Published: May 13, 2019

For those who are taking Caltrain to the Stanford Redwood City station, thank you for choosing a train commute! We understand that there have been concerns regarding capacity issues on several Commute.org morning shuttles. 

Why it’s happening:

The reason this is happening is because one of the morning shuttles intended for two Caltrain arrivals must wait five minutes before departing. A third train sometimes arrives during this waiting period, and passengers are attempting to board the full shuttle that is about to depart instead of catching the intended shuttle that arrives about five minutes later. 

We are providing an excerpt of our combined schedule table to highlight this issue and show which shuttles are experiencing the highest ridership. Currently, the trip that is consistently experiencing standing-room only is the 7:36 departure. 

How we are addressing it:

In the near term, we are offering supplemental Marguerite service during peak morning times as of Monday, May 13. We have added capacity for the 7:36, 8:11, 8:40, and 9:16 a.m. Commute.org service. Please note that the supplemental Marguerite service is set up only to provide additional capacity, not to fill in for Commute.org if they have schedule delays. 

We will continue to have Marguerite staff at the Redwood City Caltrain station on move-in days to help manage ridership and direct commuters to the appropriate shuttles. We also are working with Commute.org on potential improvements.

What to consider:

In the meantime, we hope these facts and tips will help improve the commute for you and your fellow riders:

• Standing-room only. While we prefer that all passengers are seated, even the peak main campus Marguerite buses sometimes experience standing-room only buses. The Commute.org shuttle is allowed to transport standing passengers at the discretion of the driver. If you are unable or prefer not to stand, please consider catching the next shuttle (combined schedule).
• Calibrate expectations. Ideally, the shuttle intended for specific arrivals will depart prior to the arrival of an additional train. However, if you find that the shuttle is full when you arrive, please check the combined schedule and see when the next shuttle will arrive, which may be just a few minutes.
• Rider courtesy.
  • Offer your seat to those who need it. For the elderly, disabled, and those unable to reach or grip the handholds, we encourage able-bodied passengers to offer their seats to them.
  • Help new SRWC commuters. As new SRWC commuters arrive on Mondays and Tuesdays, please be on the lookout to help them find the shuttle stop (map PDF).
• Please contact Stanford’s Marguerite team. For any issues with SRWC shuttles--whether with Commute.org or Marguerite buses--please contact our Marguerite team directly at marguerite@stanford.edu or 650.724.9339.

While we do not operate the Commute.org shuttle, we do apologize for the inconvenience caused by the timing of Commute.org departures and Caltrain arrivals. We hope that the supplemental service we are offering as of May 13 will help resolve this issue in the near term.

Please don’t hesitate to contact our Marguerite team if you have further concerns, questions, or suggestions: marguerite@stanford.edu or 650.724.9339.