A new Sunnyvale rideshare shuttle will make it easier to get around the city’s Peery Park area.
The on-demand transportation service functions much like other rideshare apps, such as Uber and Lyft. By downloading the app, those in the service area can hail one of three Chrysler Voyagers — five-passenger minivans provided by Zia — to get dropped off at one of nine locations throughout the Peery Park commercial district.
“We kind of wanted to refresh the district … to promote that area and attract businesses to the area, and it is working,” said Jennifer Garnett, the city’s public information officer.
A $1.12 million Valley Transit Authority (VTA) grant, along with $400,000 in community benefit fund money—money developers pay to the city to offset project impacts—fund the program. Then, the council funneled an additional $100,000 worth of community benefit fund money into the program to make it free.
The two-year pilot program, which launched in February, was originally supposed to kick off in 2020, but the pandemic derailed it.
In 2016, the council adopted the Peery Park specific plan, which aimed to reduce driving in the area.
The city designed Peery Park Rides to assist with “first and last mile connectivity,” Garnett said.
“If we can get people out of their cars and into some shuttles, that would be great,” she said.
The shuttle helps employees working in Peery Park get to and from the Caltrain Station and shopping and dining. The service area also includes nearby residential neighborhoods. The city hopes area residents can use the shuttle and help create demand for the service during off-peak commute hours.
The city requires Peery Park property owners to be part of the transportation management association (TMA). Property owners pay money into the association, whose goal is to manage traffic. Once the pilot ends, TMA members will determine whether to keep it or pursue other means to reduce traffic.
A dashboard allows the city to track use. Since its launch, Garnett said the program has been well-used and there is a lot of public excitement around it.
Fair Oaks Avenue, US 101, El Camino Real and the Mountain View border bound the area. Peery Park Rides operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Users can book through the app — available on the App Store and Google Play — or by calling (408) 539-6196.
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
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