Public Transit at UC San Diego
Several mass transit routes serve the campus and surrounding area. UC San Diego offers different programs that provide discounted transit access for faculty, staff and students.
Transit Passes
Transit products for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and North County Transit District (NCTD) are delivered through the PRONTO regional fare system.
In addition to the daily, weekly and monthly products available directly through PRONTO, these products are available exclusively to certain segments of the UC San Diego community.
- U-Pass – included with student fees for matriculated students during the fall, winter and spring academic quarters
- Triton Summer U-Pass – for eligible students
- FaSt Pass – reduced-cost monthly product for payroll deduction eligible faculty and staff available through Transportation Services only
- UC San Diego PRONTO FAQ
All other members of the university community should purchase transit products directly through PRONTO.
- If you are a student, learn How to Use PRONTO.
- If you are an employee, learn How to Use PRONTO.
- Where to buy/reload your PRONTO
- UC San Diego PRONTO FAQ
Link Your PRONTO Account
All UC San Diego community members should associate their @ucsd.edu email addresses to their PRONTO accounts AND associate their account with a UC San Diego program so that Transportation Services can assist with purchases or account issues.
Download the PRONTO app and create your PRONTO account.
- Search ‘PRONTO San Diego’ in the Apple or Google Play stores to download the PRONTO mobile app.
- All UC San Diego transit riders must create a PRONTO account using their @ucsd.edu email address.
- Look under the “Use” tab and select the option to “Create Virtual Card.”
- Your mobile app will hold your transit pass.
- If you have a PRONTO card and wish to use it instead of the app, do not create a virtual card; instead, use the “Link Existing Card” tab to add the card to your PRONTO account.
- Open your PRONTO mobile app and link the virtual card through the “Student and Employee Program” button.
- Select the UCSD program you belong to:
- Faculty/Staff/Qualified Affiliate choose UCSD Employer
- Undergrad/Graduate choose UCSD U-Pass
If you are having trouble linking to the U-Pass or FaSt Pass programs or have questions about purchasing the faculty/staff FaSt pass,please email [email protected]. For technical support issues, contact the PRONTO Support Center at (619) 595-5636 or [email protected].
Bus Routes
- Serving La Jolla campus:
- 30: UTC, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Old Town, downtown San Diego
- 41: VA Hospital, UTC, Clairemont, Fashion Valley
- 101: UTC, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside NCTD
- 201/202 SuperLoop: UTC area
- 237: UC San Diego - Rancho Bernardo Transit Station
- 974: UC San Diego COASTER Connector; campus, Sorrento Valley Station
- 978: Torrey Pines, Sorrento Valley Station
- 979: North University City, Sorrento Valley Station
- Serving Hillcrest Medical Center
Blue Line Trolley
COASTER Train
See COASTER Pass details.
Rider Information
- San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), including all city bus routes and trolleys
- Bus routes and schedules
- Trolley map and schedules
- OneBusAway – MTS mobile app for real-time bus information
- Trip planner
- Rider alerts and detours
- Service notices
- Rider’s Guide
- PRONTO
- North County Transit District, including Breeze bus and COASTER train
Beyond San Diego County
- Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner Student Discount
- San Diego International Airport:
- Ride the Blue Line Trolley toward San Ysidro and depart at the Old Town Transit Center. Then, board the San Diego Flyer shuttle at the Old Town Transit Center and depart for either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. Learn more about the San Diego Flyer shuttle.
- Connect via bus route 992 (service between downtown and the airport)
- Route 30 to downtown
- Green Line Trolley to Santa Fe Depot, the COASTER and Amtrak
- Southern California Passenger Rail Map and Timetables