San Diego – The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) will be increasing service to accommodate the large crowds at Comic-Con from Wednesday, July 17 through Sunday, July 21. The agency is also partnering with Lyft to provide attendees with ride discounts for easier access to and from Trolley stations.
“Last year, MTS carried an additional 380,000 trips just for Comic-Con and sometimes it feels like another dimension of passengers out there,” said MTS CEO Paul Jablonski. “So we are transforming the Convention Center Station to join the fun and remind riders that MTS is the best portal to bring them to the Comic-Con experience.”
The Portal to Comic-Con - Trolley and Bus Service Schedules:
Sycuan Green Line - Trolleys depart all stations between SDCCU Stadium and the Convention Center/Gaslamp Quarter every 7 minutes most of the day Wednesday - Sunday.
Orange and UC San Diego Blue Lines – Trolleys will depart all stations every 15 minutes or better most of the day Thursday – Sunday
Trains will run more frequently (every 7 minutes) during peak commute times on the UC San Diego Blue Line
Late Night Service - The last trains on all three Trolley lines will depart downtown San Diego after midnight Thursday – Saturday
Comic-Con Stations – The Sycuan Green Line’s Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter Trolley Stations provide direct access to all the activities and action. UC San Diego Blue Line and Orange Line passengers can transfer to the Sycuan Green Line at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center.
All the details – Expanded Comic-Con Trolley service details can be found on MTS’ Comic-Con webpage. Comic-Con attendees can use the MTS Trip Planner function or OneBusAway app to find the transit trip that works best.
Get a Lyft to the Upside Down at Comic-Con
To help Comic-Con attendees get to and from MTS transit centers, Lyft is offering MTS passengers with a 20% discount off two rides with a maximum discount of $3.00 per ride, for trips that arrive or depart from MTS transit centers between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. from Wednesday through Sunday. The promotion is designed to allow people to leave their cars at home during Comic-Con, get a ride to transit and then reverse the trip to get back home after the fun. Passengers should enter the code ComicConMTS and the discount is applied if they are picked up or dropped off at a transit center.
Portal Parking:
Free Park & Rides – Getting to the Upside Down world of Comic-Con offers doesn’t need to involve high-priced parking and congested streets! With extra traffic expected due to the closure of Harbor Drive again this year, fans are encouraged to use thousands of free parking spots available throughout the MTS system. Stations with a high capacity of free parking available include:
Stadium Station (Sycuan Green): 5,000 free parking spots
Morena/Linda Vista (Sycuan Green): 200 free parking spots
El Cajon Transit Center (Sycuan Green/Orange): 469 free parking spots
Massachusetts Avenue Station (Orange): 241 free parking spots
Palm Avenue Station (UC San Diego Blue): 499 free parking spots
Bayfront/E Street Station (UC San Diego Blue): 267 free parking spots
Hazard Center (Sycuan Green – Sat and Sun only): 1,500 free parking spots
MTS also has 22 bus routes with stops in the downtown area including Rapid 215 (SDSU – downtown) and Rapid 235 (Escondido – downtown). Rapid 215 runs every 10-15 minutes most of the day with stops along the mid-city corridor. Rapid 235 runs every 15 minutes most of the day with stops along the I-15 corridor.
Purchasing the Portal Fares
Compass Cloud - Attendees can purchase and store transit fares on their smart phones at any time prior to arriving at transit stations by using Compass Cloud, MTS’s free mobile ticketing app. One-, two-, three-, four- and five-day passes are available for $5, $9, $13, $16 and $20 respectively. Multiple passes can be purchased and stored on one phone, making it easy for family and friends traveling together. To purchase special event Comic-Con passes, select the ‘Special Event’ service, then select the preferred pass type (special event passes are only valid consecutive days within the duration of Comic-Con, July 17 – 21).
Commemorative Portal Pass
Commemorative Passes - MTS has commemorative Comic-Con Day Passes available for purchase at select Sycuan Green Line ticket booths or at the MTS Transit Store at the 12th & Imperial Transit Center. The five-, four-, three-, and two-day limited edition transit passes feature different Comic-Con inspired designs.
MTS operates 95 bus routes and three Trolley lines on 53 miles of double-tracked railway. Every weekday more than 300,000 passenger trips are taken on MTS bus and Trolley services in 10 cities and the county. In FY 2018, MTS served more than 86 million riders. For more information on how you can use public transportation and save money, go to www.sdmts.com.
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