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Palo Alto council weighs future of Palo Alto Link as grant funding winds down
Summary
City staff told council the Palo Alto Link on‑demand pilot serves about 100–300 trips daily but costs roughly $26 per trip; grant funds and Stanford Research Park contributions have sustained it through June 2026. Council directed staff to explore targeted voucher options, grant opportunities and partner funding while leaving wind‑down by June 30, 2026, as the default absent new money.
Palo Alto’s transportation staff presented the council on March 2 with a stark financial picture for the Palo Alto Link on‑demand transit pilot: the service averages about $26 per trip, fare revenue covers roughly 5% of operating costs, and key grant funding is winding down.
“We serve about 100 to 300 trips per day and roughly 60,000 riders annually,” Transportation Planning Manager Nate Baird told the council, and he said the city has used competitive grants and a local cost share from Stanford Research Park to extend the pilot. Staff said roughly $456,000 in TFCA (Transportation for Clean Air) funds remain available to carry the pilot into the coming fiscal year, but those are finite and not expected to last indefinitely.
Why it matters: council members and the public framed the decision as one of…
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