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Stanford
Transportation

62% Sustainable Commuting

Thanks to our sustainable commute programs, the drive-alone rate for commuting students, faculty, and staff went from 67% in 2003 to 38% in 2024.

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Stanford and the General Use Permit

Stanford’s transportation sustainability programs are guided by the No Net New Commute Trips standard, ensuring campus growth without adding peak-hour car traffic. By combining transportation demand management, robust on-campus services, and expanded on-campus housing, we make daily life possible without the need for a car. This approach reduces emissions and improves public health, helps recruit and retain talent with more commuting options, and avoids the costly expansion of parking.

"The concept behind No Net New Commute Trips is that the added population should create no additional transportation impact in the commute direction during commute times."
— Stanford Community Plan

Campus Commuters Who Drive Alone Graph

Highlights:

  • Obtained 38% drive-alone commuting
  • 10% of commuters use Caltrain
  • 19% of commuters via bicycle
  • ~2Million annual Marguerite Shuttle riders
  • ~25,000 Clipper cards in distribution

The 2000 General Use Permit Condition of Approval G.7 outlines the process for establishing the baseline counts and for continuing monitoring in subsequent years. The process can be summarized as follows:

Peak-hour traffic is counted at least three times per year, with each count lasting for two weeks. The three counts are averaged to determine the annual traffic level.

All counts are recorded at the 16 campus entry and exit points forming a cordon around the campus.

License plate numbers are recorded for each entering and exiting vehicle to determine the amount of non-campus “cut-through” traffic. Cut through traffic is subtracted from the cordon volumes.

Cordon volumes are adjusted to account for use of parking lots within the cordon by hospital-related traffic (these hospital-related volumes are subtracted from the cordon line counts) and use of parking lots outside the cordon by the university campus-related traffic (these volumes are added to the cordon line counts).

A peak hour is then established for the campus based on the counts, adjusted for cut-through and hospital trips.

ANNUAL PEAK HOUR COMMUTE TRIP COUNT RESULTS WITH CREDITS FOR OFF-CAMPUS TRIP REDUCTIONS (2001 - 2024)
AM Peak Hour Commute Trip Graph

Annual A.M. peak-hour commute trip counts remain at or below the baseline cap set by the 2000 General Use Permit.

PM Peak Hour Commute Trip Graph

Annual P.M. peak-hour commute trip counts remain at or below the baseline cap set by the 2000 General Use Permit.

Stanford has long promoted alternative commuting, with paid commuter parking in place since 1975. Following the 2000 General Use Permit, the organization expanded and enhanced its programs, continuing our commitment to No Net New Commute Trips as our community grows.

STANFORD’S TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM TIMELINE

Stanford Transportation Program Timeline