Road, and Tully Road to avoid running in tandem with VTA bus line 522 east of the Alum Rock/King Road interchange and keep the alignment. 

VTA Line 25: This route is a frequently used route that runs in two segments - the first is a less frequent segment between De Anza College and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center's main offices, while the second segment runs between that medical center and the Alum Rock light rail station. While the route currently runs 12-minute headways during the day, they run between 15-60 minute headways during off-peak hours and on weekends. Given the current shortage of drivers, I suggest running 15-minute headways during the daylight hours in order to let drivers fill in on other VTA routes in short staff, while running 20-60 minute headways at night; all of which are 7 days a week. 

VTA Line 26: This route mainly runs along Curtner Avenue and Tully Road, but also runs through Campbell in order to reach West Valley College. Selected routes on weekdays extend to Westgate mall. I would suggest that instead of routing along Saratoga Avenue 

VTA Line 27: This route covers South San Jose from Kaiser near Cottle Road to the Winchester station in Campbell via stops in downtown Los Gatos. I suggest that the frequency increase to 20 minutes during peak-hour weekdays, 30 minutes during off-peak and weekends, and 60 minutes after 7pm (if applicable). 

VTA Line 31: This is a short route that goes between Eastridge and Evergreen Valley College via Aborn Road and San Felipe Road before using Yerba Buena Road to access Evergreen Valley College. This also serves nearby residents along the Estates subsection of the Evergreen Valley section of San Jose. If there are improvements to be made, while the operating hours should be kept for now, the Saturday schedule should improve to 30 minutes during the day and 60 minutes after 4PM.

VTA Line 37: This is a weekday-only route that serves West Valley College and Capitol light rail station with a stop at Winchester light rail station along the route. I suggest that during peak periods only, the schedule should improve to every 30 minutes. 

VTA Line 39: This is a winding route between Eastridge and The Villages subsection of the Evergreen neighborhood in San Jose. The route serves Evergreen High School along the way via Quimby Road, then to Village Square via Guadwara Ave, Aborn Road, and Ruby Ave before heading to The Villages subsection via San Felipe Road, bypassing Evergreen Valley College. I don't see changes in the short term, but the Saturday schedule should extend the operating times by 1 or 2 hours. 

VTA Line 40: This is a winding route between the Mountain View Transit Center and Foothill College, while also serving the town of Los Altos along the way. The route from Mountain View Transit Center initially starts going north along Shoreline Blvd, then turning west to serve the Google headquarters just north of highway 101. The route then turns south along Rengstorff Avenue, crossing 101 again in the process. Next, the route uses a sequence of turns to serve the San Antonio Shopping Center via California Street, Showers Drive, and El Camino Real before turning south along San Antonio Road to Los Altos. The route finally heads straight for Foothill College after a brief run with Foothill Expressway. 

VTA Line 42: This is a weekday-only winding route that serves a mix of businesses and residential areas between South San Jose and the Evergreen district. The route south of Blossom Hill/Silver Creek Valley Road from Santa Teresa light rail station is mostly business area while the route from Blossom Hill/Monterey is mostly residential area until Evergreen Valley College, with the exception of Capitol Expressway. The route begins at the Santa Teresa station and makes it's way to Bernal Road/Silicon Valley Blvd, where it turns onto Piercy before heading for a short distance on Silver Creek Valley Road, crossing highway 101 in the process, and turning onto Monterey Road via a ramp in the northbound direction. The route detours via Roeder Road and Branham Lane East before resuming Monterey Road. The route takes a brief right on Senter Road and turns north onto Seven Trees Blvd before a significant distance along Capitol Expressway towards the Evergreen District with limited stops until turning south onto Silver Creek Road. The route heads east on Yerba Buena Road for the remainder of the route until the terminus at Evergreen Valley College. Given the current operating times and waiting times between buses, I would like to see the route operate until 7PM, and that the buses run 30 minutes during peak periods and 60 minutes during the midday.

VTA Line 44: This route has a more direct route between the Milpitas BART Station and the McCarthy Ranch, though it serves a residential area via Montague Expressway and McCandless Drive before resuming Great Mall Parkway and crossing I-880 before turning north on Alder Drive and another turn to McCarthy Blvd and terminate at the shopping center. Regarding the route overall, I would suggest improving the Saturday schedule to every 30 minutes from 8AM to 6PM while keeping at 60 minutes at other times. 

VTA Line 47: This route is more of a winding route between Milpitas BART Station and the McCarthy Ranch, but uses Park Victoria Drive to serve residents along the route and East Calaveras Blvd (Route 237) to downtown Milpitas. The route takes a detour to serve the Milpitas Library before resuming the route to McCarthy Ranch. Regarding the overall route and schedule, I think the route would remain at 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays from the starting times until 7PM, then 60 minutes at all other times. 

VTA Line 51/51H: This weekday-only route has 2 variants - most of line 51 covers the southwestern-most portion of Silicon Valley between West Valley College and NASA Ames Center, though the line operates along Homestead Road and Truman Avenue at different times. For the route heading northbound on line 51, buses uses the Grant/Fremont stop in the mornings and the Truman/Bryant stop for the remainder of the day. For the route heading southbound, buses uses Truman/Bryant stop for the first 3 trips, then Grant/Fremont stop for the remainder of the day. Line 51H is a shorter version of Line 51, operating between De Anza College and NASA Ames Center; however, that route runs only during peak periods. Regarding improvements, I suggest splitting the Grant/Fremont stop and the Truman/Bryan stop at different times of the day, as well as reaching out to people who live along the route's area within 15 minutes of the bus stop on whether they support having weekend service.

VTA Line 52: This weekday-only route is more streamlined running between Foothill College and Mountain View Transit Center. If there are no detours, the route typically runs along Castro Street, El Camino Real, and El Monte Avenue. As far as improvements go, I suggest matching the last bus run times with the ending of the last class of the night at Foothill College to accommodate the schedules.

VTA Line 53: This route runs between Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. For the most part, the route uses Homestead Road, but also uses Benton Street, Mary Ave, Bernardo Ave, and Washington Street. No immediate improvements are expected for now, though extending the weekday schedule starting at 6AM would be helpful for early bus riders. 

VTA Line 55: This route runs along Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road for most of the southern portion with occasional detours until the split with Mathilda Avenue, which then runs along Sunnyvale Ave before routing with Maude Ave, Fair Oaks Ave, East Duane Ave, and Laurence Expressway with a small detour near Lakewood Elementary School before making it's way to Tasman Ave and end at Old Ironsides Station. As far as improvements, I would streamline the route without having to use Silverlake Drive (near Laurence Expressway). 

VTA Line 57: This route runs mostly along three roads: Saratoga Avenue, Kiely Blvd, and Great America Parkway. However, between the southern terminus at West Valley College and the Quito-Lawrence Expressway split, the route also runs along both Allendale Ave and Quito Road. Regarding the routing, rather than running the bus on Allendale and Quito, the route could be simplified as to run along Saratoga Avenue from West Valley College via Fruitvale Avenue up to Kiely Blvd. As far as the timing, the weekday intervals look fine, but for the weekend, I would run every 30 minutes for most of the day except on game or event days near Levi's Stadium, which the route could run every 15 minutes.

VTA Line 59: This route runs between Valley Fair and Baypointe light rail station, though the route also passes by the Alviso section of San Jose and stops near Levi's Stadium along the way, as well as Mission College and Santa Clara Caltrain station. While the weekend routes are hourly, I would suggest having event day buses near Levi's Stadium on standby. 

VTA Line 60: This route runs between Winchester light rail station and the Milpitas BART/light rail station with a stop at the Mineta San Jose International Airport. The airport terminals are the only times that passengers coming from the airport board free. After a review of the operating times and headways between buses, I suggest adjusting the headways to vary between 20-30 minutes from start to 7AM and after 8PM on weekdays, and 30 minutes from start to 7AM and after 8PM on weekdays. 

VTA Line 61: This route runs between Good Samaritan Hospital near the San Jose/Los Gatos border to the intersection of Sierra and Piedmont in San Jose. The route between Good Samaritan Hospital and Bascom/Union runs less frequently than those north of the intersection. The route overall is fine, but schedule adjustments may be necessary in the short term for now. 

VTA Line 64A/64B: These routes are two separate variants. While the route north of San Jose Dirdon Station runs parallel in their routing, the two routes are separate south of there. One ends in the Almaden Valley at the intersection with Almaden Expressway and Camden Avenue, and the other ends at the Ohlone-Chynoweth Station in the former light rail shuttle's right of way. The overall routes are fine, but schedule times may need to be adjusted as needed for the time being.

VTA Line 66: This route runs between Kaiser San Jose and North Milpitas with stops along Santa Teresa between Cottle and Snell, then along Snell Ave and Skyway Drive, though a significant portion of the route runs with VTA line 68 between Monterey/Skyway and downtown San Jose. However, line 66 uses Santa Clara Street for a short distance before aligning in a one-way couplet on 10th and 11th Streets, then on Oakland Road until Milpitas. The route does stop by the Milpitas BART station before continuing on Main Street. The route uses various side roads to serve Milpitas High School before ending near the Dixon/Arizona intersection with AC Transit Line 217. The route south of downtown San Jose is fine the way it is for the time being, but the route north of downtown San Jose might need to streamline the route, especially north of downtown Milpitas. In the long term, I suggest that line 66 may need to upgrade the headways to 15 minutes, though giving enough space along Monterey Highway between Skyway Drive and downtown San Jose. 

VTA Line 70: This entire route runs between Capitol light rail station and Milpitas BART station in two parts. The more frequent portion runs only to Berryessa BART station while between that and Milpitas station runs less frequently. After a review of the entire line 70 routing and frequency times, I suggest setting the weekday frequency to 15 minutes during daytime hours, while after 7PM to reduce that frequency to 30 minutes; the weekend frequency remains at 30 minutes during daytime and 60 minutes after 7PM. The less frequent portion of the route on weekdays would have 30-minute headways during the day and 60-minute headways after 7PM; the weekend frequency remains at 60 minutes at all times. 

VTA Line 71: This route runs between Eastridge and Milpitas BART station, but through the eastern-most portion of San Jose and portions of Milpitas via White Road and Piedmont Road. Regarding frequencies, I suggest putting the weekend frequencies at 30 minutes during the day and 60 minutes after 7PM. 

VTA Line 72, 73: These routes runs between Monterey/Senter intersections and downtown San Jose. Both of them start and end at the same points, but line 72 runs along McLaughin while 73 runs along Senter. Both routes can be left unchanged in terms of frequency, though I suggest alternating between line 72 and 73 every 15 minutes on all ends so that each bus line runs every 30 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays. 

VTA Line 77: This route runs between Eastridge and Milpitas Transit Center via King Road and Lundy. The weekend frequency could be improved, though; particularly on Saturday nights after 7PM. 

VTA Line 83: This weekday-only route runs between Ohlone-Chynoweth station to the Almaden Valley. Regarding the overall route, I suggest streaming the route and running 30 minutes only during commute hours. 

VTA Line 89: This weekday-only route runs within Palo Alto. Regarding the overall route, I suggest running them at 60-minute intervals between buses during midday hours. 

VTA Line 500: This short rapid transit route runs between Berryessa BART station and the San Jose Dirdon station as a fill-in gap between the 2 points. The route runs similar to those of BART's running time between trains, but I do suggest adjusting the timing to accommodate ample time for BART riders to connect to downtown San Jose; otherwise, the route is OK overall. 

VTA Line 522: This rapid route runs mostly similar to line 22, but have limited stops between Eastridge and Palo Alto. The only difference is that line 22 diverts at Alum Rock/King intersections for a different way to/from Eastridge. The route overall is OK, but both Saturday and Sunday service could run at 20-minute intervals. Furthermore, I suggest transit priority signals for this route. 

VTA Line 523: This rapid route runs between downtown San Jose and Sunnyvale via De Anza College. I suggest that both Saturday and Sunday service run at 20-minute intervals as opposed to 15-minutes on weekdays, as well as using standard buses and transit priority signals. 

Finally, VTA will need to answer this question in regards to the WiFi use on buses and light rail. The overall image of the WiFi requires me to log-in when switching between buses or when going from bus to light rail and vice-versa. The speed of the WiFi is currently well below the federal definition of high speed internet, which is currently 25 Mbps. During selected times on VTA bus and light rail, I have conducted WiFi tests and most of them are generally below 13 Mbps and under, especially when many people are on the bus or light rail. As VTA plans to restore bus and light rail service to normal pre-pandemic levels, the questions is whether VTA plans to upgrade them so that VTA buses have the capabilities to have high-speed Internet that meets or exceeds the federal definition of high speed internet. 

If VTA wants to reach out to me regarding this, please feel free to do so. 

Kyle Chak

chak5595301@gmail.com

@KyleSChak (Twitter and Instagram)