San Diego: By Trolley

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By Trolley

The bright-orange trolleys of the San Diego Trolley light rail system serve downtown San Diego, Mission Valley, Old Town, South Bay, the U.S. border, and East County. The trolleys operate seven days a week from about 5 AM to midnight, depending on the station, at intervals of about 15 minutes. The trolley system connects with San Diego Transit bus routes -- bus connections are posted at each trolley station. Bicycle lockers are available at most. Trolleys can get crowded during morning and evening rush hours. On-time performance is excellent.

Fares & Schedules

San Diego Trolley tickets are priced according to the number of stations traveled, beginning at $1.25 for travel within the downtown area and rising to $1.50 for one station, $1.75 for two stations, and up to $3 for 20 stations. Within the downtown area, tickets are good for two hours of unlimited travel in any direction from the time of purchase. Beyond the downtown area they are good for two hours, but for one-way travel only. Round-trip tickets are double the one-way fare. Tickets are dispensed from self-service ticket machines at each stop; exact fare in coins is recommended, although some machines accept bills in $1, $5, $10, and $20 denominations. Transfers between buses and/or the trolley are free or require an upgrade if the second fare is higher.

Day Tripper passes, available for one, two, three, or four days ($5, $9, $12, and $15, respectively), give unlimited rides on regional buses and the San Diego Trolley. They may be purchased from most trolley vending machines, at the Transit Store, and at some hotels.

Trolley Information

San Diego Transit (619/233-3004; 619/234-5005 TTY and TDD. www.sdcommute.com) for city transit and San Diego Trolley.