Transportation Agency Approves Shuttle Buses

Gilroy – Transit officials have approved South County shuttle
buses, voting unanimously to adopt new routes for the smaller
vehicles.
Gilroy – Transit officials have approved South County shuttle buses, voting unanimously to adopt new routes for the smaller vehicles. The approved routes reach streets and cul-de-sacs that bigger buses couldn’t, said South County Valley Transportation Authority board representative Greg Sellers, including county social service offices on Tomkins Court in Gilroy?.

“One of the chief complaints for South County residents has been these large, virtually empty buses rumbling through neighborhoods,” said Roland Velasco, policy aide to county supervisor Don Gage. Velasco serves as an alternate VTA board representative for the city of Gilroy, and was at the Thursday night meeting where VTA approved the routes. “These smaller buses will run quieter, and we’ve come up with new routes with a lot of community input.”

The shuttles will operate starting July 1, using routes that were roughed out in a series of public meetings in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. Responding to residents’ input, Valley Transportation Authority officials adjusted some planned routes. In Gilroy, all local lines will now converge at the Gilroy Transit Center at Monterey and Eighth streets. The change is intended to cut wait times for riders transferring from one line to another. The new routes will be publicized via mass mailings this summer, at the peak of festival season, said Sellers.

One upcoming change worries some Gavilan College students and staff who rely on the bus to reach campus. In July, Line 68, which currently runs from San Jose to Gavilan’s campus, will terminate at the Transit Center. There, students will transfer to a new bus, Line 18, to reach the school.

“The section of [Line 68] that goes out to Gavilan College isn’t very heavily used right now,” explained VTA spokesperson Jayme Kunz. “That’s the (orgin) for the proposal to terminate the service up to Gavilan, and to create the linking service. It allows us to increase the frequency [of Line 68] where people are riding.”

Line 68 is one of two bus lines that connect South County to San Jose. The 68 comes down from San Jose and used to go out to the Gavilan campus. Now it terminates at the transit center, where students must transfer to the 18 line out to the campus. The new Gavilan route, Line 18, will follow roughly the same schedule as Line 68, running every half-hour during the day and every hour after 8pm.

“There’s really not a lot of difference in service,” said Ethan Winston, a VTA public communications specialist. “There’s a brief period in the morning where service is a little more frequent with the 68 … It’s a difference of two or three bus runs in the morning.”

Gavilan student Jenessa Keswick takes Line 68 from Morgan Hill to reach 8am classes at Gavilan College. The bus is nearly empty when it reaches Gavilan, she acknowledged, but the planned change upsets her so much that she recently wrote a college essay opposing it.

“It was supposed to be an expository paper,” she said, “but I sort of turned it into a personal argument … I’m mad. How long will I wait for Line 18 to pick me up to get to Gavilan?”

Sellers acknowledged students’ concerns, and said that VTA has promised to time the routes to avoid delays.

“If you’re coming down to Gavilan on the 68, you just get off one bus and onto another,” he said.

But transferring buses could be a big deal for developmentally disabled students, said Bruce Eastman, a counselor in the college’s Disability Resource Center.

“Developmentally delayed learners have limited ability to sort things out,” Eastman said. For those disabled students who rely on public transit, the direct route to campus has been a selling point. “Even for a person without a disability who can think quick on their feet, it can be a challenge … This could reduce the number of people in that program.”

College spokesperson Jan Bernstein-Chargin was unsure of the new routes’ impact, but noted that the college recently planned a new block schedule with the current VTA schedule in mind.

“For the students who rely upon the bus,” she said, “this is their access to college.”

Sellers emphasized that the routes can still be tweaked. A few weeks ago, Morgan Hill bus routes were adjusted to reach the city’s new recreation center and library. Gilroy and Morgan Hill residents can call their respective City Halls to give comments on the routes, Sellers added.

“It’s exciting to see it approved,” said Sellers. “It’s a work-in-progress, but hopefully it’ll start off great and get better.”

Other upcoming changes include:

n Gilroy’s Line 19 will end at Mantelli Way between Kern and Welburn avenues, not Santa Teresa Boulevard and Welburn Avenue, as originally planned. The 5am bus will continue operating.

n Morgan Hill’s Line 15 will run to Jackson Oaks during peak hours, and serve Watsonville Road and the Morgan Hill Senior Center at other times, instead of being cut from Jackson Oaks altogether.

n Gilroy’s Line 17 southbound will travel south on Murray Avenue, instead of turning onto Leavesley Road to reach Monterey Street. As currently planned, the line will travel from Murray onto IOOF Avenue, then to Forest Street, then down Lewis Street to Monterey Street.

n Gilroy’s Line 17 will be split into Line 14 and Line 17, shortening both routes. The old Line 17 took 45 minutes to circle town. In July, Line 17 will be a 25-minute loop and Line 14 will be a 20-minute loop. Line 17 will also reach the county social service agency’s offices on Tomkins Court.

Previous articleElenore Jacqueline Rocca
Next articleDS Builders Cut Their Way to Top

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here