Comprehensive Shuttle Study

  • Project typeTraffic and Transportation
M4-Willow-Shuttle-at-MP-Caltrain.jpg

The City of Menlo Park is currently conducting a study to analyze how to better connect the community to transit, jobs, shopping, and other destinations while maximizing ridership and cost-efficiencies. 

The Project Team and the City developed a comprehensive Community Engagement Plan including surveys, meetings, Technical Advisory Committee meetings and more. This input was compiled with research on ridership trends and projections to develop two Initial Scenarios  (see more under "Initial Service Scenarios" below). Input on the Scenarios led to development of the Preferred Service Plan. The Preferred Service Plan was developed to operate with existing financial resources, but to better align existing service with demographic and travel changes in Menlo Park. In the medium-term, the service improvements identified in the Future Service Plan are recommended if additional financial resources can be identified. A Reduced Service Plan is also provided if funding reductions or cost increases require a reduction in service. Under all three Service Plans, a TNC/Rideshare Program would be offered to Seniors.

The project is partially funded by a grant from the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program.

Service Recommendations

The Project Team recently presented the service recommendations at virtual public webinar on Oct. 15. View the recording and presentation(PDF, 4MB).

Provide feedback

The Service Recommendations are summarized below and can also be viewed in the presentation(PDF, 9MB).

Preferred Service Plan

Preferred Service Plan

  • Service is focused on locations that generate ridership (Belle Haven, Downtown, Stanford Shopping Center, and Stanford Medical Center)
  • 30-minute frequency commuter shuttle, with more direct routing to reduce travel times, replaces Willow and Marsh Shuttles
  • Coordination with electrified Caltrain schedule
  • Midday Hourly service with an East and West Shuttle between Caltrain and Belle Haven and Caltrain and Sharon Heights and Stanford Medical Center to replace the Crosstown Shuttle
  • Timed connection at Caltrain for the Midday shuttle

Benefits

  • More frequent peak service to Belle Haven, the Bayfront, and Stanford Medical Center
  • Faster service to Caltrain for Belle Haven and Sharon Heights
  • Direct Service on Santa Cruz Ave Corridor
  • Subsidized TNC/rideshare service is available to more residents

Disadvantages

  • Longer travel times for commuters
  • Revised routing may require a longer walk to access stops

Preferred-service-plan-recommendation

Reduced Service Plan

Reduced Service Plan

  • Service is focused on locations that generate ridership (Belle Haven, Downtown, Stanford Shopping Center, and Stanford Medical Center) at the expense of more coverage
  • Midday hourly service with an East and West Shuttle between Caltrain and Belle Haven and Caltrain and Sharon Heights to replace the Crosstown Shuttle
  • 45-minute frequency commuter shuttle, with more direct routing to reduce travel times, replaces Willow and Marsh Shuttles
  • TNC/rideshare replaces Shoppers Shuttle for residents over 65 years old
  • TNC/rideshare wouldn’t be wheelchair accessible, has an estimated fare of $4

Benefits

  • More frequent peak service to Belle Haven, the Bayfront, and Stanford Medical Center
  • Faster service to Caltrain for Belle Haven and Sharon Heights
  • Subsidized TNC/rideshare service is available to more residents

Disadvantages

  • No Midday service to Stanford Medical Center
  • Reduced frequency compared to the Preferred Service Option
  • Longer travel times for commuters
  • Revised routing may require a longer walk to access stops

Reduced-service-plan-recommendation

Future (2031) Service Plan

Future Service Plan

  • Based on Preferred Service Plan
  • Expanded service to new development on the bayfront including Willow Village, and developments on Independence and Constitution Drive
  • Commuter and midday shuttles are rerouted to better serve Willow Village
  • Midday Shuttle is extended to serve north bayfront developments on Constitution/Independence Drive

Benefits

  • More frequent peak service to Belle Haven, the Bayfront, and Stanford Medical Center
  • Expanded service to new developments on the Bayfront including Willow Village
  • Faster service to Caltrain for Belle Haven and Sharon Heights
  • Subsidized TNC/rideshare service is available to more residents

Disadvantages

  • Longer travel times for commuters
  • Revised routing may require a longer walk to access stops

Future-plan-recommendation

TNC/Rideshare Program

TNC/Rideshare Program

TNC/Rideshare fills the transportation gap for Menlo Park Seniors and Disabled. Riders would request a ride through a smartphone app or by phone. This program is available under all three service plans.

  • TNC/rideshare replaces Shoppers Shuttle for residents over 65 years old
  • Service fills the need for Medical Transportation
  • Service would extend to surrounding communities for registered users
  • Proposed Fare of $4, City covers the remaining ride cost up to $20. Rider is responsible for a cost above $24.

Program Recommendations

  • The ability to schedule trips via concierge program
  • Trip limits based on available funding
  • Open to all trip purposes for registered users
  • Development of a fare subsidy program for low-income users

TNC-Rideshare-program

Other Recommendations

Transit Providers

SamTrans
Proposed enhancements to SamTrans service include extending existing service from Belle Haven into new development areas to the north. These changes would improve access to SamTrans service from the new developments north of Belle Haven.

Recommendations

  • Extend Route 281 to Marsh Rd via Belle Haven
  • Extend Ride Plus Service Area to Marsh Road
  • Modify EPX Routing to include Constitution Drive

Business Community
Businesses adjacent to the shuttle service should work with the City to improve the waiting environment for shuttle users; these improvements could include shelters, benches, signage, and other investments that make the shuttle more attractive to users.

Recommendations

  • Improved transit waiting environment
  • Dedicated mobility/commute manager for the Bayfront Area

City of Menlo Park
Invest in transit infrastructure to improve service reliability in areas with high congestion. Investments could include bus lanes, transit signal priority, and queue jumps. The City should focus on partnering with community organizations to establish a mobility management program for residents to connect residents to transportation resources within the community and help fill mobility gaps in the City.

Recommendations

  • Improved marketing to increase program awareness, engagement, and visibility
  • Investments in transit-priority infrastructure
  • Mobility management program

 

 

Initial Service Scenarios

Maps and highlights of the proposed service scenarios are listed below. Arecordingis also available explaining the scenarios. Following public feedback in early 2024, elements from each scenario will be used to create final service recommendations.

Scenario A

2024-01-Shuttle-Study-Scenario-A.jpg

Highlights of Scenario A

  • Replaces Crosstown and Shoppers Shuttles with microtransit service split between east and west zones.
  •  Replaces Willow and Marsh Shuttles with a consolidated Commuter Shuttle that runs every 40 minutes.
  •  More direct routing for the Commuter Shuttle to reduce travel times.
  •  More frequent commuter service to the Bayfront and Bell Haven during peak hours.
  •  Microtransit fares are estimated to be $3 per trip, with reduced fares for youth and older adults

 

Scenario B 

2024-01-Shuttle-Study-Scenario-B-v2.jpg

Highlights of Scenario B

  • Service is focused on locations that generate ridership at the expense of more coverage.
  •  Replaces Crosstown Shuttle with Midday Shuttle between Belle Haven and Stanford Medical Center.
  •  TNC/rideshare replaces Shoppers Shuttle for service within Menlo Park and to Redwood City and parts of Palo Alto.
  •  30-minute frequency Commuter Shuttle, with more direct routing to reduce travel times, replaces Willow and Marsh Shuttles.
  •  Reduced shuttle service to Central Menlo Park and Sharon Heights.
  •  TNC/rideshare would not be wheelchair-accessible.
  •  TNC/rideshare service estimated fare of $4, or higher for longer-distance trips

Community Outreach

Past events

  • An online survey about current shuttle use was conducted in late fall 2023
  • Fall 2023 Pop-up Event #1
    • Downtown Farmers Market
    • Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
  • Fall 2023 Pop-up Event #2
    • Belle Haven School, on Hamilton Avenue near Chilco Street
    • Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 from 2:45 PM to 4:45 PM
  • Fall 2023 Virtual Kick-Off Meeting
  • An online survey about proposed service scenarios was conducted in winter 2024
  • Winter 2024 Pop-up Event #1
    • Downtown Farmers Market
    • Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
  • Winter 2024 Pop-up Event #2

    • Mi Tierra Linda Market
    • Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
  • Winter 2024 Pop-up Event #3
    • Little House Activity Center
    • Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
  • Winter 2024 Pop-up Event #4
    • Arrillaga Recreation Center (Sequoia Room)
    • Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
  • Virtual public webinar held by the Project Team

Project Background

The City of Menlo Park has provided free shuttles between Caltrain and the Marsh Road and Willow Road business parks since 1989. The Marsh and Willow Shuttles provide a "last-mile" connection to encourage commuters to take transit instead of driving and complement transit services in San Mateo County provided by SamTrans, Caltrain, and the Dumbarton Express. In the late 1990s, the City began offering free community shuttles including the Crosstown Shuttle, a scheduled service with a set timetable and route, and the Shoppers’ Shuttle, a door-to-door service providing access around Menlo Park and selected parts of Palo Alto, Redwood City. All shuttle vehicles have bicycle racks and are wheelchair-accessible to promote mobility for all.

Challenges to the shuttle system in recent years include more private companies providing shuttles for employees, greater use of transportation network companies (e.g. Uber, Lyft), changing travel patterns in general, the COVID-19 pandemic, and work-from-home policies.

The goal of this comprehensive shuttle study is to serve existing and future riders' needs, while identify options to deliver transportation services more efficiently. The shuttle study will propose service improvements based on changes in how residents and commuters use the shuttles and future changes such as the many new residences under construction in the Bayfront area. Recommendations for improving the shuttle system may include modifying current routes and schedules, adding frequencies, using of smaller vehicles, and delivering on-demand service instead of fixed route service to provide greater service coverage and flexibility.

Contact us

Kristiann Choy
Senior Transportation Engineer
Email

650-330-6772