Commuting from Palo Alto to Mountain View

For many Palo Alto residents, Mountain View is the office down the road. North Bayshore, downtown Castro Street, the East Whisman campuses and San Antonio Center are all within about 6 to 8 miles. That short distance gives you real choices: a seven minute train ride, a flat bike ride, a free shuttle at the far end or a short drive with free parking at most offices. This guide compares them for someone living in Palo Alto, then covers the reverse trip.

Train times come from the weekday timetable on Caltrain's schedules page in early November 2026. Drive times are approximate and depend on traffic.

Caltrain

Mountain View has two Caltrain stations. Mountain View station at 600 W. Evelyn Avenue, beside Castro Street, gets every train including expresses. San Antonio station at Showers Drive serves the San Antonio Center area and gets locals and limiteds only.

Weekday service is four trains an hour in each peak and two an hour midday. Southbound expresses left Palo Alto at 6:59, 7:59 and 8:59 a.m. Locals left at 14 and 44 minutes past most hours. Weekend trains are locals about every 30 minutes.

Fares

Palo Alto, California Avenue, San Antonio and Mountain View are all in Zone 3, so every trip here is one zone. The Caltrain fares page lists one zone fares that do not change on January 1, 2027:

• Adult one way: $4.00. Adult day pass: $8.00.
• Adult monthly pass: $96, with free weekend and holiday rides across all zones except Christmas Eve.
• Eligible Discount one way: $2.00. Youth: $1.00.

From January 1, 2027, monthly pass holders must tap on and off for every ride. For a short trip, remember to tap off at Mountain View. If you forget, Caltrain charges the maximum fare from your starting station. Our Clipper and fares guide has more.

Shuttles at the Mountain View end

The train only gets you to Evelyn Avenue. North Bayshore and the other office districts are two to three miles away, which is where the shuttles come in. Caltrain's station shuttle list names two free public services run by the Mountain View Transportation Management Association:

• MVgo runs Monday to Friday at commute hours from Mountain View Transit Center to business parks in North Shoreline, North Whisman, Charleston and the San Antonio area.
• Mountain View Community Shuttle runs daily from the transit center to neighborhoods, city offices, medical offices and shopping.

Several large Mountain View employers also run private shuttles for their own staff, some with stops in Palo Alto. Routes are internal, so ask your employer's commute team rather than relying on a public map.

VTA buses and light rail

VTA runs three useful routes from Palo Alto:

• Rapid 522 from the Palo Alto Transit Center along El Camino Real. A 7:16 a.m. weekday bus reached El Camino Real at Castro Street at 7:40 a.m., about 24 minutes, on VTA's timetable.
• Route 22 on the same road with more stops.
• Route 21 from Stanford Shopping Center along Middlefield Road to Mountain View Transit Center, then on to Sunnyvale and Santa Clara.

At Mountain View station, VTA's Orange Line light rail heads east through the Whisman area toward Milpitas and Alum Rock. VTA's adult fare is $2.50 with two hours of transfers on Clipper. See our VTA guide.

Biking

Mountain View is an easy bike commute from most of Palo Alto. Pick a route by where you work:

• North Bayshore and Shoreline. The Adobe Creek bridge over US 101, opened in November 2021, links south Palo Alto with the San Francisco Bay Trail. From there the trail follows the shoreline south to Shoreline Park. Our Bay Trail guide describes it.
• East Whisman and Moffett. The Stevens Creek Trail runs north and south through Mountain View from Shoreline and crosses the main roads on bridges and undercrossings.
• Downtown Castro Street. Palo Alto's bike boulevards, including Bryant Street, take you to south Palo Alto on quiet streets. From there, many riders use local streets or hop on Caltrain for the last stretch.

Bikes ride Caltrain free. Each electric train has two bike cars with space for 36 bikes each. Board the bike car first, stack by destination and show a tag. Folding bikes up to 32 inches wide can go in any car. Caltrain eLockers at Palo Alto and California Avenue cost 5 cents an hour if you prefer to leave a bike there.

Driving

Three roads carry most car commuters south. Alma Street becomes Central Expressway at the city line and is often the quickest route to downtown and East Whisman. El Camino Real is slower but direct to San Antonio Center and Castro Street. US 101 is best for North Bayshore, using the San Antonio Road, Rengstorff Avenue or Shoreline Boulevard exits.

Outside rush hour, downtown to downtown takes roughly 15 minutes. At peak times 25 to 40 minutes is common, especially on the 101 exits into North Bayshore in the morning and the ramps back onto 101 in the evening. The US 101 express lanes between Embarcadero Road and State Route 237 cover this stretch. They are tolled weekdays from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Solo drivers pay the posted toll, two-person carpools pay half and three or more ride free with a FasTrak Flex tag. For such a short hop the toll rarely saves much time. See our express lanes guide.

Parking in Mountain View

Most offices in North Bayshore and East Whisman provide parking for staff. Downtown is different. The city's 2026 annual downtown parking permit costs $413 for business owners, employees and residents in the Downtown Parking District, prorated for late-year purchases, according to its permit application. The permit is valid in parking structures 1 and 3 and lots 6, 7 and 9. No one may park in the downtown structures from 2 to 6 a.m. Mountain View's Caltrain lot has 340 spaces and charges $5.50 a day.

Visiting colleagues from out of town? Staying near a station keeps the whole trip car free, so compare hotels near Caltrain before you book.

The reverse commute: Mountain View to Palo Alto

Mountain View residents working in Palo Alto have the same short trip in reverse. Northbound express trains reach Palo Alto from Mountain View in 7 minutes and locals in about 9. From Palo Alto station, Stanford's free Marguerite shuttle runs to campus, the medical center and Stanford Research Park on weekdays. For Research Park offices, the Marguerite CAX line leaves from California Avenue station in the commute peaks. VTA Route 21 and Rapid 522 run north into Palo Alto all day. By car, morning traffic heading into Palo Alto backs up on Page Mill Road, Oregon Expressway and the 101 exits.

Frequently asked questions