Robotaxis, rideshare and taxis in Palo Alto

In Palo Alto you can summon a car with nobody in the driver's seat. Waymo's white electric cars, topped with sensor domes, are now a normal sight on University Avenue and El Camino Real. They share the road with Uber and Lyft drivers and a small number of taxis. For a city this compact, ride services fill the gaps that Caltrain and the buses leave, especially at night and on weekends.

This guide explains how each option works, where they pick up at the airports and what changed now that the city's own on-demand shuttle has ended. For trains and buses, see our overview of getting around Palo Alto.

Waymo in Palo Alto

Waymo, the self-driving company that grew out of Google's car project in Mountain View, runs a fully driverless ride service in the Bay Area. Palo Alto joined its service area in 2025. In November 2025 Waymo said it was extending service across the whole Peninsula from San Francisco down to San Jose. It also added curbside pickups at San Jose airport. Its Bay Area rides page still describes the area that way.

How a ride works

1. Download the Waymo app and set up an account with a payment card.
2. Enter your destination. The app shows the price, the pickup spot and how long the car will take to arrive.
3. When the car pulls up, unlock it with the app. Up to four passengers can ride.
4. Buckle up and tap Start Ride on the screen. The passenger display shows the route as the car drives.
5. At the end, check the seats for your belongings and close the door. Payment happens in the app.

The car picks the exact stopping point. In busy spots it may ask you to walk a short way to a safe curb. If you need help mid-ride, the screen and app connect you with Waymo's rider support team.

Where it goes

The Peninsula service area covers Palo Alto's main districts, from downtown and California Avenue to south Palo Alto. Edges matter, though. The Stanford campus, the foothills west of Interstate 280 and parks such as Foothills Nature Preserve may fall outside the boundary or have limited pickup points. The service map in the app is the only reliable guide, so check it before you plan a trip around Waymo.

Freeways

Waymo announced in November 2025 that it was opening freeway trips to a growing number of public riders in the Bay Area. Freeway access makes airport runs and trips down US 101 much quicker. Not every account or route gets freeway driving yet. The app decides the route.

Uber and Lyft

Uber and Lyft both operate throughout Palo Alto and the rest of the Bay Area. Drivers are usually only a few minutes away downtown, near Stanford and along El Camino Real. Waits can stretch late at night in quiet residential areas or up in the hills.

A few local tips:

• Pick a clear curb. University Avenue downtown is narrow and busy. Side streets such as Ramona or Bryant are easier for drivers to stop on.
• Shopping centers have zones. Stanford Shopping Center has a marked rideshare pickup and drop-off area. See our Stanford Shopping Center guide.
• Game days and graduation. Expect surge pricing and road closures around Stanford Stadium. Caltrain is often the better choice for big events.
• Late nights. After a show or a night at the bars on University Avenue, a ride app is the simplest way home. Caltrain's last trains leave earlier than many visitors expect.

Wingz, a prebooked ride service, also works the Bay Area airports. Tesla appears on San Jose airport's list of permitted app-based ride providers as well. For Tesla's long Palo Alto story, see our page on Tesla in Palo Alto.

Airport pickup rules

Each airport sends ride services to set zones. Here is where to go, as listed on the airport websites in October 2026.

Wait until you have your bags and are walking to the zone before you request a car. At SFO, uniformed coordinators staff the zones from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Drop-offs at all three airports go to the departures curbs. Our airport guides explain the transit alternatives in detail: from SFO, from San Jose and from Oakland.

If you would rather not deal with apps after a long flight, a driver can meet you inside the terminal for a fixed price. You can book a meet and greet pickup or compare private transfer quotes before you travel.

Taxis

Palo Alto is not a street-hail taxi town. You will rarely see an empty cab cruising downtown. Taxis are most useful at the airports, where they wait at stands and run on the meter.

• SFO: taxis load at the center islands on the Arrivals level. Fares include a $6.00 exit surcharge. SFO also allows 150 percent of the meter for destinations more than 15 miles beyond San Francisco or the airport.
• SJC: taxis load at Terminal A Stop 2 and Terminal B Stop 1. In October 2026 the airport listed $15.00 for the first mile, $4.00 per additional mile and $1.00 per minute of waiting.

For a ride from Palo Alto, call a taxi company in advance. San Jose airport lists Checker Cab of Silicon Valley and Yellow Cab among its providers, both with wheelchair accessible vehicles on request. For a fixed price arranged online, you can also book an airport taxi in advance.

Accessible rides

Ride apps vary in how well they serve riders with disabilities. Uber and Lyft both offer options for wheelchair accessible vehicles in some markets, but availability on the Peninsula can be thin, so allow extra time. SFO lets wheelchair accessible rideshare vehicles pick up at the domestic terminal curb rather than in the garage. SJC says its taxi companies carry folding wheelchairs at no extra charge and offer accessible vans with advance notice.

Waymo works with groups such as LightHouse for the Blind and The Arc on rider access. We could not confirm wheelchair accessible Waymo vehicles in the Bay Area, so check with Waymo directly if you need one. For regular trips, paratransit is usually the dependable choice. Our accessible travel guide covers VTA ACCESS and other programs.

What replaced Palo Alto Link

The city's on-demand shuttle, Palo Alto Link, stopped running on October 30, 2026. It had offered shared rides around most of the city on weekdays. The city now points seniors, people with disabilities and low-income residents and workers to free rides and transit passes through the Palo Alto Transportation Management Association and to rides from Avenidas. Our guide to buses and shuttles has the details.

Frequently asked questions