List of VTA bus routes explained

The following is a list of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority bus routes. Route numbers are classified as follows:

Lines 1-99 are standard local bus routes, which feature many, closely spaced stops. These lines serve a smaller area, such as connecting transit centers to the surrounding community or Downtown San Jose to nearby neighborhoods.
Lines 100-199 are express services and primarily operate during peak periods only. These lines operate express mainly on freeways and provide fewer stops than local services, mainly at train stations and major transfer points in Santa Clara County. These also charge higher fares than standard bus routes.
Lines 200-299 are school services that operate limited service to several area high schools.
Lines 500-599 are limited stop "Rapid" branded routes.
Lines 800-899 are commuter rail shuttles that operate mainly during peak periods. These lines operate of Great America ACE/Amtrak Station and serve nearby high-tech businesses and industrial parks.
Lines 900-999 are intercity routes operated in conjunction with other agencies.

VTA embarked on a large network redesign that was implemented on December 28, 2019. This eliminated the DASH shuttle, Almaden Light Rail shuttle, limited-branded bus service, community bus service, and many express routes but established a core frequent network and increased service on numerous local bus routes.

In, VTA's bus system had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of .

Regular bus service

Santa Clara VTA operates numerous bus lines that operate on most major thoroughfares throughout Santa Clara County. Several of these lines converge at key transfer points, including Downtown San Jose, several Caltrain stations between Palo Alto and Gilroy, and most light rail stations. Some lines also provide connecting services to other transit agencies, including AC Transit, Dumbarton Express, Monterey-Salinas Transit, and SamTrans.

Included in this listing are VTA's limited-stop Rapid services, as those levy the same cash fares as regular local buses.

Line Number	Direction	Terminals		Days of Operation	Schedule Information	Major Destinations	Notes
20	East-West	Milpitas Milpitas station	Sunnyvale Sunnyvale station	Weekdays	Line 20	Downtown Sunnyvale, North Santa Clara, Mission College
21	East-West	Palo Alto Stanford Shopping Center	Santa Clara Santa Clara Transit Center	Daily	Line 21	San Antonio station, Downtown Mountain View, Downtown Sunnyvale, Santa Clara University
22	East-West	Palo Alto Palo Alto station	San Jose Eastridge Transit Center	Daily	Line 22	Stanford University, Santa Clara Transit Center, Santa Clara University, Downtown San Jose, San Jose State University, Eastridge Mall	Part of the Frequent Network For a limited-stop version of this service, see Rapid 522.
23	East-West	Cupertino De Anza College	San Jose Alum Rock Transit Center	Daily	Line 23	Downtown San Jose, San Jose State University	Part of the Frequent Network For a limited-stop version of this service, see Rapid 523.
25	East-West	San Jose Valley Medical Center (short turn)	San Jose Alum Rock Transit Center	Daily	Line 25	Fruitdale station, Tamien station	Part of the Frequent Network Service west of Valley Medical Center operates at half frequency
Cupertino De Anza College	East-West		San Jose Alum Rock Transit Center	Daily	Line 25	Fruitdale station, Tamien station
26	East-West	Saratoga West Valley College	San Jose Eastridge Transit Center	Daily	Line 26	Downtown Campbell station, Pruneyard Shopping Center, Curtner station	Part of the frequent network
26	East-West		San Jose Eastridge Transit Center	Daily	Line 26
27	East-West	Campbell Winchester Transit Center	San Jose Santa Teresa station	Daily	Line 27	Princeton Plaza, Oakridge Mall, Blossom Hill station (light rail), Cottle station
31		San Jose Eastridge Transit Center	San Jose Evergreen Valley College	Weekdays, Saturdays	Line 31	Eastridge Mall, Evergreen Valley College
37	East-West	San Jose Capitol station	Saratoga West Valley College	Weekdays	Line 37	Winchester Transit Center
39	North-South	San Jose Eastridge Transit Center	San Jose The Villages	Daily	Line 39	Eastridge Mall, Evergreen Valley College
40	North-South	Mountain View Mountain View station	Los Altos Hills Foothill College	Daily	Line 40	Shoreline Amphitheater
40	North-South	Mountain View Mountain View station	Los Altos San Antonio Rd & Lyell St	Daily	Line 40	Shoreline Amphitheater
42	North-South	San Jose Santa Teresa station	San Jose Evergreen Valley College	Weekdays	Line 42
44	North-South	Milpitas Milpitas station	Milpitas McCarthy Ranch	Daily	Line 44	Great Mall, Alder station	Two lines form a two way loop around Milpitas BART. Route 44 operates via Great Mall, Alder station, and McCarthy Blvd Route 47 operates via Park Victoria Dr, Calaveras Blvd, and Downtown Milpitas
47	North-South	Milpitas Milpitas station	Milpitas McCarthy Ranch	Daily	Line 47	Downtown Milpitas, Milpitas Kaiser
51	North-South	Mountain View Moffett Field	Cupertino De Anza College	Weekdays	Line 51	Downtown Mountain View	Operates every 30 minutes from Moffett Field to De Anza College
51	North-South	Mountain View Moffett Field	Saratoga West Valley College	Weekdays	Line 51	Downtown Mountain View	Operates every 60 minutes from De Anza College to West Valley College
52	North-South	Mountain View Mountain View station	Los Altos Hills Foothill College	Weekdays	Line 52	Downtown Mountain View
53	East-West	Sunnyvale Sunnyvale station	Santa Clara Santa Clara Transit Center	Weekdays	Line 53	Downtown Sunnyvale, Santa Clara University
55	North-South	Santa Clara Old Ironsides station	Cupertino De Anza College Most trips	Daily	Line 55	Downtown Sunnyvale, Reamwood station, California's Great America	For a limited-stop version of this service, see Rapid 523.
56	North-South	Mountain View Lockheed Martin Transit Center	San Jose Monterey Rd & Old Tully Rd	Daily	Line 56	Westgate Mall, Hamilton station, Tamien station
56	North-South	Sunnyvale Fair Oaks Ave & Tasman Dr	San Jose Monterey Rd & Old Tully Rd	Daily	Line 56	Westgate Mall, Hamilton station, Tamien station
57	North-South	Santa Clara Old Ironsides station	Saratoga West Valley College	Daily	Line 57	Mission College, Westgate Mall	Part of the frequent network.
59	North-South	San Jose Baypointe station	Santa Clara Stevens Creek Bl & Saratoga Av	Daily	Line 59	Old Ironsides station, Mission College, Santa Clara Transit Center, Santa Clara University, Westfield Valley Fair
60	North-South	Milpitas Milpitas station	Campbell Winchester Transit Center	Daily	Line 60	Metro/Airport station, San Jose International Airport, PayPal Park, Santa Clara Transit Center, Santa Clara University, Downtown Campbell	Part of the frequent network. Serves San Jose International Airport, boardings free at airport terminals
61	North-South	San Jose Sierra Rd & Piedmont Rd	Campbell Good Samaritan Hospital	Daily	Line 61	Berryessa station, Berryessa/North San José station, Civic Center	Part of the frequent network Bidirectional Loop around Good Samaritan Hospital
64A	North-South	San Jose McKee Rd & White Rd	San Jose Ohlone/Chynoweth station	Daily	Line 64A	McKee station, San Jose State, Downtown San Jose, Almaden Valley, Willow Glen	Combines with 64B to form frequent route 64 north and east of Downtown San Jose Replaces discontinued Almaden Shuttle light rail line
64B	North-South	San Jose McKee Rd & White Rd	San Jose Almaden Expwy & Camden Ave	Daily	Line 64B	McKee station, San Jose State, Downtown San Jose, South San Jose	Combines with 64A to form frequent route 64 north and east of Downtown San Jose
66	North-South	Milpitas Dixon Rd & Milpitas Blvd	San Jose Santa Teresa station	Daily	Line 66	Milpitas station, Great Mall, San Jose State University, Snell station	Part of the Frequent Network.
68	North-South	San Jose Diridon station	Gilroy Gilroy station	Daily	Line 68	Downtown San Jose, Capitol station (Caltrain), Cottle station, Santa Teresa station, Morgan Hill station, San Martin station	Part of the Frequent Network For a limited-stop version of this service, see Rapid 568.
70	North-South	San Jose Berryessa/North San José station (short turn)	San Jose Capitol station (VTA light rail)	Daily	Line 70	Hostetter station, Eastridge Mall	Part of the frequent network Reduced service north of Berryessa/North San José station.
Milpitas Milpitas station	North-South		San Jose Capitol station (VTA light rail)	Daily	Line 70	Hostetter station, Eastridge Mall
71	North-South	Milpitas Milpitas station	San Jose Eastridge Transit Center	Daily	Line 71	Eastridge Mall	Part of the frequent network
72	North-South	San Jose 2nd St & Bassett St	San Jose Monterey Hwy & Senter Rd	Daily	Line 72	Downtown San Jose, San Jose State University, South San Jose	Part of the Frequent Network Route 72 operates via McLaughlin Ave Route 73 operates via Senter Rd
73	North-South	San Jose 2nd St & Bassett St	San Jose Monterey Hwy & Senter Rd	Daily	Line 73
77	North-South	Milpitas Milpitas station	San Jose Eastridge Transit Center	Daily	Line 77	Milpitas BART, Berryessa BART, Eastridge Mall	Part of the frequent network.
83	North-South	San Jose Ohlone/Chynoweth station	San Jose Almaden Expwy & McKean Rd	Weekdays	Line 83	Almaden Valley	Operates in a one-way clockwise loop south of Via Valiente.
84	North-South	Gilroy Caltrain station	Gilroy St. Louise Hospital	Daily	Line 84	Gilroy Outlets	Lines form a two way loop.
85	North-South	Gilroy Caltrain station	Gilroy St. Louise Hospital	Daily	Line 85	West Gilroy	Lines form a two way loop.
86	North-South	Gilroy Caltrain station	Gilroy Gavilan College	Weekdays	Line 86
87	North-South	Morgan Hill Civic Center	Morgan Hill Sobrato High School	Weekday Peak Periods	Line 87	Morgan Hill station, Morgan Hill Civic Center
89	North-South	Palo Alto California Avenue station	Palo Alto V.A. Hospital	Weekdays	Line 89	Stanford Research Park

Rapid bus service

Currently, the VTA operates one arterial rapid transit line, a precursor to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, the Rapid 522http://www.vta.org/rapid522. This service operates along one of Santa Clara County's major commercial corridors, El Camino Real, between Palo Alto and East San Jose. It stops at 30 intersections and transit centers that provide timed and extensive connections to other bus and light rail services, a far fewer number of stops than line 22 that operates on the same corridor.

On January 6, 2014, VTA expanded the Rapid 522 hours on weekdays and Saturdays to end at approximately 10:30 pm while introducing a new Sunday schedule operating between 9 am and 6 pm.^[1]

This service operates daily; for service outside of operating hours, use Line 22.

Similar to the BRT systems for which it is a precursor, Rapid Line 522 utilizes queue-jump lanes, traffic signal priority, and enhanced bus stop designs that provide riders with quicker service to and from major attractions in Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and San Jose.

VTA started construction in March 2014 on the Santa Clara-Alum Rock Bus Rapid Transit Project http://www.vta.org/projects-and-programs/transit/santaclara-alum-rock-brt-project, which will upgrade the section of the Rapid 522 between Eastridge Transit Center and the SAP Center at San Jose to BRT service. The new BRT service will feature special hybrid vehicles with Wi-Fi on board, enhanced stations, dedicated lanes on Alum Rock, transit signal priority, electronic real-time information message signs, off-board payment and all-door boarding to speed up stops, and service every 10 minutes at peak times.

In the future, VTA has plans to upgrade the rest of the Rapid 522 route to BRT service with the El Camino Real Bus Rapid Transit Project http://www.vta.org/projects-and-programs/brt-el-camino-real-brt-project.

VTA replaced Express line 168 with line 568 in October 2021 due to many passenger complaints that line 68 took too long to get between Gilroy and San Jose. Line 568 is a weekday service that has fewer stops than line 68 with quicker travel times between Gilroy and San Jose, but utilizes Monterey Road rather than using local freeways like most Express routes except for most of Morgan Hill.^[2] ^[3]

Line Number	Direction	Terminals		Days of Operation	Schedule Information	Major Destinations	Notes
Rapid 500	North-South	San Jose Berryessa/North San José station	San Jose Diridon station	Daily	Line 500	Downtown San Jose, San Jose State University	Part of the Frequent Network. Replaced the DASH downtown shuttle.
Rapid 522	East-West	Palo Alto Palo Alto station	San Jose Eastridge Transit Center	Daily	Line 522	Stanford University, Santa Clara Caltrain, Santa Clara University, Downtown San Jose, San Jose State University, Alum Rock Light Rail, Eastridge Mall	Part of the Frequent Network. For service to other stops not served by this line, as well as for stops along King Road, Tully Road, and Capitol Expressway, see lines 22 and 23 above.
Rapid 523	East-West	Mountain View Lockheed Martin Transit Center	San Jose San Jose State University	Daily	Line 523	Lockheed Martin, Sunnyvale Caltrain, Downtown Sunnyvale, De Anza College, Santana Row, Downtown San Jose, San Jose State University	For local service along San Carlos and Stevens Creek Blvd, see line 23. For local service along Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd, see line 55.
Rapid 568	North-South	San Jose Diridon station	Gilroy Gilroy station	Weekdays	Line 568	San Jose State University, Downtown San Jose, Downtown Morgan Hill, San Martin, Downtown Gilroy	Line 568 serves many Caltrain stops between Gilroy and San Jose Diridon (except Tamien) and uses Monterey Rd between Gilroy and Downtown San Jose. For the local route including stops along Main Av, Hale Av/Santa Teresa Bl, as well as along Cottle Rd, Capitol Caltrain station, and both the Santa Teresa and Cottle light rail stations, see line 68.

Special bus services

Express routes

VTA's Express Bus routes operate along many of Santa Clara County's freeways, including Highway 85, Highway 237, Interstate 280 and U.S. Route 101. The buses used on these lines are suburban-style Gillig low-floor buses that have Wi-Fi capability on board.

These services mainly operate during weekday peak periods only, operating in the typical commute direction.

Due to the large subsidy per rider to operate express bus routes, VTA eliminated most express bus routes in the December 28, 2019 network redesign, except for those serving the Stanford Industrial Park, which funded the cost of operating the service. Fares are higher than standard bus fares.

Line Number	Direction	Terminals		Days of Operation	Schedule Information	Notes
Express 101		San Jose SR 85 at Camden Av Park and Ride	Palo Alto Stanford Industrial Park (Page Mill Rd & Hansen Wy)	Weekdays	Line 101	Operates via Winchester Bl, Hamilton Av, Stevens Creek Bl, I-280 Also serves Winchester Transit Center, Westgate Shopping Center, and Vallco Shopping Center
Express 102	North-South	San Jose Santa Teresa station	Palo Alto Stanford Industrial Park (Page Mill Rd & Hansen Wy)	Weekdays	Line 102	Operates via Santa Teresa Bl, Snell Road, SR-85, I-280 Also serves Snell station and Ohlone/Chynoweth stations, as well as select stops along Santa Teresa Boulevard.
Express 103	East-West	San Jose Eastridge Transit Center	Palo Alto Stanford Industrial Park (Page Mill Rd & Hansen Wy)	Weekdays	Line 103	Operates via Capitol Expwy, I-680, Southwest Expwy, Fruitdale Av, Meridian Av, I-280 Also serves Capitol Expwy & Story Rd stop and Fruitdale station
Express 104	East-West	Milpitas Milpitas station	Palo Alto Stanford Industrial Park (Deer Creek Rd at VMware)	Weekdays	Line 104	Operates via Main St, Calaveras St, SR-237, US-101, Charleston Rd, Alma St Also serves Great Mall, Downtown Milpitas, select stops in south Palo Alto, and Palo Alto V.A. Hospital
Express 121	North-South	Gilroy Gilroy station	Sunnyvale Lockheed Martin Transit Center	Weekdays	Line 121	Operates primarily via Monterey Rd, US-101, Great America Pkwy, Tasman Dr, Lawrence Expwy Also serves San Martin station, Morgan Hill station, Old Ironsides station

School tripper routes

VTA operates a collection of routes timed specifically to serve students at local high schools. These services only operate around bell times when schools are in session.

Line Number	School Served	Other Destinations	Schedule Information	Notes
School 246	Milpitas Milpitas High School	Central Milpitas	School Trippers	Operates with route 247
School 247	Milpitas Milpitas High School	Central Milpitas		Operates with route 246
School 255	Sunnyvale Fremont High School	North Sunnyvale		Operates via Fair Oaks Bypasses Downtown Sunnyvale
School 256	San Jose Willow Glen High School	Central San Jose, Tamien Station
School 270	San Jose Independence High School	East San Jose, Hostetter Light Rail
School 287	Morgan Hill Live Oak High School	Morgan Hill, San Martin
School 288	Palo Alto Gunn High School	Central Palo Alto		Operates via Charleston Rd In conjunction with 288L and 288M
School 288L	Palo Alto Gunn High School	Central Palo Alto		Operates via Meadow to Oregon Expwy In conjunction with 288 and 288M
School 288M	Palo Alto Gunn High School	Central Palo Alto		Operates via Meadow to Middlefield In conjunction with 288 and 288L

ACE (Altamont Corridor Express) shuttles

The VTA, in conjunction with many private entities and high-tech companies, as well as in coordination with Altamont Corridor Express, operates free shuttles to and from various light rail stations and Great America Station to serve businesses in Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Milpitas, Santa Clara, and San Jose. Passengers can ride these shuttles for free as funding for these services are provided by grants from high-tech companies and business associations based in Santa Clara County, as well as from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. These mainly operate weekdays only (except holidays).

All shuttles listed below originate from Great America Station and are operated in coordination with ACE train arrival times in the morning peak and departure times in the afternoon peak.

For a map of these services, click here

Line Color	Direction	Origin/Destination	Schedule Information	Notes
ACE Gray South Sunnyvale		Sunnyvale Kifer Rd & Uranium Dr	Gray Line	Known internally as Line 822 First PM peak trip bypasses Evelyn & Wolfe stop
ACE Green North Santa Clara	East-West	Santa Clara America Center Dr	Green Line	Known internally as Line 823
ACE Orange Mountain View/Palo Alto	East-West	Palo Alto E Meadow Dr & Meadow Cir	Orange Line	Known internally as Line 824 Operates via SR 237, US 101, Shoreline Bl, and Charleston Av
ACE Purple West Milpitas	East-West	Milpitas McCarthy Ranch Shopping Center	Purple Line	Known internally as Line 825 Operates via Tasman Dr, Alder Dr, McCarthy Dr, and Ranch Dr
ACE Red North Sunnyvale	East-West	Sunnyvale Lockheed Martin Transit Center	Red Line	Known internally as Line 826 A portion of this line operates through restricted areas inside Moffett Federal Airfield. A Lockheed Martin Commuter Badge is required to access the restricted areas
ACE Yellow South Santa Clara	North-South	Santa Clara Scott Blvd at Intel	Yellow Line	Known internally as Line 827 Operates in a one-way loop to and from Scott Blvd & San Tomas Expwy via Walsh Av, Kifer Rd, and Great America Pkwy
ACE Brown North San Jose/Light Rail	North-South	San Jose N First St & Montague Expwy	Brown Line	Known internally as Line 828 Serves light rail stations along Tasman Dr and N First St Operates in a one-way loop to and from N First St & River Oaks Pkwy via Seely Av and Montague Expwy
ACE Violet West Milpitas	North-South	Milpitas Lundy Ave & Commerce Dr	Violet Line	Known internally as Line 831

Other shuttles

Line Number	Direction	Terminals		Days of Operation	Schedule Information	Notes
SCVMC	North-South	San Jose Diridon station	San Jose Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC)	Weekdays	SCVMC Shuttle	Funding for this route is provided by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Santa Clara County
Kaiser SJ	North-South	San Jose Santa Teresa & Cottle	San Jose Kaiser San Jose Medical Center	Weekdays	Kaiser SJ Shuttle	Operates in a one-way counterclockwise loop. Replaces discontinued southern/eastern terminal of Routes 66 and 27. Known internally as Route 211.

Regional services

The VTA collaborates with other regional agencies that operate into and out of Santa Clara County with inter-agency transfers and commuter benefits. However, these lines do not use VTA's own buses nor levy VTA's bus fares; instead, these are operated by a consortium of operators, in which the agency is a participant, and the consortium sets the fares for such services.

Line Name	Direction	Terminals		Days of Operation	Communities Served	Schedule Information	Notes
Line Name	Direction	Santa Clara County Terminal	Regional Terminal	Days of Operation	Communities Served	Schedule Information	Notes
Highway 17 Express	North-South	San Jose San Jose State University	Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Metro Center	Daily	San Jose, Scotts Valley, Soquel, Santa Cruz	Highway 17 Express	Known internally as Line 970. Operated by Santa Cruz Metro. Jointly funded by VTA, Caltrans, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, and Santa Cruz Metro. Some trips operate via Scotts Valley Rd to serve Cavallero Transit Center. Some trips timed to connect with Amtrak trains at Diridon station. Weekday service to San Jose State University ends at San Fernando & 5th Street and begins at San Fernando & 7th Street.
San Jose Diridon station	North-South	Soquel Paul Sweet Drive Park and Ride		Daily	San Jose, Scotts Valley, Soquel, Santa Cruz	Highway 17 Express
Dumbarton Express Line DB	East-West	Palo Alto Stanford University	Union City Union City station	Weekdays	Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Newark, Union City	Line DB	Known internally as Line 971. Jointly funded by VTA, AC Transit, BART, SamTrans, and Union City Transit. Administered by AC Transit and operated under contract by MV Transportation. Also serves Palo Alto station, Menlo Park V.A. Hospital, and Ardenwood Park-and-Ride in Newark via Palm Av, Lytton Av, Middlefield Rd, Willow Rd, Dumbarton Bridge, and Decoto Rd.
Dumbarton Express Line DB1	East-West	Palo Alto Stanford Research Park (Deer Creek Rd)	Union City Union City station	Weekdays	Palo Alto, Newark, Union City	Line DB1	Known internally as Line 974. Jointly funded by VTA, AC Transit, BART, SamTrans, and Union City Transit. Administered by AC Transit and operated under contract by MV Transportation. Also serves Palo Alto V.A. Hospital and Ardenwood Park-and-Ride in Newark via Oregon Expwy, Page Mill Rd, Deer Creek Rd, Hillview Av, Miranda Av, and Hanover St.
Monterey-Salinas Transit Line 59	North-South	Gilroy Caltrain station	Monterey Transit Plaza Tyler St & Pearl St	Weekdays	Monterey, Sand City, Prunedale, Gilroy	MST Line 59	Jointly funded by VTA and Monterey-Salinas Transit. Operated by Monterey-Salinas Transit. MST honors through-tickets on this line for passengers connecting to and from Amtrak services in San Jose. Also serves Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey), Sand City Station, Prunedale Park-and-Ride via US-101.

Notes and References

Web site: VTA Service Changes Take Effect Jan. 6 . Perez . Lucas . 2 January 2014 . 8 February 2014 .
https://gilroydispatch.com/new-rapid-bus-line-unveiled/ New Rapid Bus Line Unveiled
https://sanjosespotlight.com/vta-expands-transit-access-to-south-santa-clara-county/ VTA Expans Transit Access to South Santa Clara County