Valley Transportation Authority is developing a Local Investment Plan, Santa Clara County’s part of a five-county regional measure. VTA is focused on three primary outcomes: grow ridership, increase productivity, enhance the customer experience (including safety, security and cleanliness) all delivered in a financially sustainable way.
In August 2025, the VTA Board of Directors unanimously voted to join the five-county regional transportation sales tax measure. Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner represents the Morgan Hill/Gilroy seat on the VTA board for 2024-26; this seat comes back to Gilroy for 2026-28.
The Connect Bay Area Transit Committee is actively working to place a citizen’s initiative on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot to secure funding for regional public transit. The measure needs about 186,000 valid signatures to qualify, and the Connect Bay Area campaign said they have collected more than 300,000.
Thanks to the diligent work of VTA leadership and our state delegation, Santa Clara County would retain 94.75% of the half-cent sales tax revenues for local priority projects.
Under SB63, the state legislation that authorizes the measure, sales tax revenues may be used “for public transit expenses and roadway re-pavement projects on roads served by fixed-route transit.”
Currently, VTA is operating with a balanced multi-year budget and does not need a state loan to cover a deficit like other agencies.
The VTA board expects to approve the local investment plan at their June 4 meeting, after months of feedback sessions at city council meetings. VTA should focus on a back-to-basics approach, with safe and clean buses, clean and inviting bus stops and improvements to VTA’s Downtown Gilroy Transit Center—while furthering the plans for VTA’s Transit Oriented Development and amenities to attract riders.
Having inviting and tech-enhanced bus shelters for high ridership stops in Gilroy and Morgan Hill will enhance a better user experience. Without a focus on the basics of increased ridership, VTA won’t sustain.
Implement Rapid 568 bus weekend service, invest in reducing the Rapid 568 and Frequent 68 headways via roadway improvements, transit signal priority and complete streets designs.
Gilroy and Morgan Hill are active project partners and seeking funding for the US 101/ SR 25/ Santa Teresa Boulevard Extension Project. The project will build a new two-lane roadway from Santa Teresa Boulevard (just north of Castro Valley Road) to the newly reconfigured US 101/SR 25 interchange.
Thank you, VTA, for all the work you do to increase ridership every day. The City of Gilroy has a vested interest in VTA since we are a member agency.
VTA is embedded into each member agency’s commercial, industrial and residential development review process and works with city staff year-round to improve service. When we are promoting transit, it’s great to tell the community to come down to the Monterey Road transit corridor and a bus will come every 15 minutes.
VTA is active in our community through tabling and sponsoring events, where they continue to spend time educating and encouraging ridership. Together we continue to make investments along the Monterey Transit Corridor to keep it a reliable form of transportation.
VTA invests back into the community through Transit Oriented Community grants.
Gilroy Transit Center serves as a key hub for multiple transit options. The VTA-owned 7.8-acre site on the west side of the tracks is identified for future mixed used, mixed-income transit-oriented development and will contribute to Gilroy’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (or RHNA) of 1,773 housing units by 2031.
VTA makes annual adjustments to service based on ridership while keeping a balanced budget. It’s one reason why we aren’t facing service cuts, and don’t need a state loan to keep operations running.
Zach Hilton is a Gilroy City Council Member and a member of the VTA Policy Advisory Committee.
