Parking and Transportation
There are various transportation options available to you as a visiting student at Stanford University.
Stanford University Parking and Transportation Services
http://transportation.stanford.edu/
Marguerite
http://transportation.stanford.edu/marguerite/schedules.php
- Stanford's free public shuttle system
- The main shuttle lines traverse the campus Mon - Fri all year (except University holidays)
- Evening and weekend service from Sept - June with the Midnight Express and Shopping Express lines
- All buses are wheelchair-accessible and have bike racks
- Marguerite is free and open to the public - no ID required
Transportation in the Bay Area
Caltrain is a commuter rail service that runs between Gilroy and San Francisco. The two closest stops to Stanford are the California Avenue and Palo Alto stations. The Marguerite service meets trains at both stations between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays. Marguerite also provides late-night and weekend service to the Palo Alto station during the academic year. For Caltrain information, visit http://www.caltrain.org.
- Caltrain carries up to 80 bikes aboard every train, free and without permit. Just board the northernmost car and look for the onboard bike racks
- Bike lockers are available at many stations. For more information, call Caltrain at 1-800-660-4287
- Stanford is Caltrain's single largest user, with over 650 Stanford commuters taking Caltrain to campus every day
- Express trains make train time the same as driving time for many commuters and could even cut up to 40 minutes a day off your commute!
- If you are eligible for the GO Pass, you can use your GO Pass to ride Caltrain for free.
- All-day parking is available at most Caltrain stations. Parking is $5.50 per day, and Monthly Parking Permits may be purchased for $55 at our office at 340 Bonair Siding.
SamTrans connects the Palo Alto train station (and the free Marguerite shuttle service) to all of San Mateo County (north of campus), including service to the San Francisco International Airport. For SamTrans information, visit http://www.samtrans.org.
Six SamTrans bus routes serve Stanford at the Palo Alto Transit Center:
- Route KX provides local service on El Camino between Palo Alto and San Mateo, then express service on Highway 101 to the San Francisco International Airport and downtown San Francisco.
- Route 280 and Route 281 provide service between the Stanford Shopping Center and East Palo Alto.
- Route 390 operates along El Camino between Palo Alto and Daly City, serving the Millbrae, South San Francisco, and Daly City BART stations.
- Route 297 and Route 397 provide local overnight service to Redwood City and San Francisco, respectively.
For more information about transit to San Francisco International Airport, please call the Bay Area Transit Information Hotline by dialing 511 from within the San Francisco Bay Area or (510) 817-1717 from outside the San Francisco Bay Area. Click here for information about San Jose or Oakland airports.
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) buses connect the Palo Alto train station (and the free Marguerite shuttle service) to Santa Clara County (south of campus). VTA also provides light rail service in the South Bay. All VTA buses have 2-bike front-mounted racks. For VTA information, visit http://www.vta.org.
Three VTA bus routes serve Stanford at the Palo Alto Transit Center:
- The 22 operates along El Camino, running north to the Menlo Park train station and south to San Jose. It runs 24 hours a day with service approximately every 12 minutes during daytime hours.
- The Rapid 522 is a limited stop service between the Palo Alto train station and San Jose. It runs along El Camino like the 22, but with fewer stops and service every 15 minutes.
- The 35 runs between Mountain View and the Stanford Shopping Center, serving Palo Alto and Mountain View neighborhoods.
If you are eligible for the Eco Pass, you can use your Eco Pass to ride VTA buses, express buses, and light rail for free.
Bicycle Rentals
http://campusbikeshop.com/