Harvey Christensen was pushing 92, but on Dec. 13, he tried something completely novel—he rode a Valley Transportation Authority bus across town with his wife Jacquie.
They joined a group of seniors who met at the Los Gatos Adult Recreation Center and headed to Double D’s Sports Grille via the “27” route, Los Gatos’ public transit lifeline.
“Pretty smooth,” he said, upon exiting the vehicle at Los Gatos-Saratoga Road, just before North Santa Cruz Avenue, as leaves on the sidewalk crunched underfoot.
There were 10 seniors who turned up for the event, which was funded by Los Gatos’ Complete Streets and Transportation Commission (CSTC) and organized in partnership with VTA, as a way to educate older Los Gatans on the ins-and-outs of using public transportation.
Each got free bus token and a meal at their destination.
The participants arrived at the seniors’ center at 12:30pm and were greeted by a friendly receptionist and LGS Recreation’s assistant coordinator of the 55+ Program, Kevin Matter.
Ali Miano, vice chair of CSTC, welcomed everyone.
“You might know my mom,” she said, explaining that her mother loves to play bridge.
They went around the circle introducing themselves and sharing what they know about the transit system, and why the outing was of interest.
One woman noted she doesn’t know how long she’ll be able to continue to drive.
Another said a concern was how the walk would be to a bus stop.
Jolene Bradford, VTA’s Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, described the new technology that’s been invented in recent years to make taking the bus a more pleasant experience.
“It’s going to tell you when your next bus is coming,” she said of a cell phone application that many people now use.
However, she added, a lot of people still look at the paper maps and arrival-time tables.
“There’s the old school way to do it,” she said.
Christensen wondered aloud about one obstacle in the way of using the service for him and his wife.
“How do I get on the bus?” he asked. “We’re a mile-and-a-half up.”
Bradford said there was only so much VTA could do about this problem in the short-term, however she promised to pass the input along to her superiors, so they could take it in under advisement.
One woman described a situation where she had gone to take the bus, but wasn’t clear on how much it would cost.
“I didn’t have the right change,” she said.
Dick Konrad, a Community Health and Senior Services Commissioner, said addressing these basic questions and apprehensions about the bus system is a key part of making daily life for older adults easier.
“It’s important to seniors to know what’s available,” he said. “It’s a big concern.”
Walkability of a community is a huge part of urban planning, and the concept really comes alive when you join a group of seniors marching across South Main Street to the post indicating where to stand for a bus.
“It’s telling you where your final destination is,” said Bradford, indicating toward the sign affixed to that pole.
One woman wondered if it might be possible to move the stop across the street to the seniors’ center, so they wouldn’t be “fighting the teenagers” from Los Gatos High School, who are often streaming by.
“You tag-on,” Bradford said, explaining how the trans-jurisdictional pass can allow you to ride all the way to San Francisco. “You can use the Clipper Card on BART.”
Santa Clara County has its own program to encourage seniors to use public transit more frequently.
The way it works is people who attend a certain number of nutrition classes are given free passes.
“Here it comes,” Miano announced.
The ramp was extended and the participants each dropped their token in and found a seat on the 27.
“The operator is your friend,” Bradford said, as the bus headed past the Purple Onion, did a loop around Town Plaza Park, and then drove over to Los Gatos-Saratoga Road. “They really want to make it successful for you.”
Nelson Oliva, the bus driver, confirmed that they love to help passengers.
The seniors practiced pulling the rope.
Bradford explained how, if someone has already called for a stop, its bell won’t dig again.
“Don’t stress out,” she said.
The bus came to a halt just before the Chase bank and lowered itself slightly, just before 1:15pm.
“That’s called ‘kneeling the bus,’” Bradford said.
Christensen noted the journey had been enjoyable enough, but admitted that there was plenty of new information he was processing.
It’s “—a lot,” he said.
What brought him out to the event?
“Free lunch,” he replied. “Yeah, that’s right. And we’re kinda interested. But we’d have to get Uber to get to the bus.”
His situation typifies the experience faced by so many in the region.
Silicon Valley sprung up around single-family zoning and car culture.
Now, as its residents are aging, it can be hard to solve some mass transit challenges, like this, which have arisen.
But in some cases, it’s not a matter of introducing public transit, but rather showing new ways to incorporate it into locals’ lives.
Christensen and his wife have taken trains before, just not the bus.
“We’re familiar with taking the light rail,” he said.
Bob Buxton, another Los Gatos resident who helped organize the excursion, said they weren’t necessarily expecting to gain lifelong bus riders. Rather, they wanted to make sure seniors are aware of the options that are available to them.
“This is the first time we’ve done this,” he said. “Not that they’ll use it again—but they might.”
