America’s largest balloon parade expected to draw more than 100,000 people
San Diego – The Metropolitan Transit System will enhance service levels and offer riders mobile ticketing options to expedite the ticket purchasing process for the Holiday Bowl Parade and the Holiday Bowl. Both events are expected to draw large crowds and spectators are encouraged to travel early.
The Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl Parade steps off at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30. To get a good vantage point to see the parade, spectators should travel up to an hour before the parade begins. MTS will operate extra Green Line Trolley service between Mission Valley and downtown before the parade, between 8 and 10 a.m. After the parade, additional service will continue to operate as needed.
The National Funding Holiday Bowl kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and MTS will increase the number of Green Line trains that provide direct service to Qualcomm Stadium beginning at 2:30 p.m., running trains every 7 ½ minutes. During the game, Green Line trains will continue to depart the stadium every 15 minutes. After the game, extra Green Line service will be operating in both directions as needed. The last train toward Santee is scheduled to depart at 12:22 a.m. and the last train to downtown San Diego departs at 12:38 a.m.
To speed up boarding and avoid ticket vending machine lines, passengers can purchase and store their Trolley tickets right on their smartphones for both the Big Balloon Parade and Holiday Bowl by using mTicket. To avoid long boarding lines after the Holiday Bowl, passengers using mTicket will have access to an exclusive express line on the west side of the ramp that bypasses the general line. To download the app, visit www.sdmts.com/fares-passes/mobile-ticketing. Fans can also find the app by searching for “mTicket” in the App Store or on Google Play.
In addition to one-way paper tickets and day passes on Compass Cards, MTS has printed a limited quantity of commemorative Trolley passes for both the parade and the Holiday Bowl game. The $6 commemorative day passes are sold at select ticket booths along the Green Line. Commemorative day passes provide unlimited rides on all Trolley lines and most MTS bus routes.
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. MTS set a new record in FY 2015 with 96.7 million riders. For more information on how you can use public transportation and save money, go to www.sdmts.com.
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