COA growing pains

Happy Lunar New Year

As reported on the VTA Riders' Union message list earlier, VTA is reviewing some of the changes implemented last month. In particular is line 68 south of Santa Teresa light rail station. On January 14, the peak hour frequency on line 68 south of Santa Teresa was reduced from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes, resulting in overcrowded buses with some passengers standing between Santa Teresa and Morgan Hill. VTA is considering possible service changes to address complaints about the overcrowding.

Some of the line 68 resources were reallocated to the new line 168, which operates every 30 minutes in peak directions. However, it is not a complete substitute for the 50% reduction in local service, especially in the reverse commute direction (morning to Gilroy) where no express service is provided.

On the other hand, the ridership on the express service appears promising, with some buses carrying 20 passengers.

In addition, VTA realigned line 54 last weekend to avoid the unnecessary loop south of De Anza College and clarified the timepoints in the area.