By Khalida Sarwari
They’re not hard to spot on U.S. Highway 101, especially during commute hours, in shopping center parking lots and even in neighborhoods, but starting next summer, tech shuttle buses will likely start appearing at public bus stops around the South Bay as well.
At least that’s the plan put forward by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, whose board of directors adopted a policy on Dec. 7, upon the recommendation of its Policy Advisory Committee, for a commuter shuttle program that would require the operators of private charter buses ferrying employees to and from the campuses of companies like Google, Apple and Facebook to adhere to a set of rules and regulations in order to access VTA bus stops.
If all goes according to plan, VTA’s commuter shuttle program would follow on the heels of a similar one to the north adopted by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which allows commuter shuttles to use Muni bus stops to pick up riders, although the goal is to make theirs less “onerous,” said Howard Miller, a councilman in Saratoga who chairs the VTA policy advisory committee.
“The members of the committee were excited to move forward with this, but we want to make sure that we meet two main goals: safety and a light-weight low-cost implementation plan that’s flexible, not overly burdensome,” Miller said.
The VTA vote green-lights the process of figuring out which parameters to put in place for shuttle operators to follow when accessing VTA bus stops. While there’s no timeline, this work is expected to be completed by next summer, said Miller.
It is estimated that up to 35,000 people board the buses daily. Miller said while he’s aware of the complaints about the buses from anti-gentrification groups, he sees the shuttles as a public good rather than a nuisance.
“That’s 35,000 cars switched into buses,” he said. “That’s a huge impact on the roadways. That’s a lot of congestion removed from the roadways too.”
Currently, tech shuttles primarily use residential neighborhoods and shopping centers to pick up employees. In Saratoga, for example, the shuttles make stops at the CVS parking lot on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road and at West Valley College. But, according to the VTA, a lack of rules dictating pick-up and drop-off protocols has resulted in confusion for shuttle operators and VTA operators, inconsistent enforcement, conflicts with other transportation modes and public safety concerns.
“Sometimes we have buses blocking each other where they shouldn’t be. Sometimes we have a corporate bus where they are not sure where to stage. So by getting them organized and into VTA facilities…the buses will be in better places,” said Miller. “It is my expectation that once we get this up and running the need for all these ad hoc locations will be eliminated.”
VTA currently owns, leases, operates and controls nearly 4,000 bus stops, 39 park and rides and 24 transit centers throughout the county, which means nearly every city, with the exception of Monte Sereno and Los Altos Hills, will be impacted by the program.
There will be a cost associated with participating in the program, albeit a low one, said Miller, and it’d be borne entirely by the tech corporations.
“It is not going to cost the public anything,” he said.
Link:
VTA board green-lights commuter shuttle program in South Bay
