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Changes are coming to Saratoga bus lines

By Chris Vongsarath

Several bus lines in and out of Saratoga will change Jan. 14 when the Valley Transportation Authority reorganizes its bus service routes.

The most significant change affects the riders of route 27, which goes from West Valley College through Los Gatos and Monte Sereno before arriving at Santa Teresa Community Hospital in San Jose. In April, VTA drafted a proposal to eliminate the segment of the route from West Valley College to Good Samaritan hospital.

But after gathering community input through letters, e-mails and several forums throughout the year, VTA revised its proposal in July and ultimately decided to install a community bus line to replace the segment.

Community bus line 37 will now run the segment from West Valley College to and from Good Samaritan Hospital, said Bernice Alaniz, deputy director of marketing and public affairs. A community bus is much smaller than a regular bus, but its fare is also cheaper.

The change comes in light of an 18-month Comprehensive Operations Analysis that looked at ways to improve VTA's service routes. The COA revealed which routes were underutilized and which ones ran frequently, giving VTA officials a guideline for reorganizing its service.

"We're keeping the same overall service level neutral, but we're also reallocating service to a higher demand and cutting back service where it wasn't warranted and weren't as many riders," Alaniz said.

Seven bus lines were eliminated from the program, but Alaniz said the majority of them have alternative routes via transfers from other buses.

The discontinued bus lines affecting Santa Clara County were routes 36, 38, 44, 59, 67, 85 and 305. VTA added routes 11, 42, 43, 45, 61 and 89, and express lines 168 and 181.

Before the COA, Alaniz said VTA had not done a major overhaul of its operations in 20 years, only minor adjustments every few years. With a project of such a high magnitude, VTA wanted to ensure it continued its mission of providing reasonable and efficient service for its customers.

"We wanted to take a step back to look at what service we can put out there to be efficient and attract more riders," Alaniz said. "It's a balance of improving overall efficiencies and still serving the public the best way possible."

Two proposals were drafted--one in April and one in July--before the final proposal was presented to the VTA board of directors for approval in August. During that process, several revisions were made after community members expressed concerns about the original proposal.

Now that the changes have been finalized, Alaniz and VTA are doing everything they can to make sure their riders know where they're going.

One of the tools VTA will use is the World Wide Web. Riders can use a new feature on VTA.org to map out their routes according to the new service.

Furthermore, VTA has also undertaken a grassroots campaign.

"We've been out in the community for the last month and a half and will continue working with individuals in January to make sure they know the new system," Alaniz said.

For more information on the new service routes, visit www.vta.org or call 408.321.2300.