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Students are Back—Both at School and on the Bus

Release Number:	nr09-01
Release Date:	Sep 02, 2009

VTA Program Teaches Young Riders About Safety, Etiquette

San Jose, Calif. –The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is currently experiencing its typical upswing in ridership as students, from kindergarten to collegiate, return to school for the fall term.

Also returning to schools is VTA’s Youth Outreach Program (YOP), a program that targets elementary and middle school students throughout the county and teaches them about safety on buses and light rail, and about etiquette for while riding public transportation. Older students get lessons in using bus and light rail schedules.

The safety information presented at specific schools is tailored to match the type of service available nearby. Students at a school near VTA Light Rail, for example, will receive additional information regarding safe behavior on station platforms, such as the importance of staying behind the yellow warning band as trains approach.

Dolly Sandoval, VTA Board Chairperson and City of Cupertino City Council Member, is also a high school teacher.

“I think it’s wonderful that VTA teaches elementary and middle school-aged students how to ride public transportation. By the time these students reach my high school classroom, they are seasoned VTA veterans and are some of the agency’s most loyal riders,” Sandoval noted.

For the 2008-2009 school year, over 8,900 students at 99 schools participated in YOP presentations. VTA distributes information about the availability of the presentations by emails to teachers and information to school districts. Teachers wishing to schedule a presentation for their students are encouraged to call (408) 321-7500 or to send an email to yop@vta.org.

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About VTA

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special
district that provides sustainable, accessible, community-focused transportation options that are innovative, environmentally responsible, and promote the vitality
of our region.  VTA is responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations; congestion management; specific highway improvement projects; countywide transportation planning and provides these services throughout the county including the cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale.  VTA continually builds partnerships to deliver transportation solutions that meet the evolving mobility needs of Santa Clara County

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