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Since the beginning of the pandemic, Silicon Valley’s bus drivers have spent hours each day in enclosed spaces. Each bus trip carries dozens of passengers, some of whom don’t wear masks. And the experience has been terrifying. “It’s no different than having a disruptive passenger who is on your bus, who is looking at you...
VTA faces a sea of change, tough recruitment process following Fernandez’s departure
Transit experts say it could be months before Valley Transportation Authority selects a permanent leader to replace former CEO and general manager Nuria Fernandez — who recently left her post to join the Biden administration. Following Fernandez’s Jan. 19 resignation, local leaders foresee an uncertain future for VTA and possible changes in transit initiatives across...
Santa Clara County transit leader Nuria Fernandez joins Biden administration
Santa Clara County’s own Nuria Fernandez resigned from the Valley Transportation Authority today to serve in the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Biden-Harris administration. “Now I will be stepping into a national role that is bigger and broader yet will have profound impacts at the local level,” Fernandez, VTA’s CEO and general manager, said...
San Jose transit agencies to receive millions in federal COVID-19 relief
Bay Area transit officials this month will decide how to allocate $975 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to local transit agencies, including the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). “In the lens of the pandemic, it allows essential workers to keep their jobs and save money,” said Daniel Huynh, a member of Silicon Valley...
Bay Area living out of reach for some VTA transit workers who sleep in their cars
After a long day of driving a transit bus all over Silicon Valley, Bernard Glinton curls up for a night of rest — in his SUV. The longtime bus driver has slept in his SUV for the last two years to save costs and give himself some much-needed rest. “There’s tons of people who are commuting because...
VTA plans to run more buses on seven routes so it doesn’t leave so many people behind
Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority is going to run some bus lines more frequently so fewer passengers get left behind. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transit agency has been requiring passengers to be spaced six feet apart on its buses and light rail cars. Doing so, though, has limited the capacity of its vehicles,...
San Jose airport could raise rental car fees to make up for financial loss
Those looking to rent a car at San Jose’s downtown airport may soon face a heftier bill if city leaders vote to approve fee hikes for travelers. San Jose’s airport has struggled financially amid COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. In a memo, John Aitken, director of aviation, said increasing Customer Facility Charge fees — daily fees charged to customers...
San Jose Legends: Rod Diridon launched the city’s light rail but got into transit by accident
Editor’s Note: San Jose Legends is a new monthly series that tells the remarkable stories of the historic and legendary people who have helped shape and transform our city. Rod Diridon has a train station named after him and is widely renowned as the “father” of Silicon Valley’s modern transit system. But to hear him tell...
San Jose transit chief was touted for Biden’s top transportation post
Before President-elect Joe Biden nominated former South Bend Mayor and presidential rival Pete Buttigieg to be his Secretary of Transportation, there was buzz that a notable local official might be in the running for the role. Nuria Fernandez, the CEO and general manager of the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority, made the short list...
UPDATE: San Jose details how it is spending $650 million in Measure T funds
Two years after San Jose voters passed a $650 million disaster preparedness bond, the city says it is making headway on fixing roads, preventing floods and improving emergency response times. The City Council voted unanimously to put Measure T on the 2018 ballot after dilapidated roads, mismanaged land and lack of emergency centers threatened resident...