VTA Proposes Elimination of Two MV Bus Routes

Starting next year, some South Bay Area commuters might have to make alternate travel plans to get to and from work.

At public hearings held by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), including one at Mountain View's last week, VTA officials announced the proposed elimination of bus routes 34 and 104. The latter route would disappear as early as January 2012 and the former in July 2012. 

"Line 104 will be the biggest issue," said Kermit Cuff, transit service development supervisor. "It's a route that as a whole isn't meeting minimum ridership standards."

According to Cuff, the minimum ridership standards per bus route for each one-way trip is 23 passengers. Line 104 averages 18.5 on its two morning trips and 17.5 on its two afternoon trips.

"We've been losing ridership on it," Cuff said, about the line that used to make five trips a day and is now down to two trips. "So we are considering cutting service."

Express bus route 104 begins in San Jose and makes stops in Milpitas and Mountain View before it reaches its destination at the Veterans Affairs Medical Care hospital in Palo Alto. Another express bus has been proposed that will run from the Fremont BART station and cover a portion of the 104 route, going through Mountain View's North Bayshore neighborhood and terminating in Palo Alto.

However, the elimination of bus 104 makes a bad situation worse for Mountain View resident Alice Vierth. 

Vierth, who has lived in the North Bayshore area for 10 years, used to hop on the bus near Shoreline and La Avenida Street. Now her husband drives her to work. After her shift is finished, Vierth takes the bus to Old Middlefield Way, where she gets a ride back home with her husband.

"I'd take it every day both morning and night if they still had it," she said.

Other bus 104 riders in attendance at the public hearing showed Cuff photographs of a packed bus. The VTA officials said that all information they received from the public would be taken into consideration.

"We also get public comments through our customer service line and email, and route 104 has the most comments," said James Unites, deputy director of of service planning. "[Bus 104] wasn't meeting our standards—that's why we made our proposal—but public comments are important, and we use this to draft final recommendations."

Not much discussion was had over the elimination of route 34 at this public hearing. VTA officials said public meetings for it will take place in early 2012.

VTA does plan improvements and schedule updates for the Light Rail Mountain View to Winchester line. Also, Express Bus 522 will get more buses and extended hours.

VTA Public Meeting Calendar:

• When: Monday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. Location: County of Santa Clara, Isaac Newton Senter Auditorium, 70 W. Hedding St., San Jose.
• When: Tuesday, May 10, at 6 p.m. Location: Campbell Community Center, Mary Campbell Room, 1 W. Campbell Ave., Campbell.

After these last two public hearing, the proposal will be reviewed and discussed at the Transit Planning and Operations and Administration and Finance committees on May 19. Then the revised proposals will be presented to the Board of Directors on June 2. The adopted plan for fiscal year 2012-13 will go into effect on July 1.