MTS is excited to officially launch a new PRONTO card program that celebrates the various communities of San Diego, focusing on the people, partners, and cultures that make our transit system and region thrive.
Program Overview
The concept for the PRONTO Community Celebration Program began in the summer of 2023, when we launched a pilot for our first community-focused PRONTO cards celebrating longtime partner the San Diego Padres, as well as the San Diego Pride Parade and Festival. The overwhelming demand for these first two cards from riders and community members opened the door for more future cards.
In 2024, we created a card for Comic-Con (which results in our biggest ridership days of the year!), and later that year officially formalized the Community Celebration Program. With this program, MTS is partnering with local organizations and/or artists to commission custom art that reflects the events and communities that make our region so vibrant.
Our hope is that these cards allow our riders, and non-riders alike, to get excited about transit, build more support for transit, and celebrate the communities that make San Diego what it is – America’s finest.
Upcoming Commissioned Artwork
Keep an eye out for these limited-edition PRONTO cards:
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (2025) - Partnering with Pacific Arts Movement and Artist Koy Sun
- San Diego Pride Parade and Festival (2025) - Partnering with San Diego Pride
- San Diego FC (2025) - Partnering with San Diego Football Club
- Hispanic Heritage Month (2025) - Partnering with Artist Mr. B Baby
- Black History Month (2026) - Partnership TBA
Newest Commemorative PRONTO Card
Celebrating San Diego’s Communities, One PRONTO Card at a Time
We’re kicking off Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with a brand new commemorative PRONTO card! This design is part of our Community Celebration Program, where we team up with local artists to create PRONTO cards that highlight the communities that make San Diego special.
A Local Artist’s Letter to Community and Culture
For this year’s AAPI Heritage Month card, we partnered with Pacific Arts Movement (Pac Arts) to select an artist from San Diego’s local Asian American and Pacific Islander community. These collaborations aren’t just about cool designs— they help connect transit riders to the vibrant cultures that shape the communities MTS serves.
This year’s featured artist is Koy Sun, a Thai American lettering artist and illustrator. His work tells rich cultural stories, earning him a dedicated following both online and in the local art scene.
His design for the PRONTO card? A nostalgic scene many in the AAPI community will recognize—kids riding the Trolley, happily bringing home groceries from their favorite Asian markets. Look closely and you’ll spot some iconic staples: halo-halo, Three Ladies Jasmine Rice and Laoganma chili oil, to name a few.
“This piece is a tribute to the incredible grocery stores we have in San Diego,” Koy Sun shares. “For so many of us, places like Vien Dong, Seafood City, Sin Lee Food, 99 Ranch Market, H-Mart and Mitsuwa aren’t just where we grab ingredients—they’re cultural hubs. They’re where families stock up for Lunar New Year, where elders plan bus trips and where we all find a taste of home.”
Koy Sun also reflected on his own experience growing up in a small South Carolina town, where the Spring 2025 Newsletter nearest Asian grocery store was an hour away.
“It’s a blessing to live in a city where cultural roots run deep—where you don’t have to rely on a single ‘ethnic aisle’ at Ralph’s to find the ingredients that make home feel like home.”
Where to Get AAPI Commemorative PRONTO Cards
The limited-edition cards will be available for $2 each at:
- Ticket machines:
- UTC Transit Center (available in the west/southbound ticket machine)
- UC San Diego Central Campus (available in both ground floor ticket machines)
- Balboa Avenue (available in ticket machines on the east/northbound track, center of platform)
- Fashion Valley (available in ticket machines at the top of the west staircase)
- 8th Street (available in the west/northbound ticket machine)
- 24th Street (available in the west/northbound ticket machine)
- The Transit Store: Available May 1 – 31
- By phone via PRONTO Support at (619) 595-5636 (must have valid credit or debit card to order by phone)