In Silicon Valley, all-night bus line becomes de facto homeless shelter
Source: San Jose Mercury News
... Line 22, the only bus route that runs 24 hours in the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority system, becomes an unofficial shelter each night, a mobile testament both to the resourcefulness of the region's homeless and the agonizing challenge of finding shelter in pricey Silicon Valley.
Weary riders can start at the Eastridge Transit Center and travel for two-plus hours to the end point at the Palo Alto Transit Center. There, they wait for a return bus, and then maybe make the round trip again. Somehow, they manage to nod off despite the herky-jerky motion and lights coming on with each stop as an automated voice announces the location.
"The bus says to me that people are so desperate that they will ride it all night," said Jenny Niklaus, the CEO of the nonprofit EHC LifeBuilders. "Think about it: We are in such a state of crisis that people are eager to ride a bus, and it's been that way for years."
... VTA officials make clear that homeless have just as much right to ride as anyone as long as they obey the rules such as no smoking, eating or drinking.
Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_24429126/homeless-turn-overnight-bus-route-into-hotel-22
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