And for once, it came to South County first.

Since July, South County has been the guinea pig, the first region revamped under a massive new plan that touches nearly every bus route from Milpitas to Morgan Hill. Seven routes will be axed. Twenty-one will be altered, merged or trimmed. And 20 will be boosted with extra buses and express lines - including a new link from Gilroy to San Jose that shaves 25 minutes off the commute.

The new routes were approved Thursday night.

It's a "fundamental shift, a philosophical shift" for the Valley Transportation Authority, said Greg Sellers, who represents Morgan Hill on the VTA board.

"The [old] approach was laudable, but not practical: to take anyone anywhere in the county," he said. "Now, we're pushing to be more efficient."

That means beefing up heavily used routes and paring back the rest. South County was the first to do so, through the Community Bus program that sent smaller red-and-blue buses rolling through neighborhoods this July, replacing bulkier, diesel-run buses. New routes link riders to Wal-Mart and the county social services center. At $1 a ride, they're 75 cents cheaper than the old buses.

"It picks me up right by my house," said David Rodriguez, who rides the bus to Hollister. "Before, it didn't do that - and I didn't ride as much."

Driver Ron Morin, who's spent 19 years with the VTA, says the new routes have won support - mostly.

"Most people are happy," he said, "but naturally, there are complaints."

Gavilan College staff have worried that the 68 bus to the college, now chopped in two, could suffer delays during the transfer. Rider Martin Escalante is irritated that Line 19 no longer runs down Santa Teresa Boulevard near his home, due to low ridership. "I can't walk well," he said, gesturing to his leg.

Still, ridership has increased in South County since the new routes started rolling. On Morgan Hill's Line 16, daily trips nearly doubled from 1,300 to 2,457 between this July and last, said Bernice Alaniz, VTA's deputy director of marketing and public affairs. Gilroy ridership increased 13 percent, from 22,410 trips last July to 25,467 trips this July. The 68, which runs from Gilroy to San Jose, saw its ridership boom 13.7 percent in the same interval, from 13,984 to 18,124 monthly boardings.

Overall, ridership grew 9 percent this year in Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Los Gatos, which piloted community busing last year. That's almost five times as much growth as other VTA routes, said Alaniz.

The buses also consume gasoline instead of diesel, and less of it: The smaller buses get 20 additional miles per gallon, said Alaniz.

"So far, so good," said Sellers.

One significant change that hasn't hit South County yet: The new Express 168, which will roll north five times each morning and south five times each night, using the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on U.S. 101. The bus will take 65 minutes to reach Diridon Station from Gilroy - 25 minutes less than the 68, which stops more often along Santa Teresa Boulevard.

It's faster, but at a price: Express buses cost twice as much to ride as regular lines, regardless of how far riders take them. And as a trade-off for the speedy 168, the 68 will run less frequently south of the Santa Teresa Light Rail Station during peak hours, picking up every 30 minutes instead of every 15, said Alaniz.

Change has already shifted South County's buses, but the routes have stirred controversy elsewhere in the county as VTA approved the larger plan. Palo Alto will take a hit, but can't weigh in: The city doesn't currently have a representative on the VTA's rotating board, said Margaret Okuzumi, executive director of the Bay Rail Alliance. Okuzumi's group has questioned cuts in bus service over the past decade. In 2006, VTA buses traveled 10 percent fewer miles than in 1996.

"The analysis needed to be done years ago," said Okuzumi, who supports the aim of the new plan, but is wary of the details. VTA has dubbed the new plan "revenue-neutral," a claim Okuzumi doubts. "If you're saving money, why not put that back into increased bus service?"

And for gadflies such as local attorney Joseph Thompson, who has argued for privatizing the VTA, the changes are akin to "whitewashing a tumor," he said.

"If VTA were a horse, you'd shoot it to put it out of its misery," said Thompson.

His words are extreme, but he's not alone: A 2004 civil grand jury report slammed VTA's financial management, as did a 2007 Hay Group audit, which dubbed the group's future "uncertain and unstable." California legislators just approved a state audit of the agency to boot.

Sellers asked riders to give the VTA feedback - and a chance.

"It's a work in progress," he said. "We're anxious to see what works, and what doesn't."

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