SAN JOSE – In an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is no longer collecting bus fares and is asking riders to board through the rear door.
Front door boarding will be reserved only for passengers who need the ramp or priority seating, VTA spokeswoman Brandi Childress wrote in a post on the transit agency’s website Thursday. In addition, the area around the bus driver will be taped off.
“Since the operator area will be taped off, there will be no access to the fare box or Clipper Card reader,” Childress explained. “This means we will not collect fares on buses during this time, nor will we collect fares for light rail and paratransit service either.”
The VTA on Thursday also suspended the Rapid 500 providing service between San Jose Diridon Station and the Berryessa Transit Center. Passengers can take Routes 64A, 64B or the 68 instead.
Childress said the transit agency will continue to “analyze ridership data to identify trends and to see whether a change in the level of service is warranted and to what degree.”
As of Thursday, the county had 189 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Public Health Department. Half a dozen people have died from the respiratory disease.
