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San Jose, Calif. – Bus passengers on the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) Rapid 522 will soon experience more of a commute advantage.  The expanded installation of a signal technology known as Bus Signal Priority (BSP) along the remainder of the Rapid 522 Bus Corridor is underway.  In collaboration with the City of San Jose and Caltrans, VTA is preparing for the operations of new BSP at 41 signalized intersections.  All nineteen of VTA’s Rapid 522 buses have already received the newer BSP technology to network with the traffic signal controller. 

Grants of $839,000 from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Transportation Fund for Clean Air funded the BSP equipment.   The use of the BSP at 41 signalized intersections is expected by the end of March 2008.

The installation affects intersections along the Alameda, Santa Clara Street and Alum Rock Avenue.  Once in place, these signalized intersections will have BSP equipment using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology.  GPS technology will locate the position of a Rapid 522 bus in relation to the intersection and trigger a request to the traffic signal controller to extend the time on a green light phase or shorten the wait time on a red light phase. 

VTA Board Member and San Jose Councilmember Sam Liccardo expects the BSP effort to generate a positive response.

“This change will save hundreds of hours for residents traveling through San Jose’s busiest corridor.  With the upgraded technology, commuters will flock to the Rapid 522,” said Liccardo.

BSP using a lower technology solution is already in operations at 55 intersections along the El Camino Real portion of Rapid 522.   However, by early 2009, these intersections along El Camino Real from Palo Alto to Race Street in San Jose will be upgraded with the new GPS-based BSP systems, funded by a Federal Transportation Administration grant.

Background

Rapid 522 provides faster and more frequent service to VTA customers by reducing the number of stops, constructing queue-jump lanes, and utilizing signal prioritization. 

These hard to miss, fully “wrapped” blue, red, and white Rapid 522 Buses carried 6004 riders on an average weekday in February 2008, with a fiscal year to date ridership totaling 1,041,531.   Rapid 522 has not only alleviated crowds on the Local Line 22 service but has attracted new public transportation users as well.

VTA Customer Service has received numerous compliments from the public regarding the frequency, travel time savings and the convenience the Rapid 522 offers passengers traveling both long and short distances. 

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About VTA
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special district responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations; congestion management; specific highway improvement projects; and countywide transportation planning. As such, VTA is both an accessible transit provider and multi-modal transportation planning organization involved with transit, highways and roadways, bikeways and pedestrian facilities.

For more information about VTA services, call VTA Customer Service at (408) 321-2300, (408) 321-2330 (TDD only). Or, log on to www.vta.org.