Category: Uncategorized

On Friday, January 15 for one day only all stops for Barstow City Hall will be relocated to Barstow Library. This will affect routes 1, 2, 3, 6, 15, 28 and 29. Please adjust your travel plans accordingly.

 Effective Sunday, December 27, 2020, the operation of Routes 21P/W and 108B will be changed. 

Routes 21P/21W 

• 21P Eastbound – All trips will now end at Main & Cataba 
• 21P Westbound – All trips will start at Main & Cataba.

• 21W Eastbound – All trips will now end at Main & Cataba. 
• 21W Westbound – The first trip at 5:55 AM will begin at the Mall. 
• 21W Westbound – All other trips will start at Main & Cataba.
• Stops at the Mall will remain the same. 
• Monday, December 28 Only: No Service Due to Heavy Snowfall

Route 108B 

• Depart time from the Fort Irwin Bus Lot will now be 6:10 PM
• After all stops on the base have been serviced, operators will stop and discharge only at the stops needed. Please alert the driver of your stop.
• This exception only applies to 108B. All other PM routes must continue to make all stops.

Please call 760-948-4021 if you have any questions.

As we gather to celebrate Christmas this week, we remind our passengers of our adjusted service times so our Operators and Staff can be with their loved ones. Please adjust your travel schedules accordingly.

On December 12th and 13^th,  Victor Valley Transit was honored to partner up with the Victor Valley Rescue Mission for a “Stuff the VVTA Bus” Toy Drive that was held in front of the Victorville, CA Walmart on Amargosa Road.  Working in conjunction with area Walmart Management, this inaugural event brought in over 2,000 toys, all thanks to the kindness of the community’s residents, which included many VVTA Operators and Staff Members.

“Everyone at Victor Valley Transit was thrilled to partner up with the Rescue Mission. During such a difficult year on many levels, it was heartwarming to see our community come together and fill up our bus with toys that will be donated to High Desert children that may not otherwise have something to open this Christmas,”  shared Victor Valley Transit Marketing Manager/PIO Chris Ackerman. “The Victor Valley Rescue Mission is such a wonderful organization that truly fulfills the needs of our community all year round. Merry Christmas to all who helped stuff the bus!”

Although this was the first time the Rescue Mission has done a toy drive event like this, Executive Director Bill Edwards could not be happier with the outpouring from our community. “This year has offered unique challenges and needs within our community but at the same time, it has shown the compassion and generosity of our High Desert Community. We are so grateful to be allowed to give these gifts to our young neighbors and friends on your behalf.”

Along with Victor Valley Transit, the Victor Valley Rescue Mission also receives toys from organizations such as Santa Claus Inc, Community Action Partnership San Bernardino, Valley Food Bank, Desert Valley Hospital, David Dupree and Friends, Sparks of Love, Cemex, Archibald’s Restaurant, Raiders Booster Club, Apple Valley Women’s Club, Desert Mountain Children’s Center, The Beaver Family, and Happy Feet Sole to Soul.  The 12th Annual Toy Giveaway will culminate at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds on Saturday, December 19. This Toy giveaway has over 500 pre-registered families for Toys for Kids from 0-17 years of age. The event will also include the distribution of Farmers to Families food boxes for each family.   This will be “capped off” with some virtual family entertainment for guests as they remain in their cars and experience a contactless drive-thru event. 

Victor Valley Rescue Mission, an outreach ministry of the Rescue Mission Alliance, provides homeless men with opportunities for addiction recovery, transitional housing, and job training and placement. Outreach services to High Desert provide unsheltered individuals with hot meals, clothing, blankets, hygiene items, a food pantry; and a direct link to hospitals, clinics, and other health-related and community-based services. The Mission hosts 3 food pantries per week and holds four major outreach events each year providing unsheltered and low-income High Desert residents, with Easter baskets, backpacks, Thanksgiving baskets, and Christmas toys.   

Victor Valley Transit, the Victor Valley Rescue Mission, and the Victorville Walmart on Amargosa have already begun discussions to make this an annual community event, with the goal of making it much larger in 2021.

For more information please contact Chris Ackerman (VVTA) at 760-559-5185 or cackerman@vvta.org or Dawn Quigg (VVRM) at 760-927-3141 or dquigg@erescuemission.org.

Beginning Thursday, December 17, 2020 until further notice, the following VVTA Bus Routes will be running on a modified schedule. Please adjust your travel accordingly and we apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call 760-948-4021.

Route 42 – Every two hours:

• Northbound from VVC Temporary Stop – 7:30 am (First Bus) – 8:30 pm (Last Bus)
• Southbound from Training Center – 6:29 am (First Bus) – 8:29 pm (Last Bus)

Route 40 – Every two hours

• Northbound from Apple Valley Post Office – 6:00 am (First Bus) – 8:00 pm (Last Bus)
• Southbound from Hwy 18 & Bass Hill (Walmart) – 6:31 am (First Bus) – 8:31 pm (Last Bus)

Route 47 – Every two hours:

• Northbound from Bear Valley & Navajo – 7:31 am (First Bus) – 7:31 pm (Last Bus)
• Southbound from Apple Valley Post Office – 7:00 am (First Bus) – 7:00 pm (Last Bus)

Route 33 – Every two hours

• Northbound from Hwy 395 & Palmdale – 7:35 am (First Bus) – 7:53 pm (Last Bus)
• Southbound from Bartlett & Greening – 6:05 am (First Bus) – 8:05 pm (Last Bus)

Route 54 – Every two hours:

• Northbound from Victor Valley Mall – 7:04 am (First Bus) – 7:04 pm (Last Bus)
• Southbound from Hwy 395 & Palmdale – 6:35 am (First Bus) – 8:35 pm (Last Bus)

Route 31 – Hourly service

Route 43 – Hourly service

Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26: No Service, Admin Offices Closed

Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24: Saturday Service (7am-8pm), Admin offices closed except for Purchasing passes

Christmas: Friday, December 25: No Service, Admin Offices Closed

New Years  Eve: Thursday, December 31: Saturday Service (7am-8pm), Admin offices closed except for Purchasing passes

New Years Day: Friday, January 1: No Service, Admin Offices Closed

Effective immediately for riders of Routes 1, 2, 3, 6, 15, 28, and 29: The Transfer Center on E. Buena Vista next to the Barstow Library has moved and is now located on E. Mountain View in front of City Hall. Please adjust your schedules accordingly and we apologize for any inconvenience.

As part of our “You Have the RIDE to Vote” campaign, we want to provide you an easy guide to which Routes and Bus Stops are closest to Official BaAs part of our “You Have the RIDE to Vote” campaign, we want to provide you with an easy guide that will help you know what routes are closest to an Official Ballot Drop Box, which can be found throughout our service areas.

Whether you choose to drop off your vote early or on our Free Ride Day this Tuesday, November 3rd,  Victor Valley Transit wants to make it easier for you to make your voice heard in this Election!

Victor Valley Transit will offer free rides all day on Tuesday, November 3rd , to make it easier for riders to vote in this year’s Presidential Election. The promotion, entitled “You Have the Ride to Vote,” is geared to highlight the importance of voting and provide the opportunity to be able to get to a Polling Center or Ballot Drop-off Location on Election Day.

“Victor Valley Transit strongly believes that everyone has a right to the voting process,” said VVTA Public Information Officer, Chris Ackerman. “We want to do our part to make it easier for our riders to have their voices heard on November 3rd.”

On Election Day, fares on all VVTA Fixed Routes, County Routes and ADA Paratransit Services will be suspended for all riders.  All passengers must wear a face covering and practice proper social distancing measures when riding with Victor Valley Transit.  All buses have been sanitized with Pro-Techs Antimicrobial Solution. The application is an odorless and non-toxic surface spray, providing 90 days of protection against COVID-19 plus other bacteria and viruses. A video of the process can be found at VVTA’s official YouTube Channel.

Free Rides does not apply to Route 15 and NTC Commuter lines.

“It is imperative to get out and vote in this election,” stated VVTA Board Chair Curt Emick. “Some of the polling locations have changed since the last election, and VVTA is proud to give passengers a free ride to get where they need to go to cast their ballot.”

Riders can visit www.sbcountyelections.com to register to vote, obtain a voter guide, find their nearest ballot Dop Box location, or their specific polling place. Victor Valley Transit will be posting Ballot Drop Box Locations and Early Voting Sites leading up to this year’s election. 

Tomorrow on 10-15 at 10:15 AM, Victor Valley Transit will join over 6 million other Californians in the 2020 Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill. The Great California ShakeOut happens every year to remind us that the best way to stay safe in an earthquake zone is by being prepared.

Your past experience in earthquakes may give you a false sense of safety; perhaps you did nothing, ran outside, or stood in a doorway, and you survived with no injuries. Or perhaps you got under your desk, and others thought you overreacted. 

Yet you may never have experienced the kind of strong shaking that is possible in much larger earthquakes: sudden and intense back and forth motions of several feet per second will cause the floor or the ground to jerk sideways out from under you, and every unsecured object around you could topple, fall, or become airborne, potentially causing serious injury.

Taking the proper actions, such as “Drop, Cover, and Hold On,” can save lives and reduce the risk of injury. Everyone, everywhere, should learn and practice what to do during an earthquake, whether at home, work, school, or traveling.

In MOST situations, you will reduce your chance of injury if you:

	DROP where you are onto your hands and knees.This position protects you from being knocked down and also allows you to stay low and crawl to shelter if nearby.
	COVER your head and neck with one arm and handIf a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelterIf no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows)Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs
	HOLD ON until shaking stops. Under shelter: hold on to your shelter with one hand; be ready to move with it if it shifts. No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

Victor Valley Transit is committed to the safety of all our riders, operators, and staff. Sign up today and get more information at www.shakeout.org.