# Palo Alto Link — Transit in Palo Alto

> Affordable, eco-friendly, shared rideshare service for city transit. (iPhone/iPad app by Via Transportation, Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/palo-alto-link/id1663667568 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Via Transportation, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/657777018)
- Category: Travel, Navigation
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 391 App Store ratings · 20 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 134 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2023-03-02
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/palo-alto-link/id1663667568/reviews.md

## What is Palo Alto Link?

Palo Alto Link is the city’s easy, affordable, and eco-friendly service. We are a rideshare service that comes when you want, where you want — give us your pickup and dropoff addresses, and we’ll provide a few ride options. Choose the ride option that works best for you and get directions to a nearby intersection where a driver will pick you up.
 
How it works:
- Book a ride on your phone.
- Get picked up on a nearby corner.
- Share your ride with others 

What we’re about:

SHARED.
Our corner-to-corner algorithm matches people headed in the same direction. Aggregating people into one vehicle brings down prices and lowers CO2 emissions. Enough said. 

SUSTAINABLE.
Sharing rides reduces the number of vehicles on the roads, bringing down congestion and CO2 emissions. On top of this,  our vehicle fleet is a mix of hybrid and fully electric vehicles. With a couple of taps, you get to do your part to make your city a little bit greener and cleaner, every time you ride. 

Questions? Reach out at support-pal@ridewithvia.com. Loving your experience so far? Throw us a 5-star rating. You’ll have our eternal gratitude.

## Key features

- On-demand rideshare
- Corner-to-corner pickup
- Shared rides
- Eco-friendly vehicles
- Affordable pricing
- Mobile booking

## What do users think of Palo Alto Link?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 💰 Affordable rides
- 👍 Easy to use app
- ✅ Reliable service
- 🤝 Courteous drivers
- 📱 Shows driver location
- 💳 Accepts cash
- 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Good for kids/teens
- 💡 Great idea for affordable rides
- 💯 Great for seniors
- 🚀 Quick pickup times
- 👍 Intuitive app interface

**Cons**

- 🐛 Extremely buggy app
- ⏳ Inaccurate ETAs
- 🚶‍♂️ Drivers pick up others first
- 🔄 App freezes often
- 😩 Requires frequent app restarts
- ❌ Payment issues
- 🐌 Slow app performance
- ⏳ Extreme wait times
- ⏳ Long drive times
- 🚏 Corner-to-corner pickup/dropoff
- 🚎 Reroutes to bus stops unnecessarily
- ⏰ Missed trains/appointments
- 📍 Pickup locations seem random
- 🗺️ Map system takes longer routes
- 🚗 Driver sat idle
- 🚫 No-shows
- 😞 No customer service response
- 🚶‍♂️ Long walks to pickup/dropoff
- 🚏 Out of zone issues
- ❓ Confusing car decals

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App freezes and needs constant restarting
- Payment method failures
- Driver location updates are delayed
- Pickup locations randomly shift
- App randomly decides pickup location is out of zone
- App automatically plots routes to include bus stops regardless of destination

**Most requested features**

- Improve app stability
- Fix ETA inaccuracies
- Optimize routing
- Improve pickup/dropoff location accuracy
- Provide estimated arrival time beforehand
- Recommend closest pickup location
- Better integration with public transit
- Reduce unnecessary notifications

## Recent user reviews (10 of 20)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/palo-alto-link/id1663667568/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Unable to login to the app

*2026-06-10*

I am trying to login using a US phone number and I get an error message "We may be experiencing a technical issue..." I don't receive the code to login

### 1/5 — Never have the available car!

*2025-08-23*

As title

### 1/5 — terrible app

*2025-06-23*

great idea in hindsight, but 
incredibly buggy app I always have to close the app and reopen and close the app and reopen in order to book a ride. the estimated time of arrival is always inaccurate because the driver always goes to pick up other people. for example I wanted to get to work one day at 2:30 and the estimated time of arrival said 2:15, but I did not get to work until 2:45 (for what was supposed to be a 15 minute drive at MOST!) because the driver picked up so many people, and dropped them off FIRST! I don’t care that rides are cheap, I don’t care how many free rides they give out. it’s ridiculous that it’s so inaccurate and you do not know when you’re gonna get to your destination and a buggy app doesn’t help.

### 1/5 — Great Idea, Worst App

*2024-12-13*

It needs so much work on the development part:

Even though the idea is great and super useful to find a ride in the most affordable way in PA, the app is super slow or freeze almost all the time- I have to quit and reopen the app again and again (and again)  just to be able to book one ride.

Also, after the payment method I use failed one time due to a credit card issue (although later I updated it and it should be working) they didn’t process it for so many days that resulted in not being able to use the app at all.

### 5/5 — Great for seniors

*2024-12-02*

Excellent service all around

### 4/5 — App Freezes and Often Needs to Be Reset

*2024-10-01*

When I open the app and select one function, when I want to move to another function, it freezes and does nothing.

### 2/5 — Weird solution to public transit

*2024-09-19*

This service is better than nothing but the inconvenience of using it due to extreme wait times along with long drive times makes me wonder why this is seen as a better solution than just adding more buses and more routes

### 4/5 — Add 15 Minutes Extra—If Doing a Transit Transfer

*2024-07-09*

You can’t rely on the estimation final destination.

So that you do not miss your train or bus, you better allocate an extra 15 minutes from what’s posted on the app for time to final destination.

### 3/5 — For too many notifications

*2024-04-29*

They keep nagging me to take a ride, even when I am outside the pickup zone. I’ll take a ride when I have a reason to, not when the app tells me to.

### 5/5 — Gets you around Palo Alto affordably

*2024-02-07*

The service does what it says it does. Gives you a ride from Palo Alto to anywhere in Palo Alto during daytime hours. The driver was courteous and came within 7 minutes. App is modern and shows driver location when picking up. Note that they do not go door-to-door, but “corner to corner”, so I had to walk to the end of my street to pick up the ride and walk the half block to my final destination. not an issue for me, but may be for people with mobility limitations. cost about half as much as an Uber Wood. The driver said they also serve kids and teens. So this is a good option for kids needing to get across town that carry a smartphone.  They also accept cash.

## Frequently asked questions about Palo Alto Link

### What is Palo Alto Link?

Palo Alto Link is a city-sponsored rideshare service designed to be easy, affordable, and eco-friendly. It allows users to book rides through their phone, get picked up at nearby intersections, and share their journey with other passengers heading in the same direction.

### How does Palo Alto Link work?

To use the service, you book a ride via the app by providing your pickup and dropoff addresses. The app will then present you with ride options. Once you select a ride, you'll receive directions to a nearby corner for your pickup.

### Is Palo Alto Link free to use?

The app itself is free to download and use for booking rides. The service operates on a fare system for each ride taken, making it an affordable option for city transit. Specific pricing details are available within the app when booking.

### What makes Palo Alto Link eco-friendly?

The service promotes sustainability by aggregating passengers into shared vehicles, which reduces the number of cars on the road and lowers CO2 emissions. Additionally, the fleet consists of hybrid and fully electric vehicles, further contributing to a greener city.

### Who is the target audience for Palo Alto Link?

This service is ideal for anyone living in or visiting Palo Alto who needs a convenient and cost-effective way to get around. It's particularly suited for individuals looking to reduce their environmental impact while commuting or traveling within the city.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.29.1 — 2026-08-17

Performance improvements and bug fixes

### 4.27.16 — 2026-07-16

Performance improvements and bug fixes

### 4.27.1 — 2026-05-04

Performance improvements and bug fixes

### 4.26.12 — 2026-04-19

Performance improvements and bug fixes

### 4.26.10 — 2026-03-10

Performance improvements and bug fixes

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## More apps by Via Transportation, Inc.

- [Via — smarter mobility.](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/via-smarter-mobility/id657777015)
- [Via Driver](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/via-driver/id1121194508)
- [ArrivaClick - Powered by Via](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arrivaclick-powered-by-via/id1200453687)
- [Newcastle Transport On Demand](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newcastle-transport-on-demand/id1329380356)
- [Keoride NSW](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/keoride-nsw/id1351762596)
- [Shuttle - powered by Via](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shuttle-powered-by-via/id1409632394)

All apps by Via Transportation, Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/657777018

## Related topics

[palo alto link](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/palo-alto-link) · [palo alto library](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/palo-alto-library) · [paloalto](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/paloalto)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*