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An Open Letter to VTA Management On Resolving Their 2002 Fiscal Crisis

The letter below was sent on SCVTARU letterhead to the VTA Board of Directors, as well as VTA General Manager Peter Cipolla and VTA's Chief Financial Officer, Scott Buhrer.

November 16, 2002

Office of the Board Secretary
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
3331 N. First Street, Building B-2
San Jose, CA 95134-1906

To: VTA Board of Directors and Staff

Our group had the chance to review the VTA Staff “Report on Obtaining Sustainable Financial Stability” recently. We understand this report features solutions for resolving VTA's current fiscal crisis. It is our understanding that VTA's transit operations budget faces a $6 billion shortfall over the next 20 years.

Upon reading the report myself, I drew the same conclusions many members of our group had – VTA staff's solutions to the fiscal crisis are totally backward. Specifically, the solutions proposed by VTA Staff such as increasing fares 10% every other year (on page 14) do absolutely nothing to increase ridership and boost much-needed revenue. Our group found it insane that, on page 52 of the report, VTA staff predicted a 1% ridership increase even with the 10% biyearly fare increases. We have not heard of a public transit agency in North America where ridership has increased despite fare hikes of 10% or more every other year.

Fortunately, our group put together its own proposal for resolving VTA's fiscal crisis. That report, entitled “Transit Medicine,” contains proven short-term and long-term solutions for VTA's fiscal crisis. Please find that report enclosed with this letter. Our report was originally presented to VTA Staff by Gladwyn D'Souza at a VTA Workshop in April. We would like to know why it has taken over seven months before VTA management realized it needed to take immediate action before it will run out of money on June 30, 2003.

As always, our group is more than open to discussing the details of the report to VTA Board members, management, or staff. Please do not hesitate to contact me at (408)830-9284 to arrange such a meeting. Your written response to our proposal is appreciated.

Sincerely,



Eugene Bradley
Founder, Santa Clara VTA Riders Union

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