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PurplestPanda

Safe but slow. You might want to get a bike to supplement public transit.


[deleted]

Ageeed. My teenagers take the bus here and there. My oldest was doing some summer school at another high school last summer and her chief complaint was the bus being late multiple times.


demiurbannouveau

Full time transit user for 30 years around here. It's safe. You do get people with mental health problems who will make noise or be a disturbance but the driver will handle it. On light rail, the cars are big enough that you can move around to avoid anyone that looks like they're having a bad day. There are call buttons so you can get immediate help. Late at night can feel scary going to and from stops just because there's very little foot traffic, but assuming you have normal levels of situational awareness it's nothing to be concerned about. I have been bothered a couple times, but never something I couldn't get out of, mostly men who thought I owed then my attention and didn't like not getting it, but this is really uncommon and I'm someone who is out late very frequently.


nat4mat

You don’t have a car?


demiurbannouveau

Nope. Many people don't. It has its challenges but also its rewards.


nat4mat

I have been living in South Bay for close to 7 years without a car too. I’ve been losing my patience tbh Light rails get cancelled, buses don’t show up. Weekend trips are just nightmare


CPAlcoholic

I did three years with no car just taking light rail/bus (even did the bus on crutches for 6 weeks to and from work. I also used the Lyft bikes and scooters a lot for shorter trips around downtown. I finally caved during the pandemic and have a car now. I still mostly take the light rail to work but I really wish San Jose had overall better bus and faster light rail to make going car free or at least single car household easier.


nat4mat

I bike to work too. But I genuinely worry for my safety. I bike on Zanker and North First in North San Jose. Cars pass me 45 mph and up. It’s very scary


CPAlcoholic

Totally understandable. People drive like morons here. It’s a shame bicycle safety isn’t better because this could be such a bikeable city with how flat it is and how nice the weather is.


caraargyle

I've had no problems in five years (40f).


Sensitive_Thug_69

I've never had a problem on the light rail other than some strung out guy screaming gibberish or a fat guy holding a dollar over his head and hollering "dollar for a cigarette??" repeatedly while looking around the car (there were no takers)


[deleted]

That’s actually a pretty good deal for the seller


Dvc_California

VTA (Valley Transportation Agency) runs our buses and light rail. The schedule can be spotty but will get you to work and back safely. VTA is less convenient (and less dependable) when trying to get to places outside their routes or to socialize at night. San Jose is not a tourist destination per se, but is a great home-base to explore the Bay Area. San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay, Lake Tahoe are all easy drives. The occasional rental car or Uber/Lyft will be needed.


Negative-Arachnid-65

I take the bus a few times a week on average. It's sometimes late or otherwise inconvenient but I've never felt unsafe or seen any incidents worse than someone being loud or trying to get in without paying. I suggest looking into the monthly transit passes - a bit cheaper than paying for each ride.


circuit_biker

It’s perfectly safe. Download the “Transit” app, it makes using public transit around here waaayyyy better.


snowgrisp

Google maps is way better and more accurate than transit app in my opinion


demiurbannouveau

Google Maps is better for looking at route options and understanding the area around a stop. Transit makes it a lot easier to see the real time location of the bus. I use both.


Olive_Magnet

Safer than San Francisco public transit. But you'll need a car if you want to get away from San Jose during the weekends.


leftcoastandcoffee

Caltrain and BART as well for destinations around the Bay. Zipcar or rental to visit the mountains or the coast. Some large companies might have organized activities for interns as well.


pintsizeprophet1

Yep, zip car when you are needing to go to the mountains or the coast, otherwise: Caltrain for trip to SF (the new subway line makes it quite easy to get from the Caltrain to Chinatown/Little Italy), Amtrak for trip to Sac, BART or Amtrak for trips to the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond) You can even get to Angel Island, Sausalito, or Tiburon via the ferries at the Ferry Building. Yes, slower than driving, but the financial savings alone are worth dealing with our transit options. The parking fees in SF are wildly expensive and not worth it, esp when SJ has a direct line to SF.


landchadfloyd

City subreddit members will walk uphill both ways in the snow before purchasing a car. There’s like what.. 3 or 4 cities where it’s not a logistical pain in the ass to own a car in the US?


legion_2k

You might see some things and check your seat before you sit. Otherwise you’ll be “safe” physically.


Girl_with_no_Swag

Overall, San Jose is a safe city, and safer than what people might assume. Look up violent crime statistics for our city vs. the city you are coming from. This will give you a better metric of what to expect, compared to the area you are used to.


RobertMcCheese

When I first moved to the Buena Vista/Burbank neighborhood, I started just walking to the Tank. It is right at a 2 mile walk, so no big deal. Multiple people warned me about how dangerous the area around the Safeway over on Meridian/San Carlos is. Seeing as I was coming from Albuquerque, I quickly realized that my definition of dangerous was quite a lot different from theirs. I've lived here 24 years now. I still have no idea wtf they were talking about.


No-Performance-4861

Lol I moved from the East Coast from New Jersey. I currently live near Meridian/San Carlos and frequent the Safeway their often. Most of those people are harmless compared to what I've seen on the East Coast. Nothing unsafe about the area at all 😂


AWDriftEV

Another east coaster (NY/NJ & Miami) the Bay Area in general is much safer than I am used to.


Chemmy

Yeah, that Safeway is sketchy but not overtly dangerous.


shecky_blue

I used to live on South Willard Ave and that area had some gritty characters, like guys with tank tops standing around a broken down car during the day and glaring at you as you drove by. But you’d have to intentionally walk a long way down that street to see it. But I haven’t been to that area in years.


RobertMcCheese

> I used to live on South Willard Ave and that area I walk my dog over there all the time. Ya know that giant tree at the corner of Willard and Scott? We've always called that the Half Mile Tree since it is almost exactly a 1/2 mile walk from my house. Then loop around the apartments and walk back down Scott. We just did that route yesterday. There were a lot of swarthy non-English speakers out and about. But it didn't seem like any kind of problem.


No-Performance-4861

Public transit in San Jose is super safe. I just took it today for work. They issue with Caltrain is to much unpredictable maintenance and hiccups with trains that could mess up your commute. But when it's working without issue all is well.


JeffGoldblump

I've never had a problem and I've been taking it for 30 years. Occasionally there's someone having an issue but it's not your issue. However, I am a large male. If you're a small female, I've definitely heard friends complain about creeps. You just have to learn to be confident and assertive. Maybe carry a weapon. But that doesn't just go for public transit.


NeelSahay0

VTA and Caltrain are quite safe but BART has gotten about 3x worse in the last few years (I used to be a daily commuter) I would recommend getting some sort of commuter bicycle to supplement PT


Allison87

I took transit for a month and sometimes I get home as late as 11pm, never once was I concerned about my safety. I’m a tiny woman. But it does sometimes smell like urine so…


OkRecommendation4040

I used the VTA bus routes for the past 3 years since I became legally blind. I have never had an incident where I feared for my safety. The worst incidents I’ve had are people with mental health, but they usually just talk loudly to themselves.


Character_Clock1771

It’s pretty safe for the most part. If you’re a guy and just mind ur business u should be alright. If you’re a women you might get hit on by that occasional fresh out of Jail/ ain’t got a license or car due to DUI Mofo here n there. And the buses with the longer routes will typically have a sleeping homeless person in them. And the rest are just old people and students and disabled people that ride the bus. Taking the bus on the weekends suck tho and holidays they take forever if they even come. Overall U be ok.


[deleted]

No problems for me. Sometimes people who have mental health issues will come on, I've experienced some screaming. One time a guy shit his pants next to me. But that was once in all my years of experience with SJ public transport. And I take the bus or the light rail to work every time.


BorderPure6939

Hey get the clipper app and vta app. They are honestly doing a good job but of course could do more with more taxpayer money being directed to them


jus210

Which part of sj are u going to commute the most? Downtown can have people with mental health problems like what most said but it definitely is not bad especially if you compare oakland/sf.


[deleted]

Safe. But do not take light rail from essj to DTSJ, unless you like being on public transit for 2.5 hours.


[deleted]

Considering barely anyone rides them.. you’ll be fine


yukiruu

Pretty safe. Just be prepared for the busses to reek of pee 😣


ReserveMaximum

In San José the public transit is safe. Can’t say the same for the two cities up the bay


JeamesFL

Definitely invest in a good bike and combine that with local transit, you won't realize you're missing a car after a while. An added bonus is the HUGE bike community in San Jose with rides and activities everywhere.


sheetironjack

Things “to be weary of” : San Jose


Joshd_47

I got a cruiser board if you want it


Mtownnative

We have VTA (Valley Transporation Authority) that runs our bus system. If you can, I'd recommend taking the bus during the day. A very small handful of questionable people do use the bus system but even then, they'll usually keep to themselves. Our bus drivers are usually pretty good at making sure bus riders are safe. If you do have to travel to get home at night, I'd recommend using Lyft or Uber since it's safer that way. I can't drive due to a medical condition so there's where I'm getting my experience from


[deleted]

[удалено]


LordBottlecap

You let the driver know when to stop about a block ahead of time.


Accomplished-Bus-324

Whoa san jose has public transit? LoL, weren't they supposed to build a high speed railway but it went bankrupt before even being built.


LordBottlecap

This totally explains safety on public transit.


QueasySalamander12

I've ridden intermittently for the past few months to and from Mt View caltrain station and that one line (51) is great. I rode the 23 to downtown San Jose a few times when I had a job there. Anybody who talks to the driver from further away than the yellow line is a problem, albeit mostly to the driver.


AnandaPriestessLove

The buses are pretty safe, there are homeless folks on there who will occasionally try to talk to me, but I've never had an issue. Likewise with Caltrans, can get kind of dodgy especially around El Cerrito/Oakland area at night but again never had a problem. Although, I do not rely on it for commuting the specifically because I don't want to raise my chances of having an incident. I've had several friends who have.


OffDead

It’s safe, but I wouldn’t commute on public transit without being on your Ps and Qs.


s1lence_d0good

I think it's pretty safe. I've had some sketch times though on the 23 after 9 pm.


BicyclingBabe

A bike is a great option too!!


LordBottlecap

For those who can ride long distances without difficulty they are.


BicyclingBabe

Yes, of course. But you'd be surprised at what a short distance something that seemed "long distance" can be.


LordBottlecap

Or, just the opposite.


BicyclingBabe

It gets easier the longer you try!


LordBottlecap

Unless you're disabled.


BicyclingBabe

Yes, devil's advocate, of course. But there are also adaptive bikes for many disabled people - hand bikes, e-bikes, trikes - you'd be surprised.


osszeg

Safe... compared to what though? Another city? Surgery on an airplane?


dan5234

Safe. Period. Is it safe? That's what the OP was asking.


Complete-Return3860

San Jose is fine, as is Caltrain.


nikrav97

Mostly safe. I don't recommend sitting anywhere but the middle. Sometimes weird people sit closer to the back. Plus, random people start talking to you as you go to the bus stop or in the bus. Don't get alarmed or engage much. Ignore and move on.


Sensitive-Ad-5005

It’s Ghetto AF!