The Rapid 568, VTA’s newest route, will replace the 168 Express and will offer more frequent and timely service at half the cost from the Gilroy Transit Center to the Diridon Station in Downtown San Jose, the transit agency announced Thursday.
The 568 will make 19 stops in both directions, helping to reduce travel time by 30 percent.
Rapid 568 runs every 30 minutes from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and costs $2.50, half the price of the 168. The new line expands services beyond the 9 to 5 riders by running throughout the day, which the VTA anticipates will attract a new crowd of riders, such as students.
“It fits the college lifestyle where you might not have to commute until the afternoon,” San Jose State student Adam Hall said. “Having an express bus that’s really focused on getting people to 9 to 5 office jobs was not meeting their needs, and this does.”
The addition of the line is the first step in a two-part strategy proposed to improve public transportation services in Gilroy and Morgan Hill. Public complaints about the 168 Express incentivized the VTA to upgrade the transit options extending from Gilroy to San Jose.
“While it’s great for many people who need to get to those places, it’s just not the most efficient way to get from Gilroy to San Jose,” VTA General Manager and CEO, Carolyn Gonot said. “The South County city council members, our board members, listened to their constituents and coordinated several meetings with our staff to develop the Rapid 568 idea. It will get riders to their destination much faster than the 168.”
The new Rapid 568 will not only help to simplify transit to San Jose, but enable riders to connect to transit options at Diridon Station that extend throughout the Bay Area, according to the VTA.
To learn more about the new route, visit https://www.vta.org/blog/faster-cheaper-more-frequent-new-gilroy-downtown-san-jose-rapid-route-568.
Departure times for the Rapid 568 are available at https://www.vta.org/go/routes/rapid-568.