Silicon Valley's Beleaguered Transit System Getting an Overhaul

Strapped for cash and faced with rapidly declining ridership, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is reorganizing its service in the hopes of stopping the bleeding.

1 minute read

May 8, 2017, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


San Jose, California

Sundry Photography / Shutterstock

[Updated 5/8/2017]

Gary Richards reports from the South Bay Area:

Faced with a $21.4 *million operating shortfall and a staggering loss of riders, the Valley Transportation Authority on Thursday is expected to approve major changes to its bus and light rail routes, focusing on more service on San Jose’s east side and downtown and reducing its reach in outlying areas like Gilroy and the west valley.

The article includes a rundown of the various causes of VTA's woes, from low gas prices, to delayed transit services, and cannibalization of transit ridership by transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft. All those anti-transit forces are succeeding despite a robust economy and the worsening congestion that results.  

For more info on the details of the changes to VTA service, see an announcement requesting public comment on the Transit Service Redesign Draft Plan, as released in January 2017, along with previous articles for the Mercury News by Julia Baum in March and Gary Richards in January.

[The story was corrected to state the correct dollar total for the agency's operating shortfall.]

Thursday, May 4, 2017 in The Mercury News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3, 2025 - Governing

White park shuttles with large Zion logo on side and red rock cliffs in background in Zion National Park.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”

Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

1 hour ago - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Chart of federal transportation funding comparing Biden and Trump administration spending.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden

Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

2 hours ago - Transportation for America

Close-up on yellow and black TAXI sign on top of beige car in central Munich, Germany.

German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence

Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.

3 hours ago - Bloomberg