Transit inequity in Silicon Valley’s wealthiest cities leaves low-income riders behind

LOS GATOS RESIDENT KYLIE CLARK wants to be able to rely on public transportation for VTA Citizens Advisory Committee meetings where she serves. But to do that would take her up to two hours each way — time she can’t spare, especially when it takes up to 30 minutes to drive.

Clark is one of the residents stuck with a less frequent and sometimes unreliable public transportation system in Los Gatos and Cupertino, where transit riders have to rely solely on the buses, since there’s no light rail. Transit advocates, including Clark, said the service is inequitable across the sprawling West Valley for residents dependent on public transportation.