According to ATU Local 265, which represents many VTA frontline positions, the union will go on strike starting Monday, March 10. All VTA services will be unavailable except for Access Paratransit. The agency and the union are at an impasse over wage increases and other issues.
VTA advises transit riders to seek alternatives.
Options:
Microtransit:
- Silicon Valley Hopper – Cupertino, Southern Santa Clara
- Milpitas SMART – Milpitas
- Palo Alto Link – Palo Alto
Other transit and shuttle providers:
- Caltrain – Peninsula corridor and South County
- BART – San Jose north toward the East Bay
- SamTrans, Dumbarton Express – Palo Alto area
- Stanford Marguerite shuttles – Stanford campus
- AC Transit – Milpitas
- MVgo shuttles – Mountain View
- Mountain View Community Shuttle – Mountain View
Other agencies that use VTA owned transit centers may have to be relocated because of the strike.
Other mobility:
- Bay Wheels bike share – Downtown San Jose
- Scooter share – Downtown San Jose
- Employee shuttles for select employers
The strike will impact riders, most of whom have few, if any, options and no role in the labor negotiations. Even if the strike eventually resolves, if it forces a rider to purchase a car, that rider is unlikely to return once the strike is over. The strike may increase traffic, particularly around schools, since they are still in session. More parents are likely to pick up and drop off their children by car if VTA is no longer an option.