Going to the WestCoast for the first time, what's the bus system like in LA? (Los Angeles: to rent, transfer to)

[El_Mero_Mero]

Hello,

I will be in Cali for anywhere from 3 days to 1 week. I know it is extremely short, but I would like to move around a little while there. As a New Yorker, my stereotype is that everyone drives everywhere, but surely you guys must have a decent enough bus system, right?

[Griff323]

if you can part with the cash i'd definitely recommend renting a car...traffic is not nearly as bad as people think...sure people walk in L.A. but you want to see Los Angeles and you can't do that on a bus...L.A. is an easy/fun city to get lost in...it is architecture run rampant...there is so much to see and you'll only be here for around five days...good luck...

[Chava61]

Check LA Metro Home for information about L.A. bus and rail services.

[JohnG72]

Rent a car. The bus takes forever to get anywhere.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by El_Mero_Mero

Hello,

I will be in Cali for anywhere from 3 days to 1 week. I know it is extremely short, but I would like to move around a little while there. As a New Yorker, my stereotype is that everyone drives everywhere, but surely you guys must have a decent enough bus system, right?

Don't listen to them - they probably haven't even been on the bus before.

The biggest step for most in LA is actually getting onto the bus - from there you will find out that LA has the best or second best bus service in the nation (It absolutely destroys Boston's service, the last city I lived in).

Most lines run 24/7 and major arterial roads have Night Owl service that runs about once an hour all night. The major buses (Sunset Blvd 2 bus and Santa Monica Blvd 4 bus are the two I have been on late) are consistently full or half full even at 2 AM on weekend nights, so no need to worry about being alone on a bus with Jack the Ripper.

Plus we actually do have a subway here in LA that runs from Downtown LA to Hollywood out to Universal City (Studios), and serves many of the major destination points.

If you are willing to bus yourself around then do not rent a car. For those that are nervous about the bus then renting a car is probably what you should do in LA, but there is no reason for someone from NYC to be nervous about LA's buses.

On the metro site - go to http://socaltransport.org/tm_pub_start.php and then on the top left hand corner you will see a link to "Next Trip" - which is a real-time update of when your next bus is coming - I've used this program before and it has worked to a "T" for me.

[BRinSM]

i've used the bus system. it pretty much covers the entire city, but the city is huge so getting from point A to B can take a long time and often requires a transfer or two. you can access many of the major sites in the city with only a few different bus lines, but service can be infrequent and transfers can really eat up a lot of time. i used to take the bus to work from the beach to century city. it was a 45-60 minute affair with one transfer to and from the office. i decided to get a scooter and cut my commute down to 15-20 minutes. a car would have put me in the 30 minute range.

having said that, the bus is an option, but personal transit is much more convenient here. for me personally, i can get places faster on a bicycle than on the bus.

[apollyoncruiser]

Griff323 and JohnG72 say to rent a car and I agree. You're on vacation! Why waste time and limit yourself to bus routes and destinations? If you had lots of time I would say sure to the bus but you have a week at most it seems. Think of all the options open to you to visit if all you'd have to do is hop in the car and go?

If you can, rent the car. Take the bus to a couple of places but do the majority of your exploring LA via the car.

[Mike121]

I'd start off seeing the places that are well served by transit and where parking sucks, which are all near the city center. Places like downtown, Hollywood, and then maybe Pasadena, Koreatown, and even Boyle Heights if you want to do the Mexican food thing.

When you are done with that, I'd rent a car to see the farther places: Venice Beach, the Getty, Santa Monica, etc. The beach and the westside are not as well served by the bus systems.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by apollyoncruiser

Griff323 and JohnG72 say to rent a car and I agree. You're on vacation! Why waste time and limit yourself to bus routes and destinations? If you had lots of time I would say sure to the bus but you have a week at most it seems. Think of all the options open to you to visit if all you'd have to do is hop in the car and go?

If you can, rent the car. Take the bus to a couple of places but do the majority of your exploring LA via the car.

Well considering the person specifically asked about the buses, they are probably willing to use them.

If the OP is referring to LA as "greater LA" then yes, rent a car, because you can't take a bus to Disneyland or Six Flags or Knotts Berry Farm. Many people make this mistake and that is why they think LA is so gigantic (not that it isn't huge, but 90 percent of tourist attractions in LA are within a small area).

If they are going to go to Venice, Hollywood, Downtown, Miracle Mile, etc. I don't see why a car is necessary, just seems like a waste of money.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by Mike121

I'd start off seeing the places that are well served by transit and where parking sucks, which are all near the city center. Places like downtown, Hollywood, and then maybe Pasadena, Koreatown, and even Boyle Heights if you want to do the Mexican food thing.

When you are done with that, I'd rent a car to see the farther places: Venice Beach, the Getty, Santa Monica, etc. The beach and the westside are not as well served by the bus systems.

This is good advice. I forgot about the Getty. Though on a busy weekend it might be smarter to take a bus, a few weeks ago I drove up there with my dad and waited in line for an hour just to park. It would have been just about as fast to take the bus.