A Free Summer Transit Treat in Coronado

Despite San Diego's amazing year long weather, there are a few extra treats we get during summer, like outdoor concerts and some free transit. One of my all time favorites is the free shuttle on Coronado Island that runs along Orange Avenue on the 904 bus route. We usually hop on at the Ferry Landing and head south on Orange Avenue until we get to the Hotel Del Coronado.

Part of the charm of the free shuttle is it's predictability, it runs every 15 minutes so need to worry that if you miss one that it's gonna take forever to get on the next bus.

The free shuttle is a courtesy of the City of Coronado has operated since 2013 except for 2020 because of covid. This year the city spent $192,312 to operate the shuttle, provide extra 904 service schedules and to distribute 1,000 MTS day passes to the Coronado Cays to help reduce vehicle traffic on the island during summer. In addition to being a fun summer perk the free shuttle, like other forms of public transportation, also helps to reduce parking demand and green house gas emissions, and incentivizes people to spend more by creating more opportunities for carefree foot traffic to discover the many shops on the island.

If you haven't tried the free shuttle, you have until September 5th to try it for free, after then you can still take the 904 along the same path. The only difference is that you're going to have to be a bit more aware of the bus schedule, since the 15 minute frequency is meant to support the increased summer traffic on the island, and pay a regular fare.

San Diego Transit Views

San Diego, like many other cities around the country are expanding their transit infrastructure to help improve mobility, access to jobs and reduce their carbon footprint.

On a recent Wednesday, around mid-morning, I found myself with some time to kill. The UTC Trolley Station was right outside of my office window so I decided to go and explore the new station that opened in November 2021. When I got to the top of the station I was delighted to see a real-time sign that let me know when the next train would arrive. I also got extra excited when I saw the next train would come in less than 10 minutes.

As I took in the views from the station platform I couldn't help and wonder how this area would look like in the coming years. I wondered:

• How busy will the station be at rush hour if there ever is a return to the traditional 9 to 5 workday?

• With a 29 minute travel time to Downtown from the station, will more people use the trolley throughout the day to travel from UTC to downtown for meetings?

• Will more people use the trolley for their shopping trips at the UTC Mall?

• Will UCSD students take the trolley to Ikea and bring back their finds on the train, like my friends and I often did when we went to college in New York City?

• How buzzing will the station get for Padres games or when Comic-Con comes to town?

Public transit ridership was hit hard by Covid-19, but it's making comeback like many other things that went dark during the height of the pandemic. Interestingly, as gas prices continue to rise because of the War in Ukraine, transit ridership is on the rise across the country. Even in auto-centric Southern California more and more people are motivated to save money and are turning to transit for their transportation needs.

I am hopeful that even once gas prices start to level off that transit ridership will continue to steadily grow as people begin to see the convenience of transit.