Week 18: The Orange Line

Week 18: April 30-May 6, 2023

California's greatness is mainly why the cost of living here is so high. You'd think, with the insanely high cost of living, that the public transportation would be better. One of America's (many) downfalls is the lack of efficient, affordable, organized public transportation. I'm not even asking for the coveted high speed rail that we all so desperately want, I'm talking about even just transit buses and subways meant for everyday use.

While the Metropolitan Transit System, or MTS, in San Diego needs major improvement, I was pleasantly surprised at my experience taking it for the first time from my current apartment. The last time I was on San Diego's version of BART, AKA the trolley, my friends and I were still in our early years of college. SDSU students would flock to the trolley every Saturday during football season to tailgate and watch the game.

This time, I wasn't going to a football game, but I was still on my way to watch little groups of men in uniforms chase after a ball. This time it was a baseball. Going to Padres baseball games is nothing new for me, but taking the Orange Line trolley from my apartment to Downtown San Diego is!

The brief walk across the street to the trolley station included some gorgeous flowers in bloom.

Light Purple flowers right outside my building

Some vibrant flowers near the trolley

Thankfully, the building I live in lies directly next to a trolley station with both the Orange Line and Green Line trains passing through.

Here is a map of the trolley lines:

MTS Trolley Map

I made sure to download the new, (and vividly purple!) MTS fare app, Pronto, and check departure times before I left.

The very bright MTS Pronto App

I had the choice of either the Green Line or the Orange Line. Taking the Green Line meant a tedious hour-long journey, as there are more stops along that route between my apartment and downtown. The Orange Line, miraculously and against all odds or preconceived ideas about American public transit, would take me just 30 minutes to get downtown. This was incredible, as the normal driving time without traffic is about 20 minutes but can go up to 45+ if its rush hour. And if you drive, then you've got to worry about, find, and pay for parking. No, thank you!

The no-turnstile station

I left at 3:57pm and arrived at the 12th and Imperial stop in Downtown San Diego at 4:35pm. The ride itself was pretty uneventful, which is probably a good thing, since most events on public transportation can be... questionable. See: riding BART throughout middle and high school and having many stories. Thankfully, though, San Diego's trolley is more affordable than BART. Its also way more affordable than a $30-$50 Uber ride. A day pass for the trolley is only $6. Most regular fares are $2.50. Sometimes, there aren't even any turnstiles at stations. They sometimes do not even check if you paid for your trolley ride (don't worry, my Pronto App was ready and loaded with $20).

The trolley schedule stops running at midnight every day. I was fine riding alone during the day, but I would not take the trolley alone at night for safety reasons, obviously.

Overall, I felt safe on the trolley and loved overhearing a pair of sisters on their way home from school. The older sister was probably in high school and the younger one was maybe around 8 or 9. They were debating which of their family members would receive a detailed drawing of a rainbow done by the younger one. If I had a vote, I would've told her to give it to their mom for Mothers' Day.

The level of cleanliness of the trolley was nicer than BART used to be before they upgraded the trains and seat material. Overall, it was a very nice experience and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I got to downtown. I will definitely continue to use the trolley when I can and look forward to exploring more (and not worrying about pollution or parking!).

See you next week.