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Comparable Schools'
Transportation Grades:
Quick StatsBest Ways to Get Around Town
- Bike
- Buses are inconvenient and not very efficient.
- Car
- Walk
How to Get to the Airport
- LA Xpress Shuttle (800) 427-7483
- Prime Time Shuttle (800) 733-8267
- Super Shuttle (800) BLUE-VAN (258-3826)
College Prowler Take
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. Students Speak Out
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Anonymous says:  |
There’s the ARTS bus, which will...
There’s the ARTS bus, which will take you to Old Pasadena, which is pretty useful. I guess there are other buses, but I haven’t used them much; you can walk to Old Pasadena if you feel like it. One annoying thing about the ARTS bus is that it stops running at some hour at night (not that there’s any info about it on the bus stops), which doesn’t work very well with normal student hours. |
Anonymous says: |
Public transportation is not...
Public transportation is not convenient. This is LA, after all. Since there’s virtually no food on campus over the weekends, it’s best to have a car. What’s even better is having a friend who has a car, because then you don’t have to drive everyone around. There’s a Gold Line LA metro, but I’ve never taken it. |
Anonymous says: |
Last year, the ARTS bus that could...
Last year, the ARTS bus that could take you around Pasadena stopped next to campus, but now they moved the stop so that it’s a couple blocks away. I’d say walking can get you to quite a few good places, so it’s okay to not have such great public transportation. The thing about the Los Angeles area is that our light rail/subway system is poorly funded, so it doesn’t take you very many places. A subway line connects Pasadena with downtown LA, so that would make it easier to get downtown (not really that exciting there, but you could probably make connections to other places in the LA area). Buses are prevalent, but then you have to make many connections (and wait a long time) to get anywhere. Southern California is definitely a place for cars. |
Anonymous says: |
The ARTS bus (a Pasadena bus) used...
The ARTS bus (a Pasadena bus) used to come right up to the corner of campus, but now, you have to walk a couple of blocks, since they shut down that particular bus stop. That’s the only form of public transport, and since you can’t bring a car, may I suggest befriending an upperclassman who does have one? |
Anonymous says: |
Public transportation is not at...
Public transportation is not at all convenient. Most stuff that you might need to get to (grocery store, Target, restaurants, pharmacy) is all within walking distance. Old Pasadena, with a lot more shops and restaurants and a movie theater, is a longer walk, but still possible. The subway goes to LA, but that isn’t very convenient, although it goes to Chinatown and other places. |
Public Transportation
(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
Has a low 50-cent fare and stops on major streets.
Taxi Cabs
Yellow Cab Company
(877) 733-3305
Greyhound
There is a terminal at Walnut St., but you will take a bus into LA to connect anywhere else.
Amtrak
Closest Amtrak Station is Union Station in downtown LA.
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