The San Francisco – Silicon Valley Commute via Tech Shuttle Bus

What a beautiful and useful map of the tech shuttle routes from San Francisco to Silicon Valley by local design firm Stamen.

In real estate terms, the impact of these private bus lines shuttling the Bay Area’s tech workers from San Francisco to Silicon Valley is multi-faceted: 

Building community for those on the bus,

Increasing house values along the routes,

And decreasing traffic on the 101 and 280.

And it must be said, increasing discontent amongst those neighbors who preferred their sleepy, MUNI-free blocks to remain void of large, luxury vans and buses.

Many Silicon Valley companies offer private buses to help their workers reduce commute stress and increase productivity. For the purposes of the map, Stamen chose to track the big hitters: Apple, eBay, Electronic Arts, Yahoo, Google, & Facebook. But I know that Genentech‘s bus is a big draw, too. Just ask my friends and clients from our HGTV House Hunters episode. Living two blocks from their shuttle stop had huge appeal for these home buyers!

I work with a lot of folks from the tech industry and it’s not unusual for a client to bring me a map of their company’s bus stops because living within walking distance is a non-negotiable. This is true for listings too. Sellers will highlight the access of their home to the tech shuttle stops whether or not they use them personally.

The Google Bus (and the rest of the tech shuttles) get press. Some examples:

For the Google Bus and other SF to Silicon Valley tech shuttle buses:

• Noe Valley – Neighborhood of Choice for “Non-Suburban” Silicon Valley Professionals SFHotlist, February 21, 2012
  
• Yes, yes, Noe Valley, say eager S.F. home buyers San Francisco Chronicle, February 20, 2012

For The City From the Valley:

• Find a Private Shuttle Ride from SF to Silicon Valley on this Map
  KQED, September 27, 2012
• Where to catch the Google bus
  Per Square Mile, September 26, 2012
• Silcon Valley’s high-tech bus commuter lines visualized
  Boing Boing, September 25, 2012
• Shuttle buses taking over Silicon Valley, awesome visualization shows
  VentureBeat, September 24, 2012
• Mapping Silicon Valley’s Own Private “iWay”
  All Things D, September 22, 2012
• Tech, art intersect at Zero1 Biennial
  SF Gate, September 19, 2012
• Visualising the hidden networks of Silicon Valley
  New Scientist CultureLab, September 17, 2012
• With Seeking Silicon Valley, Zero1 Biennial Explores Tech-Fueled Art
  Wired, August 28, 2012

http://stamen.com/zero1/