What's it like riding the bus in San Jose? (Palo Alto: work, traffic)

[greatfire]

I'm going to be riding the bus for a while. Do you recommend this? Is it a big hassle to ride around on a bus? Are the buses full? Is it generall a no-no (as in, I'll be looked down upon for) riding the bus?

What about scooters? Do people ride scooters alot (not like the small bikes, but like the powered 2-wheeled skateboard looking thing).

I would ride a bike around, but I have a fear that I'll get too sweaty by the time I get to work, or etc.

Any advice on how to get around?

[krudmonk]

Full? That depends on the side of town you'll be in. It's pretty much like riding the bus anywhere, though. It doesn't usually vary like rail, in my experience.

[greatfire]

West san jose. Close to the west gate mall.

[sonarrat]

Take it from someone who used the VTA daily for years: the 22, 23, 25, 68, 180, and light-rail are routinely packed and frequently delayed. Anything else is doable. If you're talking about the Westgate mall, and from your previous posts about the Pruneyard, I assume you'd be taking the 26 Eastridge-Lockheed line, which I've never had problems with.

[humboldtrat]

Go to www.vta.org. VTA (Valley Transit Authority) also has light rail street cars runing around San Jose and some of the surrounding towns.

[mysticaltyger]

In general, riding the bus in SJ sucks. It doesn't run at very frequent intervals, is slow, and doesn't always go where you need it to go. There are always exceptions, but not many.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

In general, riding the bus in SJ sucks. It doesn't run at very frequent intervals, is slow, and doesn't always go where you need it to go. There are always exceptions, but not many.

It certainly can be slow.. at peak hours the 22 takes almost 2 hours to go from Palo Alto to San Jose!! It's understandable on certain routes where surface street traffic can be horrific, but I could outpace the 22 in the El Camino Real corridor on a bicycle.

[D'kota]

I rode line 26 from Eastridge,where I used to park, to Campbell for 3 years. I saved $ by buying the monthly pass. I saved wear and tear on my car. It was relaxing for me cause I did not have to deal with the stress of driving in traffic, I read my paper on the way, and had time to listen to music. The only cons are that sometimes the bus I was waiting for, did not show up and had to wait for the next one, or sometimes you had to sit next to someone who forgot to shower, or someone who drank a little too much beer. Also at times, you have to put up with people talking too loud on their cell phones. If you think you can put up with all those little things like I did, You'll have no problem. One recommedation, try to take a bus that will take you to your destination 30 min. before you need to get there; just in case that a bus doesn't show up, you can still catch the next one and get there on time. Good Luck!