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Sample Letter and Letter Writing Tips

The following is a sample letter that someone wrote to a VTA Board member. Please do not send this exact letter to anyone - it is just an example for you to base your letter on.

Your Full Name
Your Address
Your City, State and ZIP code
Today's Date 

Contact's Name
His/Her Title
Contact's Address
Contact's City, State  ZIP code 

To Whom It May Concern: 

As a daily user of the X line from X town to Y town, I write to ask for more 
frequent service on my line and to install a shelter at the bus stop I 
frequently use. [Note: Try to describe the problem in one sentence]. 

I make this request because I often have to wait for thirty minutes to an 
hour or longer during the morning rush hour because the bus has broken down.  
And, because there is no bus shelter at my stop , I usually have to stand in 
the weather while waiting for the bus, even during off hours. [Note: These 
sentences describe why you are making this request, such as too crowded, a 
dangerous condition, too dirty, misplaced sign, etc.]. 

The problem is at its worst when XXX [In a few sentences, describe when the 
specific complaint is at its worst. If true, say you have heard other riders 
voice similar complaints]. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I would appreciate a response 
to my request. 

Yours truly, 

 

Signature (in blank spot)
Your Name

Make sure to send a copy of your letter (cc:) to the VTA Board member for your city (see our VTA Board page for how to contact him or her). Also, send a copy or separate letter to VTA General Manager Michael Burns.

Letter Writing Tips

• Be brief, write no more than one page. This is often hard to do, but it makes it much more likely that your letter will be read.
• Addressing your mail: When addressing your letter to a City Councilmember, Vice Mayor, Mayor, State Assemblyman/woman, County Supervisor, or Senator, the title "Honorable" should precede his or her full name, i.e., "The Honorable firstname lastname". The letter's salutation should read "Dear <title> lastname:".
• Make your main point early in the letter. For example, you want more service added or a policy changed or personnel disciplined or rewarded.
• Give details where appropriate, such as the time of day and location of the incident or concern. If you can, include the bus or light rail route, its destination, the three or four-digit vehicle number where the incident occured, and operator's badge number.  If your letters is about transit service (or lack thereof), give one or two examples of the issue you are writing about.
• ALWAYS ASK FOR A WRITTEN RESPONSE!
• Send copies to the VTA Board representative for your city and to the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union. While we can’t always respond, your letter will help keep us informed about riders’ concerns. Our address is:

  Santa Clara VTA Riders Union
  P. O. Box 390069
  Mountain View, CA  94039-0069
  email info@vtaridersunion.org

• Keep a copy of your letter for your own records.

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