VTA To Increase Capacity On Buses, Light Rails This Week

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — VTA will increase capacity beginning Wednesday on its buses and light rails.

In a statement on Tuesday, transit agency officials said they will now allow up to 34 passengers per car for light rails, and the following capacities for buses:

• 30-foot bus: 15 passengers
• 40-foot bus: 18 passengers
• 60-foot bus: 26 passengers

Capacity on VTA buses had been reduced by between 80 and 90 percent during the pandemic, with only eight passengers allowed on a 40-foot-bus. This resulted in between 600 and 800 customers being passed up daily, according to VTA.

“What this means is more capacity for more customers which is critical for mass public transit and for economic productivity as we continue to climb out of this pandemic,” said VTA Board Chair Glenn Hendricks in a statement. “We are not completely out of the woods until we can be at full passenger capacity on board our trains and buses, and this is a big step in the right direction.”

Passengers should still remain at least three feet away from each other, according to VTA, which noted that groups traveling together will be counted as one passenger and can be closer to each other than three feet.