"The Link was a lifesaver for many parts of the Palo Alto community," Ian Irwin told the City Council in September. He is in his 70s and has a daughter with a disability, and the two of them have used Palo Alto Link to get to doctor appointments, therapy and synagogue. The service ends Friday, October 30, 2026.
Nothing takes Link's place as a single service. Link was open to every resident, employee and visitor in Palo Alto. The new arrangement runs through the Palo Alto Transportation Management Association and Avenidas, and it is built "almost exclusively" around older adults, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. After Oct. 30, your options for getting across town depend on which program you qualify for. The fact that Link used to pick you up near your home won't matter anymore.
A $4 fare on a $26 trip
Link worked like a subsidized Lyft. Riders booked trips anywhere in its service zone on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fares started at $3.50 standard and $1 discounted. By this year they were $4 standard and $2 for seniors, people with disabilities, low-income riders and youth.
The city's March 2, 2026 staff report put the fully burdened cost at about $26 per trip. Fares covered less than 5% of operating expenses. So even a full-fare rider paid about one dollar in seven. Grants and partners covered the rest. VTA Measure B money paid for the launch on March 7, 2023. Stanford Research Park later covered 33% to 50% of monthly costs, and two Transportation Fund for Clean Air grants extended the pilot.
People used it heavily. Link completed 145,808 rides through January 31, 2026. Seniors made up 29% of the 45,830 riders recorded from July through December 2024. Midday trips commonly went to errands, doctor appointments and prescription pickups. Top destinations included Stanford Research Park, Stanford Health locations, Cubberley and Midtown shopping.
Why the bus map can't absorb those trips
The most telling number in the staff report comes from Via, the company that operated Link. Its analysis found that about 6% of Link trips could be replaced with existing transit. That held even though the report listed a long roster of routes running through Palo Alto: VTA 21, 22 and 522, several SamTrans lines, AC Transit's Dumbarton Express and ten Marguerite lines.
Staff explained the gap plainly. Many parts of the city aren't covered by those services, so many riders would have to give up trips, walk, bike, drive, or pay substantially more for Uber, Lyft or Waymo. Link took people from a side street to a pharmacy. Fixed routes take people from one corridor to another. Link's own history shows the same thing. The council launched it to replace the Palo Alto Shuttle, a fixed-route bus the city stopped running during the pandemic.
What the city actually saves
According to Palo Alto Online, the council voted in June to end the Via agreement, citing high costs. The county grant had run out, and the service needed a city subsidy of about $700,000 a year.
The net number is smaller than that headline figure. Staff projected gross savings of about $250,000 in fiscal year 2026-27 and about $700,000 a year after that. Ending Link also ends Stanford's cost-sharing for trips to the Research Park, worth $425,000 to $575,000 a year. After that loss, the net benefit falls to roughly $125,000 to $275,000 annually. Staff weighed it against the city's $14.9 million structural deficit. One grant was still in hand: the second TFCA award runs through June 2027. The staff report also pointed out that limiting Link to fewer eligible riders would cut trips but would not, on its own, lower costs. That finding helps explain why the council moved to separate programs.
The replacement money is modest by comparison. This summer the council added $100,000 to PATMA's budget, bringing the city's total contribution to $500,000. PATMA is passing $45,000 of that to Avenidas to hire another part-time driver.
Where each kind of trip goes after Oct. 30
Here is how the options line up, based on what each program has published.
| If you are... | Option | Cost | First step |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Palo Alto resident 65+ or with a disability | PATMA accessible rides | Free | Register online before you need a ride |
| A resident or worker below 80% of area median income who commutes by transit at least three days a week | PATMA transit pass | Free Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans or Dumbarton Express pass | Apply online |
| An older adult booking ahead | Avenidas Door to Door | $5 under 5 miles, $10 for 5.1 to 10 miles, as last published | Call 650-289-5411 or email [email protected] |
| Anyone heading to Stanford Research Park or the medical center | Stanford Marguerite | Free, open to the public | Check the line schedule |
| A rider with a disability | VTA Access or SamTrans Redi-Wheels paratransit | Ask the agency | Book VTA Access 24 hours ahead |
PATMA's free rides
PATMA's accessible-ride program covers medical visits, social activities, errands, visiting a spouse in care, work, volunteering and exercise. Applicants fill out an online form, and PATMA says it responds within one business day. Its homepage says you must enroll before calling for a ride. Avenidas can see the PATMA applicant list and help arrange door-to-door rides as needed. The city says these rides cover trips within Palo Alto and Stanford. PATMA's public page doesn't list hours, booking lead time, ride limits or vehicle types, so ask about all four when you enroll.
Avenidas Door to Door
A May 2026 listing describes Avenidas's regular program this way. Volunteer and staff drivers handle rides up to 10 miles, and longer trips are booked through Lyft at the Lyft fare plus a $5 service fee. Same-day requests cost an extra $5, and same-day cancellations cost $10. Service runs Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rides can be booked from 24 hours to five weeks ahead. Those terms are several months old. Confirm them by phone, and ask whether a PATMA referral changes the fare.
Marguerite and VTA
Stanford's Marguerite shuttles are free and open to the public. The main lines run on weekdays except university holidays, and the Shopping Express also runs Friday through Sunday. For trips that used to go by Link, these lines matter most:
- RP runs from the Palo Alto Transit Center to the Research Park.
- CAX connects California Avenue Caltrain to the Research Park.
- MC links the Transit Center with Hoover Pavilion and the medical center.
- 1050A runs from the Li Ka Shing Center to Porter Drive, Hillview Avenue and Arastradero Road.
- C serves Vi at Palo Alto, Stanford West and Escondido Village.
On VTA, Route 21 runs between Stanford Shopping Center and the Santa Clara Transit Center. Route 22 runs from the Palo Alto Transit Center to Eastridge, and Route 89 connects California Avenue Caltrain with the VA Hospital. Two of Link's busiest destinations, the Research Park and Stanford Health, have a free option on this list. Trips to Cubberley and Midtown shopping lean more on PATMA, Avenidas, or a bike or car.
The riders the new setup doesn't fully reach
PATMA's executive director, Justine Burt, called the new contract "an expansion of our mission." The organization launched in 2014 to cut solo-car commuting among local employees. "We're trying to help people stay connected to their community," she said. She also acknowledged gaps. Avenidas focuses on older adults, so younger residents with disabilities will likely need other options, and PATMA will steer some of them to VTA and SamTrans paratransit.
Resident Alex Van Riesen, whose child has special needs, called the voucher approach "not a like-for-like swap." He noted that Uber and Lyft can be unreliable and can't always take wheelchairs. In June, Councilmember Ed Lauing asked whether transit passes could stand in for Link on crosstown medical trips. Councilmember Pat Burt called PATMA's broader approach promising. Sources disagree on wheelchair access. A 2025 report described two ramp-equipped Avenidas vans, while a May 2026 listing says the program's vehicles aren't wheelchair accessible. If a ride depends on a ramp, ask before you book.
Riders who don't qualify by age, disability or income get the narrowest choices. For them, the remaining options are Marguerite where it runs, the regular bus network, or paying full price for a rideshare.
Before the last Link trip
- Write down the Link trips you or a parent takes in a typical week, with addresses and times.
- Check each trip against the Marguerite and VTA routes above, and mark the ones a free shuttle can handle.
- If you qualify, enroll with PATMA now. Enrollment has to happen before the first ride, and PATMA said it would send rider alerts in early October.
- Call Avenidas to confirm current fares, hours and vehicle access for any recurring medical appointment.
- For a rider with a disability who is under 65, start the VTA Access or Redi-Wheels application early, since VTA Access trips must be booked 24 hours ahead.
- Book Link for its remaining weekday trips through Oct. 30 at (650) 505-5772.
When you're planning a move or a downsize in Palo Alto, how you'll get to the pharmacy, the doctor and the Caltrain platform belongs in the plan, and after October 30 the answer depends more on the address than it used to. If you're weighing a move for yourself or a parent and want to talk through which parts of town keep everyday trips manageable, Christopher Mogensen is glad to help. Let's Connect.
