University of California - Irvine - Transportation

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

In general, UCI students feel that the public transportation system in and around Irvine is inadequate at best, and students are definitely best off if they bring a car with them to campus. Irvine isn’t exactly a centralized metropolis—things here are pretty spread out. Buses can sometimes take up to two hours to get to a city that would ordinarily take only 20 minutes by car. On a better note, the city of Irvine’s bus system does serve some of the school’s apartment complexes, so students without a car do have that as an option. Public transportation—albeit free with an encoded UCI ID—is not exactly the best way to go if you’ve only got time for a quick night on the town. By the time you hit your destination, it’d be time for you to be heading back!

Fortunately, at UCI, there’s a rather large student commuter population to befriend and mooch off of. There are some shuttle systems around that service the area, but relying on them to get you back and forth means putting restrictions on your own schedule. To some students, the poor public transportation is just typical of the Southern California area. In the end, most students would say that your best bet is to hitch a ride with some friends if you are all going out to paint the town! Otherwise, good luck trying to cope with the Orange County public transportation systems.

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Students Speak Out

UCIML says: University of California - Irvine 2015 Other

Public transportation is good.... Public transportation is good. Since I don't have a car, I take the bus often, especially on the weekends. Taking the bus is a good way to explore new places. 12345 Transportation: April 29, 2009 Report

UCINB8 says: University of California - Irvine 2015 Other

Public transportation is good... Public transportation is good during the day, and it is always on time. The only downside is that since we live in Irvine, the buses do not run that late. 12345 Transportation: April 29, 2009 Report

UCICL says: University of California - Irvine 2015 Psychology

The school offers shuttles to... The school offers shuttles to transport students back and forth between their apartments and campus. Irvine also has buses to take to students to local shopping centers. They are very convenient for students who do not have a car. 12345 Transportation: April 26, 2009 Report

UCIJA says: University of California - Irvine 2015 Other

The campus shuttles are popular. I... The campus shuttles are popular. I like the fact that OC transport is free of charge for students. I really admire the fact that students are given the job to drive the shuttles, as well. 12345 Transportation: April 09, 2009 Report

UCIDY says: University of California - Irvine 2015 Business

It's great. People just complain... It's great. People just complain about it too much. 12345 Transportation: April 06, 2009 Report

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Tracey Xuan Nguyen
Hometown: Hawthorne, CA
Major: Business Economics

The first time Tracey went rock climbing on a real rock she was able to climb all the way to the top, but not before scraping her whole left arm along the jagged wall and swearing like a sailor every time her foot slipped!

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