Need to get around in Palo Alto? Catch a ride in free, on-demand Teslas | March 17, 2023 | Almanac | Almanac Online |

Almanac

News - March 17, 2023

Need to get around in Palo Alto? Catch a ride in free, on-demand Teslas

New city shuttle service, Palo Alto Link, is offering free rides in for its first month

by Grace Doerfler

Palo Alto's new shuttle system, Palo Alto Link, launched its pilot program Tuesday, March 7, with a small fleet of Teslas moving through the city.

On weekdays between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., residents and visitors to the city can travel with ease within the city's limits through this new on-demand ride service. The shuttle replaces the pre-pandemic Palo Alto Shuttle program, which functioned like a bus route, with a fixed schedule and designated stops.

Now, riders can request transit through the Palo Alto Link app, which has an interface similar to that of Uber and other rideshare apps, or by calling 650-505-5772. Each ride costs $3.50, with discounted $1 rides available for students, seniors, disabled and low-income users. The city will also offer weekly and monthly passes for frequent users at $20 and $65, respectively. The passes allow up to four rides a day.

For the first month of operation, until April 7, all rides through the program are free.

Nine cars are now circulating through Palo Alto, including, upon request, vans that are wheelchair-accessible and can accommodate bicycles. According to the city's Palo Alto Link website, pickup locations will usually be within a block of the requester's location; however, people with disabilities can be taken from door to door.

I tried out the service on launch day for this news organization. Downloading the app and setting up a profile is straightforward — users need an email address and a credit card number, or they can give exact change to the driver. Then, it's easy to enter a destination and be matched with a driver. The app offers options for pickup at a few different times so that riders can choose to depart in either five or 15 minutes, for example.

I booked a couple of drives around Palo Alto to experience the shuttle service, hoping I might meet some other passengers along the way. Within minutes of requesting a ride, a sleek, clean car pulled up and I was on my way. Aside from the city logo on the side of the car, it felt no different than commuting via a different ride-hailing app.

The driver, polite and friendly, said he'd had a few other rides that morning along the city's main arteries. There had been some confusion about the shuttle's limits, he said: He had to turn down one rider who wanted to travel to Sunnyvale, which is outside Palo Alto Link's boundaries.

But the nine vehicles on the roads seemed more than adequate to meet demand on day one. After a couple of quiet rides around the city, I asked if I could remain seated in the backseat while the driver responded to other requests. He shrugged. He didn't mind in theory, but there was no one to pick up. In the middle of a Tuesday, few people besides curious reporters seemed to be driving demand for the new shuttle service.

Nathan Baird, the city's transportation manager, who oversees Palo Alto Link, said Palo Alto intends to share data about the ride program on a monthly basis. He said that on the shuttle service's first day, his office fielded calls about how the program works and how residents can start using it. For now, it's too early to say what locations and times of day are most popular among the app's users.

While the shuttle service catches on, I'm thinking that now might be the moment to enjoy an efficient, peaceful and free Tesla ride for my next errand. It's as luxurious as any Uber or Lyft — and quite a bit less expensive.

The Palo Alto Link program will continue on a pilot basis for the next 18 months.

For more information about Palo Alto Link, visit cityofpaloalto.org.

Email Intern Grace Doerfler at [email protected]

Comments

There are no comments yet for this post

Post a comment

In order to encourage respectful and thoughtful discussion, commenting on stories is available to those who are registered users. If you are already a registered user and the commenting form is not below, you need to log in. If you are not registered, you can do so here.

Please make sure your comments are truthful, on-topic and do not disrespect another poster. Don't be snarky or belittling. All postings are subject to our TERMS OF USE, and may be deleted if deemed inappropriate by our staff.

See our announcement about requiring registration for commenting.

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from Almanac Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.