(Lucia Marquez-Uppman • The Student Life)
Let’s face it: Claremont, California isn’t necessarily the mecca of public transit. We’re located smack dab in the middle of the Pomona Valley and 35 miles from Los Angeles. The Inland Empire is a beautiful place in and of its own, but it can sometimes feel like we’re in the middle of a quiet, rural desert.
As first-year, my friends and I tend to grouse about not having cars. Over spring break, we took advantage of Zipcar — a vehicle reservation service that bills you by the hour or day — for trips to Huntington Beach and San Diego. Because Zipcar — unlike services like Uber or Lyft — enables you to drive and thus choose, alter and add your own destinations, it’s perfect for groups going on overnight trips or traveling long distances.
But what if you can’t drive?
There’s so much to see and do beyond Claremont, but not everyone knows that there are alternatives to expensive Ubers or dreaming about having your own car. I’m breaking down a few public transit options to keep in mind for your next trip.
Foothill Transit bus system (free):
Perfect for traveling short distances around Claremont and to neighboring cities such as Montclair and Pomona, Foothill Transit buses will bring you to essential locations such as Target or Trader Joe’s. They’re also rarely crowded, quite clean and surprisingly comfortable. Just don’t forget to signal ahead for your stop by pressing the yellow touch strip along the wall.
Buses come every half an hour. They’re not perfectly reliable and tend to run five to 15 minutes late, but all trips are completely free with a Foothill Transit Class Pass, which you can get at Connection in Honnold Mudd Library.
I take Line 188 (West: Azusa) each week to my hot yoga class. I’d recommend stopping by the adjacent strip mall for a coffee from Sanctuary Coffee or a fresh bouquet of flowers from Sprouts Farmers Market.
Metrolink rail system (free):
If you’re looking to travel westward into LA, taking the San Bernardino line from the Claremont Station will get you as far as Union Station, which is about an hour long trip. From Union Station, you’ll find yourself in the heart of downtown LA. You can either navigate by bus (Little Tokyo and Chinatown are close by) or transfer to other lines.
The Metrolink train is generally predictable (here’s the schedule for lines and stations) and all rides are free under the Student Adventure Pass (you need to verify with student ID through the app), which was just extended through June.
If you’re going to LA on a weekend, the train tends to be crowded and it can be hard to find a seat. However, it’s pretty clean and there are rarely delays.
“There’s so much to see and do beyond Claremont, but not everyone knows that there are alternatives to expensive Ubers or dreaming about having your own car.”
Amtrak Thruway connecting services ($5 one way):
I stumbled across the Amtrak connecting bus system before visiting friends at Caltech in Pasadena. Last semester, I spent a frustrating amount of money Ubering to and from Pasadena. This time, in my desperation to find a method of transportation that wouldn’t break the bank, I came across this handy bus route.
Although Claremont itself doesn’t have an Amtrak station, connecting buses stop here on the way to cities such as Ontario and La Crescenta. I took Route 19, which connects San Bernardino and Bakersfield. I don’t know why you’d want to go to Bakersfield, but this bus ride is extremely cost-effective, rounding out at only $10 round trip. Route 19 leaves from Claremont Station twice every day.
Along the way, the bus stops in downtown Pasadena and Riverside. I tend to get pretty anxious about navigating unfamiliar public transit alone, but I felt very safe traveling on my own. The bus wasn’t super crowded, the seats were comfortable and the transit time was equal to an Uber ride.
I’m not here to simply wax poetic about SoCal public transit. As you can probably guess, the above options aren’t perfectly reliable and won’t get you everywhere. However, they’re incredibly useful for those of us who don’t have a car and need to get around, whether we’re picking up essentials from Target or spending a day in LA.
Next time you’re planning a trip off-campus, try looking beyond rideshare apps and embrace the possibility of public transit.
Despite living in one of the most urban sprawl-ish places of all, there are many ways to get around.
Michelle Zhang PO ’27 is from the Bay Area. She’s a proud lefty and considers people-watching a hobby.
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