Karen Truesdell

ilpitas High School teacher Karen Truesdell has nothing but praise for the VTA bus operators who have transported her students as part of past field trips.

“The bus operators who drove us were just fabulous. They took a real interest in the kids and took the time to educate them about the bus and also about proper etiquette when riding VTA,” Truesdell explained. “And the VTA office staff that helped us arrange the trip were very cordial, very helpful.”

She is one of the teachers who coordinate the student program Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). One element of the program is to introduce Milpitas High students to the college experience. This year the field trip, via two VTA buses, was to San Jose State University (SJSU), where students spent the day learning about academic offerings, as well as social, health and other programs available to students.

"Field trips are so expensive now, with transportation costs being the largest of those expenses. Without the assistance of VTA, I don’t think we could have provided our AVID students the experience of visiting SJSU for a day,” Truesdell noted. 

VTA’s Class Pass Program, which provided the buses for the SJSU field trip, offers teachers within Santa Clara County the opportunity to take advantage of two “class passes” each school year.

Terry Firma, VTA’s official ambassador to students and other transit riders throughout the county, is excited to hear Truesdell has kind words for VTA’s work with students.And since this story is about students, Terry wanted to point out VTA’s Summer Blast Pass is now on sale. The pass, good June through August, gives youth passengers three months of service for the price of two.