Taxis and airport shuttles

Visitors from big cities often expect to step out of a restaurant and wave down a cab. In Palo Alto that rarely works. The town is too small and too spread out for taxis to cruise. Most people who do not drive use Caltrain, Uber, Lyft or Waymo's driverless cars. The shared airport vans that used to run up and down the Peninsula are gone too.

What remains is a mix of metered taxis that you book ahead, prebooked car services, free shuttles and a few airport bus links. This page covers each one. Ride apps and robotaxis have their own guide: see robotaxis, rideshare and taxis.

Taxis in town

Taxis do operate in Palo Alto, but you need to call for one. Do not count on finding a cab waiting at the Caltrain station or on University Avenue. A few practical points:

• Book ahead for early flights. A call the night before is safer than a call at 4:30 a.m.
• Ask for the fare basis. Taxis run on the meter. For long trips, such as Palo Alto to SFO, ask the dispatcher for an estimate before you agree.
• Accessible vehicles are limited. San Jose airport lists Checker Cab of Silicon Valley and Yellow Cab among its taxi providers with wheelchair accessible vehicles on request.
• Pay by card. Most taxis take cards, but confirm when you book.

For most short hops around town, a ride app is cheaper and faster than a taxi. Taxis earn their keep at the airports and for riders who prefer not to use apps.

Taxis at the airports

Each airport runs its own taxi stands. These were the rules on the airport sites in October 2026.

Most of Palo Alto lies roughly 17 to 20 miles from SFO as the crow flies, so the 150 percent rule can apply. Agree on the fare basis with the driver before you leave the curb. SFO requires drivers to accept fares to all Bay Area destinations. SFO's taxi page and SJC's taxi page carry the current rules.

San Jose is usually the cheaper airport by taxi. At SJC's posted rates a 15 mile trip comes to roughly $70 before waiting time and tip. From Oakland the trip crosses the Dumbarton or San Mateo Bridge. The westbound bridge toll gets added to the fare. Our bridges and tolls page explains the 2026 and 2027 rates.

Airport shuttles and shared vans

Shared ride vans that collected several passengers and dropped them at their doors were once the standard airport run on the Peninsula. Do not plan on one now. SFO's scheduled airporters serve Marin, Sonoma and Monterey counties, not the mid-Peninsula. The free hotel courtesy shuttles at SFO only reach hotels near the airport, in towns such as Millbrae, Burlingame, San Bruno and South San Francisco. They are useful if you land late and want to sleep near SFO before heading south in the morning.

Oakland airport lists taxis and door to door shuttle companies on its Taxis, Limos, Shuttles and More page. Check whether a company serves the Peninsula before you book, since the run across the bay is long.

Public transit links that act like shuttles

• VTA Route 60 runs free between San Jose airport and the Santa Clara Transit Center, where you change to Caltrain north to Palo Alto. Our SJC guide has the details.
• BART runs from SFO to Millbrae, where Caltrain continues south. See our SFO guide.
• SamTrans Route 397 is a limited overnight bus from San Francisco through SFO to the Palo Alto Transit Center, for flights that land after the trains stop.
• The Dumbarton Express runs weekdays from Union City BART across the bay to Palo Alto and Stanford, a link for Oakland airport arrivals. The cash fare is $6.50.

Prebooked car services

A prebooked transfer fills the gap the shared vans left. A driver tracks your flight, meets you in the arrivals hall with a sign and drives you to your door at a price fixed in advance. It costs more than a rideshare, but it removes surge pricing, garage hunts and the scramble for a pickup zone after a long flight. Business travelers and families with luggage tend to like it most.

You can book a meet and greet airport pickup online before you fly. When comparing offers, check that the price includes tolls, waiting time for delayed flights and any parking fees. For groups, ask about vehicle size and child seats, which California requires for young children.

Limousine and black car companies also serve the area for weddings, events and corporate travel. Book these well ahead for Stanford commencement in June and other big campus weekends, when local demand spikes.

The Marguerite and other free shuttles

Stanford's Marguerite is the shuttle most visitors use. It is free, open to everyone and needs no ID. Buses are wheelchair accessible and carry bike racks. The main lines run Monday to Friday and skip university holidays. They start at the Palo Alto Transit Center next to the Caltrain station and fan out across campus, to the medical center, Stanford Research Park and Sand Hill Road. The Shopping Express also runs Friday afternoons and evenings and on weekends, linking the transit center and campus with San Antonio Shopping Center. Our Marguerite guide lists each line.

Hotel shuttles, as hotels describe them

Few Palo Alto hotels run shuttles. We only list what hotels publish themselves:

• Stanford Guest House runs a complimentary shuttle to select locations for its guests and points them to the Marguerite.
• The Ameswell Hotel in Mountain View says it does not run a free airport shuttle and lists cabs, Uber and Lyft and private shuttles instead.
• Residence Inn Palo Alto Los Altos does not run an airport shuttle.
• Hampton Inn and Suites Mountain View does not offer one, according to Hilton.

Other hotels, including the large El Camino Real properties, do not advertise airport shuttles on their sites. Ask when you book. For hospital visitors, our page on hotels near Stanford Hospital covers the patient shuttle options.

Which option to choose

Driving yourself for the rest of the trip? Picking up a car at the airport can be cheaper than two long taxi rides. You can compare airport rental cars or read our car rental guide.

Rides for seniors and riders with disabilities

The city's own on-demand shuttle, Palo Alto Link, ended on October 30, 2026. In its place the city points qualifying seniors, people with disabilities and low-income residents and workers to free accessible rides and transit passes through the Palo Alto Transportation Management Association. Avenidas offers rides within Palo Alto and Stanford to residents 65 and older and people with disabilities. VTA ACCESS and SamTrans Redi-Wheels provide paratransit for riders who cannot use regular buses. Our accessible travel guide explains how to sign up.

Frequently asked questions