BusTalk

[Nabinut]

Now at the halfway point of this exposition, I find myself in San Francisco, California. But I will start south of the Bay Area in Santa Clara County and its transit system, VTA. VTA operates 82 bus lines and an extensive Light Rail service spanning 42 miles across three lines. VTA also operates a Bus Rapid Transit line, Route 522 that uses a mix of Gillig Advantages & New Flyer D60LFs covered in a full body wrap. VTA’s bus fleet consists of Gillig Phantoms, Advantages, & New Flyer D60LFs.

My way to VTA came by Dumbarton Express, which operates between Union City & Palo Alto/Mill Creek Business Park and uses Flxible Metro Cs & Gillig Phantoms (More on this later)
Pictured is coach #151, boarding passenger on the second run of the morning:


Stanford University operates a free shuttle between Palo Alto Transit Center & the University for students using the CalTrain commuter service. Here is Gillig Advantage #3208 outside the station:


VTA operates approx. 35-40 New Flyer D60LFs, the majority on their heaviest line, Route 22 that travels between Palo Alto to Eastridge via Downtown San Jose. Here is #2333 on layover:


Some of the 2300 series are also wrapped for Route 522 service, here is #2312 after disembarking passengers:



Photographed at Mountain View Transit Center is VTA Advantage #1044, shortly before its run on Route 52. Mountain View also connects to the VTA Light Rail & CalTrain Commuter rail:


Among the systems that connect with VTA is AC Transit. Route 217 operates as a connection for VTA passengers wanting to transfer to BART trains at its most southern station, Fremont BART.
Here is Van Hool A300K #5046 at the Great Mall Light Rail Station:


VTA operates a batch of 35 foot Gillig Advantage for small and medium density routes, here is #2104 boarding passenger destined for Eastridge Transit Center:


Among the oldest vehicles in VTA’s fleet are 1997 & 1998 Gillig Phantoms. Here is 9844 & sister coach 9845 on Routes 66 & 68 respectively:



Videos:

Dumbarton Express Flxible Metro C #151: Cummins M11/ZF Ecomat Transmission\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOVyNBu9p7k

Santa Clara VTA New Flyer D60LF #2333: Cummins ISL/Allison B500R
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc9ZnGH253g

Santa Clara VTA Gillig Advantage #1007: Cummins ISL/Voith D864.3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgoNyoqemr8

Santa Clara VTA Gillig Phantom #9844: Cummins M11/Voith D863.3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS2sCAw9ryg

Santa Clara VTA Light Rail: Kinki Sharyo Low Floor Car #904
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4zMFywa-5U

[dsevil]

[timecruncher]

VTA is an interesting operation in many ways. I always see their senior scheduler/timecruncher at the annual Trapeze Software Conference.

They also have this beautifully-preserved TDH4512. It is reported to be the last of this model built before the TDH4517 new look model was introduced:



They also [were] running the three fuel-cell Gilligs. Strange-looking creatures, these things reportedly cost about a million each.



No, they don't produce any pollution whatsoever, but the fueling station must be guarded 24-hours a day and is a safety director's nightmare. Just another way to waste the taxpayer's dollars on a gimmick that doesn't move the bus any better than a well-maintained diesel will...

Other VTA trivia: VTA operators are the highest-paid in North America, yet their operating divisions have RV parking and hookups for employees who cannot afford to live close by. Pretty damn bad when you gotta live 100 miles away in Stockton or Sacramento because property is so insanely expensive near where you work, eh?

timecruncher

[thaitransit]

Great pictures of some very interesting bus styles. I have a couple of questions about the buses themselves.



Why on alot of the buses in north America the window seem to have massive framework rather than a continuous panel of glass with support from the inside? It seems to make the windows smaller in the buses.




The second bus seems to be a more typical bus design with more of a continuous large window design not much in the way of "framework showing as compared with the 1st bus.

Also are these buses "Low floor" or "High Floor"?
How old are these buses today?