Public Transit

Whether you are staying in Palo Alto or traveling from elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can reach Stanford by way of convenient public transportation.

Caltrain

The local transit hub for bus and train services at Stanford is the Palo Alto Caltrain Station, located close to the main entrance to campus and by the intersections of Palm Drive, University Avenue, and El Camino Real.A one-way trip from San Francisco takes approximately one hour; a one-way trip from San Jose takes approximately 40 minutes. Caltrain also connects with stations and shuttles serving the San Francisco and San Jose Airports.
Caltrain website

Marguerite Campus Shuttles

Stanford University operates a free daily service — the Marguerite Shuttle — with more than a dozen lines that travel throughout the campus as well as downtown Palo Alto, Menlo Park, the Stanford Shopping Center, and other stops off-campus.The service includes buses that run seven days a week between Caltrain’s Palo Alto Station and campus. For more information, call 650 723.9362 or visit Stanford Parking & Transportation Services website for schedules and route maps.
Marguerite Campus Shuttles website

Dumbarton Express

The Dumbarton Express runs weekdays from the Union City BART station across its namesake, the Dumbarton Bridge, to the Palo Alto/University Caltrain station. The Dumbarton Express provides arguably the most direct and convenient service between Stanford and the southern part of the East Bay, AND IT CAN BE REACHED FROM OAKLAND AIRPORT VIA BART.
Dumbarton Express website

SamTrans

The bus system for San Mateo County is known as SAMTRANS. It offers routes from Palo Alto to downtown San Francisco, San Francisco International Airport, and the Hayward BART station, which is a few stops from Oakland Airport. For more information, call 800 660.4BUS or visit SamTrain website.

A set of basic directions to Stanford for travelers using public transportation is available on our Bay Area Transit website.