Transportation Initiatives

Free shuttle:

The Marguerite bus system provides free transit to the Stanford community and the public. Thirty-nine buses with 15 routes take riders to campus locations, regional transit systems, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, and local shopping and entertainment destinations.

Cleaner vehicles:

All 39 Marguerite buses run on five percent biodiesel, and two diesel-electric hybrid buses are joining the fleet in Fall2009. Nearly one-third of Stanford’s 1,021 fleet vehicles are electric, 10 are hybrids, and one is an experimental solar vehicle. Other efforts to operate a cleaner fleet include replacing larger buses on midday routes with smaller, more fuel-efficient buses and offering hybrid vehicles in the car-sharing program.

Commuter incentives:

Employees and students who get to work by means other than driving alone can earn cash payments through the Commute Club program. Employees who carpool or vanpool get free parking passes and reserved spaces; vanpools get $200 monthly subsidies. Stanford also offers $50 to those who refer friends to the Commute Club, and prize drawings for those who pledge to commute during off-peak hours or use alternative transportation at least part-time. Clean Air Cash for Commute Club members can be used by students, staff, and faculty to offset transit, bicycle, or other expenses, but is not limited to commute expenses, and prize drawings for those who pledge to commute during off-peak hours or use alternative transportation at least part-time. Stanford’s Commute Buddy program provides experienced transit or bike commuters to accompany and/or advise new commuters when they first try an alternative commute.

Free transit passes:

Eligible employees can get free passes for Caltrain and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority bus, express bus and light-rail system, and the Dumbarton Express east bay bus service. Students, staff, and faculty can ride for free on transbay express bus service on AC Transit’s Line U “Stanford Express," a service initiated and partially funded by Stanford.

Bike-friendly campus:

Stanford received the Bicycle Friendly Community Gold Level designation from the League of American Bicyclists (2008—2011). Stanford’s bicycle program provides bike and clothes lockers, access to shower facilities, a free bike light with bicycle registration for new students, free bike use for visiting alumni, extensive bicycle infrastructure (including a central campus cyclist and pedestrian zone) free bike safety classes and other programs and policies that make biking safer and more convenient.

Car-sharing:

Employees and students get discounted rates on the Zipcar car-sharing service, with seven locations and sixteen vehicles on campus, and two locations off campus at Porter Drive and Redwood City. Half of the cars are Toyota Prius hybrids. Employees and students are also able to take advantage of ridesharing opportunities through the Stanford 511 Ridematching Service and Zimride. In 2009, Stanford was the first university to offer an integrated car sharing and ridesharing program through Zipcar and Zimride.

Facilities Operations "green fleet" plan:

The Facilities Operations department is taking steps to green its fleet. A motor pool launched in 2008 provides three electric vehicles for the administrative group to use on campus; 27 electric cart parking and charging stalls and seven electric service vehicles were added in 2008; and more electric service vehicles, as well as two hybrid courtesy vehicles for fleet garage customers, are arriving in 2009.

Clean transportation policies:

Stanford prohibits freshmen from bringing cars to campus, provides alternative transportation information at new employee orientation, and assesses fees on new campus development and parking to help fund alternative transportation programs. To ensure continued progress, we have a campus-wide peak trip–reduction task force and a full-time staff dedicated to alternative transportation assistance, promotion, and peak-hour trip reduction.

“If we are to leave our children a better world, we must take steps now to create a sustainable environment. So it is critical that we model sustainable citizenship on our own campus.”
— John Etchemendy
Provost, Stanford University
The Energy Retrofit Program has delivered an estimated cumulative savings of over 240 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since it began in 1993—and prevented 72,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
Stanford is developing global solutions to climate change and putting them into practice on campus.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.
Systems retrofits to the most energy-intensive buildings on campus are expected to save $4.2 million a year and cut energy use by 28 percent.
About 40 percent of Stanford Dining produce is organic or regionally grown; some is even grown on campus.
About 60 percent of Stanford’s total contiguous land remains undeveloped.
Recycled paper is less expensive than virgin paper under the campus-wide office supply contract.
From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of Stanford employees driving alone to campus dropped from 72 to 51 percent.
Stanford diverted 64 percent of its solid waste from landfills in 2008—more than 14,500 tons.
Stanford completed 50 major water efficiency retrofit projects from 2001 through 2008, pushing down average domestic use from 2.7 million gallons per day (mgd) in 2000-01 to less than 2.3 mgd in 2007-08, despite campus growth.
The goal of Sustainable IT is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our IT infrastructure.
The goal of Sustainable IT is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our IT infrastructure.
Stanford invests IN sustainability through a broad range of initiatives in research, education, efficiency improvement, conservation systems, new technology, student-led projects and more.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.
Systems retrofits to the most energy-intensive buildings on campus are expected to save $4.2 million a year and cut energy use by 28 percent.
About 40 percent of Stanford Dining produce is organic or regionally grown; some is even grown on campus.
From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of Stanford employees driving alone to campus dropped from 72 to 51 percent.
Stanford diverted 64 percent of its solid waste from landfills in 2008—more than 14,500 tons.
Stanford diverted 64 percent of its solid waste from landfills in 2008—more than 14,500 tons.
The Energy Retrofit Program has delivered an estimated cumulative savings of over 240 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since it began in 1993—and prevented 72,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
Stanford completed 50 major water efficiency retrofit projects from 2001 through 2008, pushing down average domestic use from 2.7 million gallons per day (mgd) in 2000-01 to less than 2.3 mgd in 2007-08, despite campus growth.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Stanford Ride Matching

The Parking & Transportation Services website has complete program information as well as current promotions. Direct links to programs are below.

Car sharing

Carpools

Clean Air Cash

Marguerite bus system

Transit passes: Peninsula and East Bay

Vanpools

Download the Transportation fact sheet.