RESOURCE TO HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE
ON THE CHILLY TEMPS AND RAIN IN
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
>>> NOW TO A NBC BAY AREA
EXCLUSIVE.
YOU ARE LOOKING AT A FLEET OF
CARS PURCHASED BY THE
TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY.
NOTHING SEEMS TO BE AWRY, EXCEPT
THAT SOME OF THESE CARS HAVEN’T
MOVED IN FOUR YEARS.
>> CANDACE NGUYEN HAS BEEN
FIGURING OUT WHY.
SHE’S
THESE VEHICLES WERE LEFT TO
DEPRECIATE.
>> Reporter: NOT ONLY HAVE
NEARLY A HUNDRED OF THESE CARS
AND VANS NOT BEEN TRADED IN OR
SOLD, THIEVES HAVE TARGETED
THEM, COSTING TAXPAYERS EVEN
MORE.
NOW THESE VEHICLES ARE THE
ACCESS TRANSIT SERVICE, IT’S TO
HELP DRIVE AROUND SOME OF OUR
MOST VULNERABLE. AFTER WE STARTED ASKING
QUESTIONS, THE AGENCY TOOK
ACTION.
LINDA McCLOUD AND JIAJIA TAYLOR
ARE TWO SOUTH BAY WOMEN AS TOUGH
AS THE CHALLENGES THEY’RE FORCED
TO FACE.
>> AS MY VISION GOT WORSE AND
WORSE I CONTINUED TO PUSH MYSELF
TO BE AS INDEPENDENT AS
POSSIBLE.
>> YEAH, I CAN TAKE CARE OF
MYSELF FOR AS LONG AS I
PHYSICALLY CAN.
>> Reporter: BOTH HAVE USED
SANTA CLARA VALLEY
TRANSPORTATION ACCESS PARRA
TRANSIT SERVICE, WHICH IS FOR
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
BOTH SAY IT’S A LOGISTICAL
NIGHTMARE.
>> THE LOGISTICS ARE
NONEXISTENT.
THEY WILL LITERALLY PICK ME UP
HAVE SANTA CLARA, TAKE ME ALL
THE WAY OVER TO MILPITAS.
TAKE ME TO DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE.
AND THEN BACK HERE TO SANTA
CLARA.
SO LITERALLY, I HAVE SEVERAL
TIMES STOPPED THE VEHICLE, LET
ME OUT.
>> IT WAS SO UNPREDICTABLE.
YOU JUST DIDN’T KNOW FOR SURE
WHEN OR HOW YOU WOULD GET THERE.
>> Reporter: WHILE McCLOUD AND
TAYLOR ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT
INEFFICIENCIES THEY SEE IN PARRA
TRANSIT ROUTS.
THE INVESTIGATIVE UNIT UNCOVERED
WHERE PUBLIC MONEY WAS WASTING
AWAY IN PLAIN SIGHT.
WE FOUND THIS FLEET OF CARS HAD
BEEN SITTING ON THE LOT IN SAN
JOSE FOR YEARS, JUST
DEPRECIATING.
SATELLITE IMAGING CONFIRMS
DOZENS OF THESE 2012 PRIUSES
PURCHASED FOR MORE THAN 26 GRAND
EACH HAVEN’T MOVED IN MORE THAN
ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR YEARS.
>> THAT SEEMS LIKE A WASTE.
THEY REALLY SHOULD BE SELLING
THESE BACK.
>> Reporter: VTA TOLD US 95
VEHICLES WERE DECOMMISSIONED
BECAUSE THEY WERE PAST THEIR
USEFUL LIFE.
THEY WERE USED.
MOST HAVE MORE THAN 100,000
MILES ON THEM.
SO WHY DIDN’T VTA SELL OR TRADE
THEM IN TO RECOUP SOME OF THAT
PUBLIC MONEY?
THEY SAY THERE WAS A DELAY IN
THE VEHICLE RETIRING PROCESS
BECAUSE OF THE COVID PANDEMIC, A
DELAY WITH THE SERVICE THAT VTA
USES FOR AUCTION AND MULTIPLE
STAFFING CHANGES.
AFTER THE INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS, VTA
SAID THE VEHICLES ARE NOW
CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF
BEING SCHEDULED FOR AUCTION.
>> SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH THE
PROCESS OF RETURNING THEM FROM
ACTIVE DUTY AND DOING SOMETHING
WITH THEM.
>> Reporter: GIOVANI IS A
PROGRAM DIRECTOR AT UC DAVIS AND
TRANSPORTATION EXPERT.
HE SAYS SINCE THE PANDEMIC
TRANSIT SYSTEMS HAVE STRUGGLED.
>> WE KNOW THAT ALL TRANSIT
AGENCIES ARE EXTREMELY
OVERWHELMED WITH A LOT OF
PRIORITIES, FROM FUNDING TO
STAFFING ISSUES.
THIS IS PROBLEM LAY LESSONABLY A
LEARNED FOR OTHER AGENCIES.
>> Reporter: VTA SPENT NORTH OF
3$3 MILLION ON THIS FLEET OF 95
VEHICLES.
IT MISSED OUT ON POTENTIALLY
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
BY NOT AUCTIONING THEM OFF YEARS
AGO, AND EVEN MORE MONEY WAS
WASTED, WE FOUND, WHEN SOME OF
THE VEHICLES’ CATALYTIC
CONVERTERS WERE STOLEN IN 2022.
I’M HERE ON THIS PUBLIC TRAIL
THAT RUNS RIGHT ALONGSIDE WHERE
THESE VEHICLES ARE PARKED.
MULTIPLE SOURCES TELL ME THIS IS
WHERE THIEVES WOULD CUT AND
BREAK THROUGH THE FENCE TO GET
ONTO THE PROPERTY AND STEAL
CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.
THE THEFTS ARE WIDESPREAD
PROBLEMS, AND THEY HAVE SINCE
IMPROVED SECURITY AND MOVED SOME
OF THOSE CARS.
INVOICES SHOW THE AGENCY SPENT
MORE THAN 10 GRAND ON FIXING THE
FENCE AROUND THE YARD TO KEEP
THIEVES OUT.
ONE INCIDENT INVOLVED A SUSPECT
WITH A CARJACK IN HIS HANDS
FIRING GUNSHOTS NEAR A VTA
EMPLOYEE.
>> I LOVE PUBLIC TRANSIT AND AM
SUCH AN ADVOCATE FOR IT.
I WANT SO MUCH FOR IT TO WORK.
>> Reporter: IN THE MONTHS WE’VE
BEEN INVESTIGATING, VTA NEVER AGREED TO AN INTERVIEW.
IT SAID ITS ISSUE DIDN’T IMPACT
PARRA TRANSIT SERVICE.
THEY STAID ISAID IT IS PARRA TRA
AND NOT A PUBLIC CAR SERVICE.
>> IT ISICALOUSCALLOUS TO SAY TH
OF THING.
>> I HOPE THEY NEVER GET TO A
POINT WHERE THEY’RE IN A
WHEELCHAIR.
>> AND IF YOU HAVE A STORY FOR