Stanford Marguerite Shuttle

One of Stanford's Marguerite buses (BYD electric bus)

Marguerite is the free shuttle service Stanford University offers to its students, faculty, staff, and the general public to get around campus or from campus to some off-campus locations such as the San Antonio Shopping Center, VA Palo Alto Hospital, Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC), Stanford Shopping Center, or the Palo Alto Transit Center. It started small in 1976 with the intent of cutting car traffic on campus; parking fees were started at the same time. In 1989 the university wanted to expand but had to agree not to increase automobile traffic on campus at all to get planning permission from the county; among other methods it expanded the shuttle from commute hours only to all-day and increased the number of routes. In the next 10 years ridership went from 700/day to 3,500/day.[1] In 2005 the number had risen to 4,800/day.[2] By 2013 the estimated number of passengers was 2.3 million/year (about 6,300/day).[3] Marguerite has also acquired hybrid and all-electric buses (total fleet as of June 2015 was 79 buses of which 13 were all-electric and 5 were hybrid).[3]

The Marguerite shuttle is named for the four horse bus also called Marguerite run by Jasper Paulsen in the earliest days of the university; it initially cost 10 cents for students, 15 cents for others though the fare was later raised to 25 cents for everyone.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ Transit Systems in College and University Communities. Transportation Research Board. 2008. p. 23. ISBN 9780309098205.
  2. ↑ "Transportation Demand Management (TDM)". Cities21. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Electric Buses at Stanford" (PDF). California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC). June 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  4. ↑ ""Marguerite" Rides Again" (PDF). Stanford Historical Society Newsletter. 1 (2): 8. Autumn 1976. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Last Hostler Closes Up Shop; Gas vs. Hay Ends in Knockout". The Stanford Daily (62.65). 22 January 1923.
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