California Institute of Technology
- Transportation

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California Institute of Technology - Transportation - Transportation - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.69

Transportation

Quick Stats

Best Ways to Get Around Town
  • Bike
  • Buses are inconvenient and not very efficient.
  • Car
  • Walk
Best Ways to Get to the Airport
  • LA Xpress Shuttle (800) 427-7483
  • Prime Time Shuttle (800) 733-8267
  • Super Shuttle (800) BLUE-VAN (258-3826)

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

If you decide to come to Caltech, be sure to bring your walking shoes. Pasadena and the Los Angeles area as a whole are not very big on public transportation. There are buses, Amtrak, and taxis, but none of them are useful for day-to-day grocery trips. Using your own personal car or bike is the best way to get around Pasadena. Of course, not everyone has a car, so friends with cars are advantageous. Caltech is conveniently situated close to grocery, pharmacy, and coffee shops. Students are often seen walking around with grocery bags, and they are known to bike back with backpacks full of food. Caltech is very small, and a walk from one end of the campus to the other takes about 15 minutes. There are bike racks all over campus for those in a hurry or those who dislike walking. Students also use skateboards or rollerblades to get around campus. Since Pasadena has such beautiful weather, walking, biking, and skating are viable modes of transportation 95 percent of the time. Getting around outside of Pasadena is more of a challenge. Since there are no taxis or a commonly used metro system, getting from one place to another can involve switching numerous stations and/or different modes of transportation. However, students do occasionally go to downtown LA or other nearby places via public transportation. There are many shuttle companies that have pick-up and drop-off services to and from the airport for a reasonable charge. The local airports, Burbank Airport and Ontario Airport, are also used and have similar shuttle services. Students usually just need to get to and from the airport and around Pasadena, both of which are pretty simple things to do, even though public transportation in Southern California is practically a nightmare.

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Caltech Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Transportation at California Institute of Technology

alishamedrano

Licensed Practical Nurse Training (LPN) '13

3.5
B

Your Own Car or Public Buses

These two are the best forms of transportation, they offer bus services but only until a certain hour so it is nice to have your own car. They do offer taxes but they are rarely used in this town so prices can be a bit pricey.

Jan 05, 2012

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Transportation at California Institute of Technology

lampochka

Epidemiology '10

4.2
A-

No Need for Transport on Campus

Campus is 1 sq mile. You really don't need any transport to get around. For going outside, there are buses and the metro is not too far away. Going to LA is easy with Metro Gold Line, though going to other cities may be a hassle because the LA/ Pasadena public transport system is not the best.

Sep 29, 2011

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Transportation at California Institute of Technology

Anonymous

Caltech Student

Public transportation is terrible....

Public transportation is terrible. You need a car to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.

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User rating for California Institute of Technology - Transportation is 3.5 out of 5 based on 12 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the cost of the following transit options

Rate the convenience of the following transit options

Rate the convenience of long-distance transportation to travel between home and school

How convenient is the campus-provided transportation?

How necessary is it to have a car on campus?

How easy is it to get around town?

Public TransitWhat's This?

Pasadena ARTS bus

Has a low 50-cent fare and stops on major streets.

Gold Line

(part of the Metro Transit Authority) will get students to LA, where they can connect to other railways to get to other places. The closest station is on Lake Ave., about 1.75 miles from campus. Details can be obtained about the Gold Line and other railways it connects to from the MTA

Nearest AirportWhat's This?

Ontario Airport

(909) 937-2700

www.lawa.org/ont

LAX (Los Angeles International Airport)

(310) 646-5252

www.lawa.org/lax

Burbank Airport (Bob Hope Airport)

Nearest Passenger BusWhat's This?

Greyhound

There is a terminal at Walnut St., but you will take a bus into LA to connect anywhere else.

645 E Walnut

(626) 792-5116 or (800) 231-2222

www.greyhound.com

Nearest Passenger TrainWhat's This?

Amtrak

Closest Amtrak Station is Union Station in downtown LA.

(800) 872-7245

www.amtrak.com

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Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Mayra Sheikh
Hometown
San Fernando Valley, Calif.
Major
Chemistry

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