What is an annual transit service plan?
A transit service plan lays out where bus routes travel and stop, how often buses come, and how early and late they run. These service level details for each route are decided based on a route’s service category (i.e. light rail, Rapid bus, Frequent bus, Local bus) as stated in VTA’s Transit Service Guidelines.
Annual transit service updates give VTA staff and riders opportunities to build upon VTA’s Next Network redesign from 2019 and ensure the service is still responsive to riders’ needs.
A draft of the service plan is shared with the community every summer for their input, revised and presented to VTA’s Board of Directors for approval in October, then implemented starting in January of the following year.
What changes are proposed in VTA’s 2027 Transit Service Plan?
The draft 2027 Transit Service Plan proposes two scenarios. The scenario that is implemented will depend on whether new funding for transit operations becomes available.
Scenario 1: Modified Base Service Plan
VTA would maintain today’s service levels and implement a cost-neutral plan, introducing “base” bus route changes that preserve transit access while long-term city-led construction activities take place in 2027 and beyond. These changes include:
- Realignments of Routes 21, 40, and 51 through downtown Mountain View to maintain efficient service during construction of the City’s Castro and Evelyn Interim Improvements Project.
- Changes to end-of-line service on Routes 72 and 73 to provide effective connections at San Jose Diridon Station, vacate VTA’s current 1st Street & Bassett Street terminal, and maintain connections to light rail service via Santa Clara Station.
This scenario would also include a framework for modifying VTA bus routes intended as connections or alternatives to regional transit like BART and Caltrain. When detailed plans for these services are confirmed, the framework would account for:
- Potential frequency changes to Rapid Route 500, aligned with BART’s proposed changes
- Potential frequency changes to Route 89, aligned with Caltrain’s proposed changes
- Potential vehicle deployment and schedule adjustments on Route 22 and Rapid Route 522 to accommodate Caltrain’s proposed changes
Scenario 2: Local Investment Service Plan
If additional funds become available, this scenario would be implemented in alignment with VTA’s Local Investment Plan. In addition to “base” bus route changes involving:
- Realignments of Routes 21, 40, and 51 through downtown Mountain View to optimize service efficiency during construction of the City’s Castro and Evelyn Interim Improvements Project.
- Changes to end-of-line service on Routes 72 and 73 to provide effective connections at San Jose Diridon Station, vacate VTA’s current 1st Street & Bassett Street terminal, and maintain connections to light rail service via Santa Clara Station.
This scenario would begin a gradual implementation of VTA’s Board-adopted transit service framework, the Visionary Network. Phase 1 implementation of the Visionary Network in 2027 would include:
- 15-minute weekend frequencies on Frequent Routes 26, 57, 60, 61, 64, 66, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 77, 523 (currently every 20-30 minutes).
- 15-minute weekend frequencies on Blue, Green, and Orange Lines (currently every 20 minutes).
View Details of the Draft Plan
Learn more about what is being proposed in the 2027 Transit Service Plan.
Engage with us on the Draft Plan
Have questions or want to learn more about our service planning process this year? You can find VTA staff at any one of the events below. You can also send your questions or thoughts to Customer Service by emailing customer.service@vta.org or by calling (408) 321-2300.
In Person
| # | Date | Start | End | Meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17-Jun-26 | 6:00 PM | 7:30 PM | Virtual Meeting #1 |
| 2 | 24-Jun-26 | 12:00 PM | 1:30 PM | Virtual Meeting #2 |
| 3 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Downtown Mountain View Community Meeting |
Tabling Events
| # | Date | Start | End | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22-May-26 | 11:00 AM | 3:00 PM | FanimeCon |
| 2 | 4-Jun-26 | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM | Mountain View Transit Center Pop-Up Event |
| 3 | 6-Jun-26 | 9:00 AM | 1:00 PM | Sunnyvale Farmers' Market |
| 4 | 13-Jun-26 | 12:00 PM | 7:00 PM | Juneteenth Event at SoFA District, Downtown San Jose |
| 5 | 14-Jun-26 | 10:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Viva Calle, Downtown San Jose |
| 6 | 20-Jun-26 | 9:00 AM | 1:00 PM | Morgan Hill Farmers' Market |
| 7 | 26-Jun-26 | 10:30 AM | 1:30 PM | Downtown San Jose Customer Service Center Pop-Up Event |
| 8 | 27-Jun-26 | 9:00 AM | 1:00 PM | Berryessa Farmers Market |
| 9 | 4-Jul-26 | 3:00 PM | 9:00 PM | Independence Day Event, Lake Cunningham Park |
What is an annual transit service plan?
A transit service plan lays out where bus routes travel and stop, how often buses come, and how early and late they run. These service level details for each route are decided based on a route’s service category (i.e. light rail, Rapid bus, Frequent bus, Local bus) as stated in VTA’s Transit Service Guidelines.
Annual transit service updates give VTA staff and riders opportunities to build upon VTA’s Next Network redesign from 2019 and ensure the service is still responsive to riders’ needs.
A draft of the service plan is shared with the community every summer for their input, revised and presented to VTA’s Board of Directors for approval in October, then implemented starting in January of the following year.
What changes are proposed in VTA’s 2027 Transit Service Plan?
The draft 2027 Transit Service Plan proposes two scenarios. The scenario that is implemented will depend on whether new funding for transit operations becomes available.
Scenario 1: Modified Base Service Plan
VTA would maintain today’s service levels and implement a cost-neutral plan, introducing “base” bus route changes that preserve transit access while long-term city-led construction activities take place in 2027 and beyond. These changes include:
- Realignments of Routes 21, 40, and 51 through downtown Mountain View to maintain efficient service during construction of the City’s Castro and Evelyn Interim Improvements Project.
- Changes to end-of-line service on Routes 72 and 73 to provide effective connections at San Jose Diridon Station, vacate VTA’s current 1st Street & Bassett Street terminal, and maintain connections to light rail service via Santa Clara Station.
This scenario would also include a framework for modifying VTA bus routes intended as connections or alternatives to regional transit like BART and Caltrain. When detailed plans for these services are confirmed, the framework would account for:
- Potential frequency changes to Rapid Route 500, aligned with BART’s proposed changes
- Potential frequency changes to Route 89, aligned with Caltrain’s proposed changes
- Potential vehicle deployment and schedule adjustments on Route 22 and Rapid Route 522 to accommodate Caltrain’s proposed changes
Scenario 2: Local Investment Service Plan
If additional funds become available, this scenario would be implemented in alignment with VTA’s Local Investment Plan. In addition to “base” bus route changes involving:
- Realignments of Routes 21, 40, and 51 through downtown Mountain View to optimize service efficiency during construction of the City’s Castro and Evelyn Interim Improvements Project.
- Changes to end-of-line service on Routes 72 and 73 to provide effective connections at San Jose Diridon Station, vacate VTA’s current 1st Street & Bassett Street terminal, and maintain connections to light rail service via Santa Clara Station.
This scenario would begin a gradual implementation of VTA’s Board-adopted transit service framework, the Visionary Network. Phase 1 implementation of the Visionary Network in 2027 would include:
- 15-minute weekend frequencies on Frequent Routes 26, 57, 60, 61, 64, 66, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 77, 523 (currently every 20-30 minutes).
- 15-minute weekend frequencies on Blue, Green, and Orange Lines (currently every 20 minutes).
View Details of the Draft Plan
Learn more about what is being proposed in the 2027 Transit Service Plan.
Engage with us on the Draft Plan
Have questions or want to learn more about our service planning process this year? You can find VTA staff at any one of the events below. You can also send your questions or thoughts to Customer Service by emailing customer.service@vta.org or by calling (408) 321-2300.
In Person
| # | Date | Start | End | Meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17-Jun-26 | 6:00 PM | 7:30 PM | Virtual Meeting #1 |
| 2 | 24-Jun-26 | 12:00 PM | 1:30 PM | Virtual Meeting #2 |
| 3 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Downtown Mountain View Community Meeting |
Tabling Events
| # | Date | Start | End | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22-May-26 | 11:00 AM | 3:00 PM | FanimeCon |
| 2 | 4-Jun-26 | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM | Mountain View Transit Center Pop-Up Event |
| 3 | 6-Jun-26 | 9:00 AM | 1:00 PM | Sunnyvale Farmers' Market |
| 4 | 13-Jun-26 | 12:00 PM | 7:00 PM | Juneteenth Event at SoFA District, Downtown San Jose |
| 5 | 14-Jun-26 | 10:00 AM | 3:00 PM | Viva Calle, Downtown San Jose |
| 6 | 20-Jun-26 | 9:00 AM | 1:00 PM | Morgan Hill Farmers' Market |
| 7 | 26-Jun-26 | 10:30 AM | 1:30 PM | Downtown San Jose Customer Service Center Pop-Up Event |
| 8 | 27-Jun-26 | 9:00 AM | 1:00 PM | Berryessa Farmers Market |
| 9 | 4-Jul-26 | 3:00 PM | 9:00 PM | Independence Day Event, Lake Cunningham Park |