Getting from Mountain View to San Jose without Caltrain

October 12, 2007 1:40 PM

If you don't have a car, what's the best way to get from Mountain View to San Jose when Caltrain isn't running?

I am staying near the Mountain View Caltrain station on Saturday night. I need to get to Santa Clara and Almaden in San Jose on Sunday morning for the start of this race. The race starts at 8, so I probably want to be there around 7. How should I get there?

Unfortunately, the first southbound Caltrain doesn't leave SF until 8 a.m., so that's out of the question. I have no experience with VTA--is it crazy to rely on it for a trip of that distance at an off hour? Is a cab my best option?

posted by epugachev to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

take the light rail. here's the map. It's been a while since I was in the area but I recall the light rail was always reliable.

OK, schedule here and it looks like your only hope is the first train leaving at 5:57am from Mtn View Caltrain. If I'm not mistaken you want Santa Clara station, so your train will get there at 6:46 am. From there it should be a short walk. Double check this.

If you miss the first train you would have to wait an hour so you'd probably need to cab it. The drive is about 30 minutes. The cost would probably make you wish you had just gotten a hotel room in San Jose.
posted by PercussivePaul at 2:27 PM on October 12, 2007

Mountain View to San Jose isn't all that far. As for VTA, it's been a while, but I'm pretty sure the 22 covers most of the distance you need, and it's also a bus that ran alot even on off hours/days.
posted by gally99 at 7:12 PM on October 12, 2007

+1 for gally99

Take the VTA 22 Bus down El Camino from Mountain View to downtown San Jose (Google trip planner here).

The ride takes approximately 1 hour. The Light Rail takes longer because of the delay when transferring from the Mountain View to the San Jose line.

Price for the bus is $1.75 one way.
posted by doncoyote at 7:35 PM on October 12, 2007

VTA's the way to go. There are also a number of airport shuttles that'll drop you off at the Amtrak station / HP Pavilion to catch the shuttle to SJC, which of course run early in the morning. If you're worried about public transportation not being reliable that early, paying for a shuttle may be worth it to you.
posted by devilsbrigade at 10:33 AM on October 13, 2007

Oh, and for what it's worth, the cab ride from Palo Alto to SJC came to about $60-70. If you're close to the 101 it might be a little bit cheaper, but that's still a pretty big dent.
posted by devilsbrigade at 10:37 AM on October 13, 2007

Thanks for the answers all.

For the benefit of future Googlers: I opted for the 22. The 6:18 bus came on time and even though much of downtown SJ was closed off it still got me there by about 7. So A++++ FAST SERVICE GOOD CLEAN BUS WOULD TAKE VTA AGAIN.

Overall, though, although the race was fun and very well organized, the logistical issues associated with doing it sans car (and being too cheap to stay in a hotel room instead of with the closest friend of a friend) were bothersome enough that I am unlikely to do it again. I'll stick with SF races, except for the singular Dipsea.
posted by epugachev at 3:12 PM on October 14, 2007