So exactly how long will it be before various unions or transportation agencies start screaming that services like this will cost them jobs/income? Or are they operating it and just being paid by a different source.

Huzzah Mountain View!! Yes, I will be looking for opportunities to utilize this service and teach my children how to plan when using these types of services. Call me when the unions and/or transportation agencies start whining. This is a great direction our communities need to head towards. Looking towards the future requires looking outside the box of the status quo. I am thrilled and proud to say I live in such a place of innovation. Keep up the good work.

I would like to see a blown up map of the transit stops on the community shuttle bus. The map is just too small to read for my eyes anyway. Where can I get a full map?

That's 31 minutes of a warm dry seat for our homeless residents to enjoy free of charge. 70 mins on weekends and holidays! It will also make for a nice commuter van for the day workers to use on their morning commute to hang out on ECR near and across from Chili's waiting for work offers.

Step right up, come one, come all to the free ride 'round town.
Will it reduce traffic one bit?
Hmmmmm.....Uhh, didja hear the shuttles are electric?!

I for one hope a lot of people give these new services a try. I know I will.

@Lee Nelson: Try this map, you should be able to zoom in to enlarge the type: Web Link

@In 6 Months:

Let's dissect your post:

"That's 31 minutes of a warm dry seat for our homeless residents to enjoy free of charge. 70 mins on weekends and holidays!"

No, that's the frequency of stops. The buses run a loop route. Theoretically, someone who got on the first bus of the day could stay in their seat for eight hours.

"It will also make for a nice commuter van for the day workers to use on their morning commute to hang out on ECR near and across from Chili's waiting for work offers."

No, the shuttle service commences at 10am on weekdays, long after the morning commute. The shuttle does not travel on El Camino Real in this part of Mountain View.

"Step right up, come one, come all to the free ride 'round town.
Will it reduce traffic one bit?"

Well, every time there is one passenger aboard, it means that there is likely one less vehicle on the road. That's the whole point of mass transit. Go take a Tokyo subway during rush hour and count the number of passengers. Pretend each one could be in a car.

It also means that there is one less car looking for a parking space at the destination.

I would like to see Palo Alto and Mountain View coordinate their shuttles better. The city boundaries are constantly crossed by residents of each city. For example, Palo Alto residents will want to get to Kaiser on Castro and San Antonio Center, and Mountain View residents will want to get to PAMF. These city boundaries are only invisible lines and cities should not be operating like islands when it comes to transportation and traffic issues.

Let's dissect Jay park's Dissection:

"No, that's the frequency of stops. The buses run a loop route. Theoretically, someone who got on the first bus of the day could stay in their seat for eight hours."

Even better. All day shuttle shelter for the homeless. I can see single women and people with kids feeling totally comfortable riding the bum buss to go shopping.

"No, the shuttle service commences at 10am on weekdays, long after the morning commute. The shuttle does not travel on El Camino Real in this part of Mountain View."

Correct...IF our day laborers kept a regular schedule and had to be at the parking lot by a particular time then yes, they would miss that, but they don't and they can also take it home if no work is found.
The shuttle encircles San Antonio Center. True the stop is not right on ECR, but it does stop in the perfect area for them to access their "wait for work" area. It's just a walk across the parking lot.

"Well, every time there is one passenger aboard, it means that there is likely one less vehicle on the road. That's the whole point of mass transit."

There is the grand assumption. I feel the people who would normally take the VTA and those without cars or the ability to drive (aka seniors) will mostly be on the shuttles. That right there would disprove your assumption that every person on the shuttle likely means one less car. I think it will more likely mean one less person on the bus, bike or walking than one less car on the road.

The shuttle is a good community perk, a bonus for those of us without regular access to cars, but to think it will have ANY noticeable effect on traffic is a pipe dream.

@In 6 Months:

Back at you:

"Even better. All day shuttle shelter for the homeless. I can see single women and people with kids feeling totally comfortable riding the bum buss to go shopping."

Up to the shuttle bus operators to enforce sensible ridership behavior. There is nothing stopping an MV cop from boarding the bus either randomly or from a specific request by the driver.

"Correct...IF our day laborers kept a regular schedule and had to be at the parking lot by a particular time then yes, they would miss that, but they don't and they can also take it home if no work is found."

Well, then, the ones who get their earlier (prior to the shuttle service's 10am start) will have better options at work opportunities then.

"There is the grand assumption. I feel the people who would normally take the VTA and those without cars or the ability to drive (aka seniors) will mostly be on the shuttles. That right there would disprove your assumption that every person on the shuttle likely means one less car. I think it will more likely mean one less person on the bus, bike or walking than one less car on the road."

Well, we can only wait to see. The shuttle loop route does not duplicate VTA routes. If you want to go from shuttle bus stop A to shuttle bus stop B, you can do it via VTA, it requires at least one transfer, if not several. My hope is that this bus opens up a new group of bus users.

Clearly, Mountain View is not the very first town on the planet to have a community shuttle bus, there are studies that show that such a service can have a positive impact on traffic and parking.

Even though I have a car, sometimes I don't want to drive (deal with parking) or maybe I want a cocktail. I take Caltrain often to Palo Alto to meet buddies for a drink. This shuttle service now means I could meet buddies at one of the rests at San Antonio Center for happy hour, something I don't do now since I'm responsible enough not to drive, the VTA connections are poor and I'm not rich enough to Uber my way around town.

>Must be a USA Citizen to ride....

has the voice not figured out this guy doesn't need his posts to show up other than the "name?"

"Are there that many people going shopping at the Taco Bell on Shoreline? That's the only retail stop"

I think there MIGHT be some retail shopping opportunities in the San Antonio Center area.

And thank you Jay Park for reminding us about how drunks will use it to get home. Good to keep them of the roads, but again, another less than desirable passenger to share the ride with.
We'll see how this all pans out. Check back in 6 months.

@In 6 months, obviously you were not listening when your mother said "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

Day laborers using the shuttle to go to El Camino Real at 10am, haha, they're already lined up outside when the Day Worker Center opens at 7am Monday through Saturday.

Homeless families spending the day on the bus. Really?

Does all your negativity about a free community shuttle apply to the Marguerite as well?

I looked closely at the route map and it looks great! Goes to most all of my usual destinations, such as Castro Street and Target. I can't wait to try it and predict it will be a big success.

Free shuttles are cool. They won't make one dent in our traffic problem, but I like the idea of them. Of course there will be issues of not so nice passengers from time to time as is the issue with all public transit (FWIW, I was literally vomited on by a drunk once on the Marguerite, but I still take it from time to time when my car is in the shop.)
This is a good free option for those without cars or driver's lic's who need to get about.