Buses from across the greater Bay Area — from the North Bay to Santa Cruz and elsewhere in between — are driving the streets of Santa Clara County these days to help Valley Transportation Authority workers grieve in the wake of the May 26 mass shooting that left 10 of their colleagues dead.
Between 20 and 30 buses descend on the South Bay each day as a form of mutual aid, VTA spokeswoman Stacey Hendler Ross said, with coaches and drivers provided by San Francisco’s Muni, the North Bay’s Golden Gate Transit, SamTrans, AC Transit and Santa Cruz Metro.
“VTA is humbled and honored by their support,” Hendler Ross said.
Our #MutualAid heroes helping out on Santa Clara County streets. @rideact @SamTrans @CruzMetro #ThankYou pic.twitter.com/Fs7WNgMZKm
— VTA (@VTA) June 4, 2021
The rainbow of buses is another way that the shooting — in which a VTA employee killed nine of his coworkers at the agency’s light rail yard before turning the gun on himself — is affecting transit service in the South Bay.
The authority suspended its light rail service hours after the attack, and it remains unclear when the trains will run again. Hendler Ross said last week that it would be “a matter of weeks or months” before the light rail system could resume service; on Monday, she said there was no update on those plans.
The out-of-town buses are driving regular VTA bus routes, filling in for South Bay workers as they attend funeral services for the nine victims, which began last week and are continuing this week. VTA has also encouraged employees to take advantage of counseling and other support services that can help survivors recover from the trauma.
Hendler Ross said VTA has asked the agencies to be available through the end of June. So far, she said, they have not requested payment for the service they’re providing.
“Our hearts are broken for our brothers and sisters at @VTA,” Muni leader Jeffrey Tumlin wrote on Twitter. “We are family.”
The Link Lonkit's not every day you see @sfmta_muni in Mountain View pic.twitter.com/NZEYevDKiD
— Jeff Grafton (@jgrafton) June 6, 2021
June 08, 2021 at 05:13AM
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/07/san-jose-mass-shooting-muni-samtrans-and-more-send-buses-to-south-bay
San Jose mass shooting: Muni, SamTrans and more send buses to South Bay - The Mercury News
https://news.google.com/search?q=Send&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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