Menlo Park’s free midday shuttle was temporarily suspended at the end of August due to staffing problems with the shuttle operator, according to Menlo Park staff.
The city contracts with MV Transportation, which has had staffing problems since October 2017, city staff said. Many drivers are leaving for similar jobs, leaving few backup drivers to cover shifts. As a result, random service disruptions have resulted — the midday shuttle was canceled about once a week in July and August.
Compared with other shuttle routes in San Mateo County, average daily ridership was on the lower side of the spectrum on the Menlo Park routes, so city staff and Caltrain agreed to suspend the midday shuttle, which had an average daily ridership of six passengers.
Service on the city’s M2 Belle Haven route and M3 Marsh Road route — which report average daily riderships of 59 and 92 passengers, respectively — has also been inconsistent as of August, and service frequency has been scaled back.
According to staff, the service will return when the “driver-staffing levels are stable” as a shuttle combining the Belle Haven and midday routes that will connect Sharon Heights, Stanford Medical Center, Stanford Shopping Center, downtown Palo Alto, downtown Menlo Park, the Menlo Park Library and Belle Haven. The shuttle will operate between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The city provides an alternative service, its free “Shoppers’ Shuttle” that transports people from door to door in Menlo Park and Redwood City, but it requires a reservation at least a day in advance. It runs from Menlo Park to Redwood City between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and at the same time Wednesdays and Saturdays around Menlo Park, giving riders about two hours at their destination. Make reservations for the shuttle on Tuesday by calling 650-330-2286, Wednesday by calling 650-330-2288, and Saturday by calling 650-330-2289.
Go to is.gd/map346 to access a map of the city’s shuttle lines.
— By Kate Bradshaw
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