SLAC Today logo

C'mon and Take a Free Ride (on the Marguerite)

Some traditions never die—they just change form. Since the days of its construction in the 1880s, Stanford has been providing the university community with free transportation—first by horse and buggy, and later by electric streetcar.

These days, of course, the tradition carries on in the form of the free Marguerite shuttle. The Marguerite—named after a horse that is said to have belonged to the Stanford family—is open to Stanford users and the general public, providing transportation both on and around campus.

Two Marguerite routes serve SLAC. The regular SLAC shuttle runs to and from Hoover Tower on the Stanford campus, arriving at each stop along the route every 40 minutes. This shuttle operates weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., with the earliest arrival at SLAC at 7:48 a.m. and the last departure from SLAC at 8:30 p.m. The route includes three stops at SLAC: near the rear of the Kavli Building on Loop Road, in Parking Lot E, and in front of the Guest House.

The second route, served by the SLAC employee shuttle, runs between SLAC and the Palo Alto Caltrain depot. This shuttle operates weekday mornings from 6:27 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and weekday evenings from 3:10 p.m. to 5:05 p.m. Within SLAC, the shuttle makes four stops: on Loop Road opposite Gate 17, in front of the computing building, near the west side of the fire station on Loop Road, and in front of the A&E building.

More detailed schedules for these and other shuttle routes are available on the Marguerite website. The site also includes a route map, a service calendar, and a real-time display of shuttle locations.

All Marguerite shuttles are wheelchair accessible and equipped to carry bikes. On the Stanford campus, shuttle stops are clearly marked by official red and white Marguerite signs. At SLAC, however, only the Guest House and fire station stops are marked (the latter with a large brown sign). New riders can ask shuttle drivers to help identify the unmarked stops or simply keep an eye out for the red and white shuttle emblazoned with the Stanford "S" on the side.

After hopping on board, simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

Those interested in riding the Marguerite in conjunction with other public transportation options can find information on Muni, Samtrans, VTA, BART, DB Express and Caltrain discount passes here.

—Jennifer Yauck
    SLAC Today, November 9, 2006

Above image: Click on image to view a real-time map of the shuttle's location.