July 1, 2014Leave a Comment
“Make them less car dependent,” says vice mayor of suburban bedroom community of effort to promote transit ridership for children.
The half price summer youth fare adopted by the Santa Cruz Metro board of directors is effective today. K-12 students can now ride all local routes in Santa Cruz County for $1.
June 19, 20148 Comments on 10 tips for the Caltrain Bike Car
Caltrain is the commuter rail service between San Jose and San Francisco funded by Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco Counties and operated by Samtrans. With 92 trains each weekday and bike capacity ranging from 48 to 80 bikes per train, Caltrain this year carries 53,000 passengers each day, 6,000 of whom bring their bikes on board the train. Commute time trains depart from both San Jose and San Francisco each day at 96% to 125% seated capacity.
June 17, 20141 Comment on Santa Cruz considers fare cut; win free San Jose Earthquakes tickets; San Jose Bike Train
A public hearing for a fare reduction! This isn’t something I’ve seen in a while around here:
The public is invited to comment on proposed fare change. This fare change will change the fare to $1.00 for K-12 students with a valid student identification card for the months of July, August, and September 2014.
A PUBLIC HEARING will be held at the following time/place:
Friday, June 27, 2014
METRO Board Meeting PUBLIC HEARING,
809 Center St., Santa Cruz: 9:00 amInterested persons may address the Board verbally or in writing. Send comments to Erich Friedrich, Planning, 110 Vernon St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 by June 23, 2014.
Santa Cruz Metro operates the public transportation system in Santa Cruz County. This transit agency allows small children under 46 inches tall to ride for free, but otherwise does not have a separate child / teen fare — they’re expected to pay full fare. Revenue from fares and local sales tax are up 3% and 7% this fiscal year compared to last year, while operating expenses are 5% below budget, giving the agency a little wiggle room to experiment with summer fares for children and teens.
The short term transit plan adopted by the Metro Board in May identified high school and middle school students as a currently untapped market opportunity. Young people who become comfortable with METRO and regard it positively will not only consider riding, but also will understand its value for the community and support it in the future.
The 9th annual National Dump the Pump Day on Thursday, June 19 is a day to highlight that when gas prices are high, using public transportation is a great alternative to driving that will help people save money.
Send selfies showing that you commuted by riding transit, walking, biking or carpooling on Dump the Pump Day for a chance to
win a pair of tickets to a San Jose Earthquake’s Soccer game plus two free preloaded Clipper cards ($14 value) to get you to the game on VTA.
For contest rules and other information, visit VTA: National Dump the Pump Day.
Finally, San Jose Bike Train rolls this Wednesday morning, June 18, 2014. We ride north on the Guadalupe River Trail for destinations along the Guadalupe Parkway / North 1st Street Corridor. I’ll likely have goodies. I hope to see you at San Jose Diridon Station at 8 AM!
June 9, 20143 Comments on A new paradigm in transportation planning?
April 1, 2014Leave a Comment
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” follows the adventures of private investigator Eddie Valiant as he investigates the murder of Marvin Acme. The motive of the murder is foreshadowed early on when Valiant hops a ride on the Pacific Electric Red Car trolley. “Hey Mister,” says a teen boy on the train. “Ain’t you got a car?”
“Los Angeles has the best public transportation on the planet,” replies Valiant. “What do I need a car for?”
Then, ominously, the camera pans past a sign announcing the acquisition of Pacific Electric by Cloverleaf Industry.
If you haven’t seen the 1988 movie and would like to in the future, stop reading now, because spoilers abound.
February 15, 2014Leave a Comment
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) began longer hours during the week and Sunday service on the popular 522 “Rapid” bus line, which connects East San Jose to Palo Alto along Alum Rock Avenue, Santa Clara Street, The Alameda, and El Camino Real.
The 522 bus now runs until 10:30 PM during the week and Saturdays, with 15 minute headways until 6 PM, and 20 to 30 minute headways after that. The new Sunday service runs every 15 minutes from 9 AM until 6 PM.
VTA released a pair of ads highlighting the freedom available for people who use VTA public transportation. The “bro” video mentions the freedom from traffic, parking hassles, and driving.
