Best Time to Drive from Cupertino to San Mateo

Only 17% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.

About this drive

On weekdays the 28-mile drive from Cupertino to San Mateo (via I-280 North) usually takes as little as 26 minutes and up to 34 minutes, when leaving around 8:30 am on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 27 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (28 minutes).

About 26 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (3 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Cupertino to central San Mateo along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.

Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.

Questions

What is the best time to drive from Cupertino to San Mateo?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 26 minutes then, versus up to 34 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Cupertino to San Mateo?

The 28-mile drive usually takes 26 to 34 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 27 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Cupertino to San Mateo?

Leaving around 8:30 am on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 34 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-280 North in Bay Area (23 miles) · SR-92 East in Bay Area (3 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

San Mateo to Cupertino (return trip) · Cupertino to San Jose · Cupertino to San Francisco · Cupertino to Oakland · Cupertino to Stockton · Cupertino to Fremont · Cupertino to Modesto · Cupertino to Hayward · Cupertino to Salinas · Cupertino to Concord · Cupertino to Vallejo · Cupertino to Berkeley

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