Saratoga News

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Proposed cuts to bus lines could reduce independence for seniors

By Shannon Burkey

Most Saratogans will not be affected by the Valley Transit Authority's proposed cuts of two bus lines that service Saratoga because they don't use the service, but for the small group of people who do, those lines are a lifeline.

"When I heard about the cuts, I was shocked and saddened that they would cause all the people in this complex to lose independence," said Fengqin Wang, who resides in the Saratoga Retirement Community. "For us, not having the bus is like not having legs."

Wang said she and her neighbors need the bus to survive. Since most of them don't drive or own cars, they use the bus daily to get to and from doctors appointments, the grocery store, to visit family and friends and to pursue their hobbies.

VTA proposes to reduce their access by modifying two routes, the 27 and the 54, so they will no longer service Saratoga.

Currently, the 27 runs from West Valley College through Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and San Jose, where it ends at Santa Teresa Community Hospital. The proposed cut would eliminate the segment of the route from West Valley College to Good Samaritan Hospital.

The 54 currently runs from West Valley College through Cupertino and Sunnyvale to Fair Oaks Avenue. VTA proposes eliminating the segment of the route from West Valley College to De Anza College.

In addition to modifying the routes of the 27 and 54, VTA proposes eliminating the 58 line that runs from West Valley College to Alviso in Santa Clara. However, the other line that services Saratoga, the 57, would remain intact.

In recent years, VTA said it has been losing money and ridership. It began a system-wide audit to find ways to improve; cutting the lines with low ridership was the answer it came up with.

"We looked at every route in the VTA network and analyzed how they performed on the entire route and on segments of each route," said Bernice Alaniz, deputy director of marketing and public affairs for VTA. "Both the 54 and the 27 were low performers."

Since 2005, Saratoga resident Li Yang, has been taking the 54 from her home to her office at Yahoo! in Sunnyvale. Unlike the riders from the retirement community, Yang can drive, but chooses to take the bus because it is more convenient for her. When the lines stop running in Saratoga, she said she worries about what some people will do.

"When I first heard they were thinking about cutting the service, I thought they were joking," she said. "How can they make a decision like this? For some of these people, it is the only way they have to get around."

Jay Jayakumar, a Saratoga resident who also rides the bus to his job in Sunnyvale, said several of the senior riders were crying when they found out about the cuts.

"It just doesn't make sense to me," he said. "The routes should be extended, not limited to the center. As it is, they seem to be skipping over the residential areas where they should be picking up more people."

Since the proposal for the cuts came out, Alaniz said VTA has held 10 public meetings throughout the county to solicit public input. VTA will present a revised plan to submit to its board of directors for approval on Aug. 31. If approved, the cuts would take effect Jan. 14, 2008.

"It's important to emphasize that these are proposed changes and we are in the process of getting community feedback," Alaniz said. "A thorough evaluation will be done based on that community input, then a revised proposal will go before the board."

Councilman Chuck Page said if VTA is going to cut its service, it needs to look at an alternative, such as a community bus.

The community bus idea is a new one for VTA. It began a pilot program in Los Gatos two years ago and is currently working with the cities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy to create the shuttle type service that would run only throughout each individual community.

"The people who will be affected the most are the ones that need the bus the most," Page said. "If they're going to close these lines, they need to look at a community bus line. We're an area that has little micro commutes and I think the community bus is something that could benefit us all."

Councilwoman Kathleen King, who also serves on VTA's policy advisory committee, said the city wants to do what it can to help riders who will be affected if the cuts happen, but until the proposal is finalized, there is not much that can be done.

"VTA will present to us when they have more analysis, but we're kind of in a wait-and-see mode right now," she said.

But that's of little comfort to Wang, who as it is walks half an hour each way to the bus stop. She said she doesn't mind, though, because at least she has transportation.

"It's true that ridership is not that high, but the bus should not be for profit. It should be to service every section of society," she said. "Maybe it could come by less, but they can't cut it off completely."

VTA is seeking input on the proposed cuts. Comments can be submitted at www.coa@vta.org and need to be submitted by June 30.