Holiday Inn San Jose-Silicon Valley, source from IHG website
The MBS Spring 2026 convention will be held from Thursday, April 16th to Saturday, April 18th in San Jose, CA (South San Francisco Bay). This three-day Northern California trip highlights a wide range of rail and bus operations, historic sites, and transit agencies across the Bay Area and Central Coast, capped by the annual meeting, flea market, and special guest presentations—an efficient and engaging overview of both modern systems and transit heritage.
Convention Headquarters
The host hotel for the convention will be the Holiday Inn San Jose-Silicon Valley, 1350 North 1 st Street, San Jose, CA, 95112. The hotel is conveniently located adjacent to the VTA (Valley Transit Authority) Gish light rail station which is serviced by the Blue and Green lines. The hotel is 1.7 miles away from the San Jose International Airport and offers complimentary airport shuttle service. The hotel has free high-speed Wi-Fi internet access and a business center.
The special MBS room rate is $149 per night for a standard King room or a room with two Queen beds. The room rates do not include applicable state and city taxes (currently at 14%, subject to change). A Tourism Assessment and Hotel Business Improvement District tax will be added to the rate as well. A block of rooms has been put aside for MBS members from Wednesday, April 15th to Saturday, April 18th .
The Santa Cruz Restaurant offers daily breakfast (not included in room rates). “The Pub” restaurant is open after 5:00 PM every day for dinner amenities. Many other restaurants are within a short walk of the hotel. There is an $18 charge for on site parking per day, plus applicable taxes.
Please note that hotel reservations must be made by Monday, March 16th, 2026. The hotel room space and rate cannot be guaranteed after that date. All hotel reservations must be made by visiting the Holiday Inn San Jose website at the following link:
The phone number for the front desk of the hotel is (408) 453-6200. If booking this way, remember to mention the group name “Motor Bus Society” when booking by telephone.
Motor Bus Society is currently in the planning stages for its Spring convention. There cannot be guarantees that we will be admitted to all the garages and maintenance facilities due to either health and security protocols or shortages of personnel to handle our visits. Some of the facility tours may require a safety vest. If you have one available, please bring it.
Registration
The MBS convention registration fee is $125 per person per day or $350 for all three days for MBS members. For non-MBS members, the registration fee is $145 per day or $410 for all three days. To assure that space will be available for the garage and facility tours, advance registration is strongly recommended. In case of any shortage of seat space on the tour buses, persons with reservations will be given priority. Please note that payment is now possible online on this site at the links at the bottom of this page. The deadline for MBS convention registration is Tuesday, March 31st .
Logistics
For autos, the hotel offers convenient access to the I880, I-280 and US-101 highways.
For all transit options, the hotel is a short walk from the VTA Gish Station which services the Blue and Green LRT lines.
Historic Diridon Station in San Jose is a major Silicon Valley transportation hub served by Amtrak and commuter trains, local and regional bus lines and light rail.
VTA Light Rail System map, source from Valley Transportation Authority
From the San Jose International Airport (SJC), proceed to Terminal B and follow signs for the VTA Blue Line LRT. Take the LRT to Gish Station.
From the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), take the RED BART line south to Millbrae Station. Transfer to the Caltrain south to San Jose Diridon Station. Transfer to the VTA Green Line LRT to Gish Station.
The FLiXBUS stop is located at the San Jose Diridon Station. From the station, take the VTA Green Line LRT to Gish Station.
Convention Activities: Registration and sign-in will take place in the Holiday Inn lobby starting at 7:30 AM on all three days, with buses departing promptly at 8:00 AM each day.
Garage and Facility Tours: The itinerary has not been finalized and is highly dependent on whether properties are receptive to having visitors. The final lists of stops will be posted on the MBS website and MBS Facebook pages 1 week prior to the convention.
Itinerary
Thursday, April 16 – Palo Alto Caltrain station, Samtrans North Base, Daly City BART, Golden Gate Transit.
Friday, April 17 – San Francisco MUNI Presidio and Wood divisions, Market Street Railway store, San Francisco Ferry Terminal, VTA Cerone division and San Jose Railway Station. Annual meeting and Flea Market in the evening. Presentations by San Francisco MTA Planning Manager Paul Bignardi and retired San Francisco MTA Operations Manager David Banbury.
Saturday, April 18 – Santa Cruz, MontereySalinas, Pacific Bus Museum, AC Transit East Oakland division.
Order Form
Visit this link for online booking.
Click to download, print the flyer and mail the order form.
Click here for online hotel registration with group discount.