Valley-bound tech geeks are the new rock stars, commuting to work first class in curious coach buses with blacked-out windows. The Google shuttle to the Mountain View headquarters grew out of a personal project orchestrated by a single employee. The only sign that it’s Google-bound is in the window: GBUS to MTV.
More than 60 percent of the
bus commuters polled say they stop at local
businesses on their way to
or from their shuttle stop. (Source: San Francisco County
Transportation Authority Strategic
Analysis Report, 2009)
Daily riders: 3,500
Daily one-way trips from
across the Bay Area to HQ
in Mountain View: 7,000
Daily departures
between 6 and 9 a.m. across
25 routes in SF, East Bay, South Bay, Marin,
and the Peninsula: 300
Metric tons of Co2
saved annually: *5,400
Fewer commuter cars
on the road annually: *2,000
Passenger car miles saved: 14,000,000
Cost of a round-trip ride
from SF to Mountain View on a
52-passenger bus from private
charter company
Bauer’s Transportation: $1,383
*When combined with GFleet, Google’s free employee car- share program used for driving to appointments and running errands during the workday.