The Stanford Marguerite shuttle

The Marguerite is Stanford University's shuttle bus system. It is free, it needs no ID and anyone can ride it, from a visiting family to a commuter heading to a Research Park office. For visitors arriving by Caltrain it is the easiest way to cover the mile between the Palo Alto station and the heart of campus.

Stanford describes the Marguerite as a "first-mile and last-mile connector" between the Palo Alto Transit Center and places across campus. This page explains who can ride, the main lines as Stanford publishes them, where they stop at the transit center, when they run and how to track them. Details come from Stanford Transportation's Marguerite pages as of late October 2026.

Who can ride and what it costs

Everyone. Stanford states plainly that "all routes on the system are free and open to the public." There is no fare, no ticket and no Stanford ID check. Board at any marked Marguerite stop and get off where you like.

• All Marguerite buses are wheelchair accessible.
• Every bus carries a bike rack.
• Stanford says about 90 percent of the miles its shuttles drive are all electric.

The main thing visitors get wrong is the calendar, not the fare. The core lines run on weekdays only. Plan weekend visits around that.

When it runs

Stanford says the main shuttle lines travel around campus "Monday through Friday (except for university holidays)." That covers lines such as P, X and Y. In practice:

• Weekdays: the full network runs, from early morning into the evening on the busiest lines.
• Weekends: only the Shopping Express runs. The rest of the system is off.
• University holidays: most lines stop. On days such as Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Memorial Day, Stanford keeps a handful of medical center routes running: the Hospital Direct line, the Medical Center line and the X and Y Express.
• Winter closure: during the university's late December closure, a slightly larger set runs, including the CAX and Research Park lines. Even those skip Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Stanford's holiday Marguerite schedule lists exactly which lines run on each holiday. Check it before any Monday holiday.

The main lines

Stanford publishes more than a dozen Marguerite lines. These are the ones most useful to visitors and Palo Alto residents, with the route descriptions Stanford gives:

Other lines serve Stanford housing, the C line between Stanford West and Escondido Village, the 1050 Arastradero offices, East Bay commuters on the AE-F line from Fremont BART and Stanford Redwood City on the RWC line. The X line also has limited and express variants at peak times. Full maps and timetables are on Stanford's shuttle lines and schedules page.

Stops at the Palo Alto Transit Center

The Palo Alto Transit Center is the bus plaza on the west side of Palo Alto Caltrain station, at 95 University Avenue. Buses pull in along a loop road called University Circle. Most Marguerite lines that serve Palo Alto start and end here: P, X, Y, MC, RP, S and the Shopping Express. Caltrain lists the P, X, Y, S, Medical Center and Research Park lines as connections at the station.

Stanford's route pages give specific bays for some lines. The S line uses Bus Depot Bay 6 and the Research Park line uses Bay 7. Other line pages, such as P and MC, list the stop simply as the Palo Alto Transit Center in University Circle. Look for the Marguerite signs and the line letter on the front of the bus. Stanford links to a transit center map on its Marguerite page. Our Palo Alto station guide covers the rest of the plaza, including VTA and SamTrans buses.

One line does not use the transit center. The CAX leaves from California Avenue station instead, which is closer to the Research Park.

Useful trips for visitors

1. Caltrain to the Main Quad. Line P from the transit center to the Oval. From there it is a short walk to the Main Quad and Memorial Church.
2. Caltrain to the museums. Ride Line P or the X and Y loops, then walk to the Cantor Arts Center near Museum Way.
3. Caltrain to Stanford Hospital. The MC line in the peaks, or the X line through the day. Our hospital visitor guide covers parking and entrances.
4. Caltrain to Stanford Shopping Center. The X line stops there, though the walk is only 10 to 15 minutes. See our Stanford Shopping Center guide.
5. Caltrain to Sand Hill Road. The S line runs past the venture firms to the Rosewood hotel in the commute peaks. See our Sand Hill Road guide.

For event parking, Stanford notes that Lines X and Y link several campus garages, including Galvez, Wilbur Field and Roble Field, with the rest of campus on weekdays. That lets you park once and ride.

Live map and app

Stanford's Marguerite Live Map shows real-time bus locations and estimated arrival times for most lines. Each line's web page has the map built in. On a phone, download the ETA Transit app and choose "Stanford Marguerite" when it asks you to select an agency. You can save favorite stops and set alerts. Service announcements appear under Messages in the app's menu.

Stanford also posts a Marguerite schedule impacts page for temporary stop closures and detours, which are common during campus construction. For questions, Stanford lists [email protected] and 650-724-9339.

A short history

Free rides to Stanford are as old as the university. Stanford Transportation tells the story this way. In the late 1880s the university ran a horse and buggy for 12 passengers between campus and the train station across El Camino Real. Electric streetcars replaced it in 1909 and ran until 1929, when the line was removed as the state planned to widen El Camino and the city repaved University Avenue. A private bus line followed. In 1963 the City of Palo Alto agreed to subsidize it.

The modern Marguerite began in December 1975, when the university leased two gas-powered trolley-style buses, painted Cardinal red with white trim, for a 17-week trial costing $17,000. They served the train station, campus, Stanford Shopping Center and the medical center. The service became permanent on September 27, 1976 and soon grew from two buses to 10.

The name honors a horse. Marguerite pulled the carriage of Asa "Uncle John" Andrews, who ferried people between Palo Alto and Stanford in the early years. She was apparently his favorite.

Frequently asked questions