Navigating UCLA: A Guide to Transportation Options

UCLA, like any large university campus, presents unique transportation challenges and opportunities. Balancing convenience, cost, and environmental responsibility is key to navigating the campus and surrounding areas. UCLA Transportation is committed to promoting access and mobility in an environmentally responsible manner. This guide explores the diverse transportation options available to students, faculty, and staff, emphasizing sustainable and efficient choices.

Public Transportation: Embracing Efficiency and Affordability

UCLA Transportation recognizes the importance of public transportation and actively promotes its use. For students commuting from any distance, public transportation is presented as a preferred option. To support this, UCLA subsidizes nearly 50% of transit pass costs for six transit agencies for all eligible UCLA students. As of fall quarter, UCLA students have access to the U-Pass, which is a public transportation access card with the costs included in student fees. According to UCLA Events and Transportation, there were over 220,000 taps indicating UCLA student rides on participating public transportation lines in fall quarter. 42% of taps were on the LA Metro, and close to half were on the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus.

Several public transit providers serve the UCLA area. Understanding how these systems operate is crucial for easy and efficient use. Here are some general guidelines:

Know Your Route: Identify the specific bus line you need. Multiple lines from different providers might serve the same stop. Knowing the specific transit provider (e.g., Metro, Santa Monica, Culver City, LADOT) and the route name (e.g., Line 6 Sepulveda Blvd) is important. Note any special information regarding the route on the schedule, such as express or limited service.
Payment Options: Have enough cash on hand, as most buses require exact change. An additional charge may apply when transferring to another bus or using an express route. For greater convenience, consider obtaining a Transit Access Pass (TAP) online through the BruinTAP for Transit portal.
Signaling the Driver: Buses do not automatically stop at all posted locations. Hail the bus like you would hail a cab to ensure the driver knows you are waiting.
Requesting Your Stop: Once aboard, inform the driver of your desired stop before you arrive. All buses have a cord or pressure strip to signal your request.
Flexibility is Key: Be prepared for potential delays due to weather, traffic, or unforeseen events. Arrive at least five minutes early and have a backup plan in mind.

Subsidized Transit Passes:

Go Metro BruinGO!
LADOT
Santa Clarita Transit
Antelope Valley Transit Authority
EZ Transit Pass

Other Public Transportation Options:

Metrolink: Metrolink provides rail service across six Southern California counties, offering a 50% discount to students. Riders must select the Student/Youth ride type when purchasing a ticket in the Metrolink mobile app or at a ticket machine.
Amtrak Thruway Shuttle Service: This service provides bus connections to the Van Nuys or Bakersfield Amtrak stations.
FlixBus: FlixBus offers affordable bus travel on the West Coast, connecting cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.

UCLA BruinBus: FREE Campus Shuttle

BruinBus operates three on-campus routes, stopping at five different stations on campus. The University Apartments Shuttle serves several off-campus apartments in the Palms and Mar Vista areas. To ride the off-campus routes, residents must obtain a pass from their apartment rental office.

Carpooling: Sharing the Ride and Reducing Costs

Carpooling offers a practical and economical way to commute to UCLA. Whether you are a student, faculty, or staff member, carpooling can save you time and money. By sharing a ride with fellow Bruins, you can access high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and split the costs of gas and car maintenance. To find a carpool buddy within the UCLA community, visit the UCLA Trip Planner when you form a carpool or join an existing one.

Biking and Walking: Embracing Active and Sustainable Transportation

Riding a bicycle or walking to campus provides a sustainable, economical, and healthy alternative to driving alone. UCLA supports bicycle commuters with over 3,500 bike racks and lockers and Metro Bike Share stations located throughout campus.

Biking Benefits:

Eligible employees can join the Earn-A-Bike program and receive a free $900 bicycle package in exchange for their parking permit.
The UCLA bike shop, located on campus, offers a wide selection of services including BruinBike rentals.

For shorter trips, the implementation of the LA Metro Bike Share allows users to rent electric bikes. According to Metro data, there were over 119,000 bike unlocks between January and March 2024, after trips lasting less than a minute or more than 24 hours were eliminated. These trips lasted an average of just under 29 minutes.

Walking Benefits:

Walking promotes physical and mental health.
Walking contributes to cleaner air.

Vanpool: A Comfortable and Convenient Commute

Private vanpool vendors offer an alternative to driving a personal vehicle. Participants privately lease seven or ten-seat vehicles and commute together from common pick-up locations across Southern California. Benefits include access to HOV lanes, toll lanes, vehicle upkeep and maintenance services, and appreciation perks. Note that these private vendors operate separately from the University and have no affiliation with UCLA Transportation. The UCLA Vanpool Program offers a viable alternative to driving at a subsidized rate. Vanpools are groups of people who travel to UCLA in a UCLA van. Vans typically operate Monday-Friday, traveling between common pickup locations and the UCLA campus. There are nearly 150 routes serving roughly 80 communities in five Southern California counties.

Campus Parking: A Limited Resource

Due to limited space, parking on campus is a valuable resource. While sustainable transportation options are encouraged, UCLA Transportation offers parking permit options for those who require them. Faculty and staff can contact their department Commute Coordinator for permit information and payroll deduction options. Students may apply for permits each quarter. Student parking is not guaranteed, and single-occupancy vehicle permits are offered based on a prioritization process:

Graduate Students
Eligible Regent Scholars
Upperclassmen (Seniors and Juniors)
Underclassmen (Sophomores and Freshmen)

BruinCar (On-Campus Vehicle Rental Services)

UCLA offers two options for vehicle rental: daily or hourly. Generally, it is more cost-effective to use Zipcar, the hourly rental program, for trips under three hours and to rent vehicles on a daily basis for longer trips.

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BruinCar offers a fleet of UCLA-owned vehicles that can be reserved online and picked up on campus at Parking Structure 8. 24-hour vehicle pick up and drop off is available and campus parking is included with the rental.

How to Rent a Vehicle:

Obtain approval. If you will be paying with departmental funds, obtain the necessary approvals for reimbursement. If you will be reimbursed through departmental recharge, provide your recharge ID number. Faculty, staff and students may use personal or corporate credit cards to reserve vehicles. If you will be renting through Zipcar, you can use your Pcard as well to reserve and pay for the car if you will be using it for University business. However, you must use a credit card to reserve the car.
Contact the appropriate department.
- BRUINCAR: To sign up for an account or make a reservation please visit BruinCar.UCLA.edu
- Hourly Rental Zipcar: Car rental for travel
- UCLA Travel Center: Bus Charter/Shuttle Services (Transit Operations (except for transport of K-12 students)Car Service, chauffeursUCLA Travel Services has discounted rates for car servicesCity busCampus Purchasing can provide tokens for special programs (such as student orientation). Also, you can use the BruinCard to obtain discount fares. The BruinGo Flash Pass can be used for the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus and Culver City Bus. The Go Metro pass provides discounted prices for Los Angeles buses, trains, and subways.Taxi serviceCampus Purchasing (maintains a courtesy list of vendors and can establish blanket agreements for payment using a voucher system)Generally, bus charter services accommodate around 64 passengers; shuttles can seat 20. When determining requirements for buses and shuttles, consider the need for bathroom equipment, whether you will need luxury or coach seating, and handicap requirements. Transit Operations accepts payment for bus and charter services on a recharge basis.Long-term bus service is also available for various programs as well as K-12 transportation. Contact Campus Purchasing to create an agreement with the vendor.Please note that you may not use a T-, N- or V-class order (BruinBuy) to pay for bus charter or shuttle services; liability issues apply and must be handled through Campus Purchasing. You can submit a J- or R-class requisition, however. Campus Purchasing maintains the vendorsâ certificates of insurance, which must be current for University use. BUS 63 provides more information on insurance requirements.
Your order is processed. UCLA Fleet or Campus Purchasing will make the arrangements based on your requirements. Arrangements include all required insurance.

Guaranteed Ride Home

The Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program provides a safety net for employees who use sustainable transportation to get to campus without the worry of getting stranded due to illness, unexpected overtime, or another qualifying emergency.

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Getting to UCLA From LAX?

UCLA Transportation provides information on options for traveling to UCLA from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Owning a Vehicle in California

International students & scholars who decide to purchase a vehicle in California should be aware of the auto insurance state requirements. Visit the UCLA Legal Services articles/forms page for more details & resources.

Addressing Safety and Sustainability

While promoting sustainable transportation, UCLA also addresses safety concerns. In 2023, UCLA expanded its protected bike lanes to include Westwood Plaza going from campus to Le Conte Avenue, with plans to enact traffic safety upgrades to promote bikeability in 2024.

Sustainability remains a key focus, with LA public transportation agencies developing initiatives to reduce emissions. The Big Blue Bus and the LA Metro both aim to achieve zero emissions by 2030.

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