Transportation

Transportation represents about 60% of Mountain View's community-wide greenhouse gas emissions, the largest slice of the pie and the area most difficult to address. Transportation also produces pollution that decreases air quality and increases health risks. You can help us reduce these environmental and health impacts by using public transit, driving low- or no-emission vehicles, or using active transportation such as bicycling or walking whenever possible.

Public Transit

Within the Bay Area, Mountain View is well located for public
transit, enabling residents, employees, and visitors to take advantage of local transit options such as trains, light rail, buses, and free community and employee shuttles. Provided by over 20 transit agencies, Bay Area public transit reaches most major destinations and event venues via a mix of modes, including trains, buses, streetcars, and ferries.

Walking and bicycling

Walking and bicycling benefits your health and the environment by producing no pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. Because of these benefits, the City is continually working to improve pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure within the community. More information on walking and bicycling in Mountain View can be found here.

Ride-Sharing and Car-Sharing

Services such as Uber, Lyft, and Zipcar offer an excellent way to get around quickly while leaving your car at home. Mobile applications make the process easy.

Other services such as Scoop or Waze Carpool allow you to be either a driver or a rider, and you are matched with people who have similar commutes. As a driver, you receive money for each carpool you complete. Many employers, such as the City of Mountain View, offer discounted Scoop rides for their employees to encourage carpooling.

Driving

If you must drive, using an all-electric, hybrid, or other
low-emission vehicle is the ideal choice. Mountain View offers electric vehicle charging at municipal facilities for public use. Carpooling and avoiding peak traffic times are other ways to reduce emissions from driving.

Plan Your Trip

Use 511.org to plan a trip using public transit, get information about driving or biking, and connect with others who want to carpool.

Public Electric Vehicle Chargers

The City has 43 public electric vehicle charging ports. These chargers are conveniently located at the Community Center, the Civic Center Garage, the California & Bryant Street Garage (850 California Street), and the 135 Bryant Street Garage. This brochure has information on how to use the new PowerFlex EV chargers, as well as answers to some FAQs. 

There are over 300 public charging stations in the Bay Area. Drivers can locate chargers and see real-time usage using Plugshare, ChargePoint, and other websites.

Electric Vehicle Action Plan

Finalized in December 2021, the Electric Vehicle Action Plan is a high-level plan identifying strategies, policies, and programs to support electric vehicle adoption and deployment of EV charging infrastructure. 

For more information about the City's transportation programs, submit a request to the Public Works Department through Ask Mountain View. Additional resources are available on our Resources for Residents and Resources for Businesses pages.

If you have any comments or questions about this page, please contact the Sustainability Program by emailing sustainability@mountainview.gov, or leave a comment on Collaborate Mountain View.