Large crowds are expected on Thursday, March 29 as the San Diego Padres host Opening Day against the Milwaukee Brewers. To accommodate thousands of fans taking public transit, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is scheduling extra service and encouraging fans to use the new Compass Cloud mobile ticketing app.
All three Trolley lines will depart every 15 minutes most of the day, offering direct service to Petco Park. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. Trolley schedule details are:
Sycuan Green Line (best station for the game: Gaslamp Quarter Station).
Trains depart all stations every 15 minutes throughout the day;
Service will increase to every 7.5 minutes beginning at 11:20 a.m. from SDCCU Stadium toward Petco Park;
After the game, trains will depart every 15 minutes, and additional trains to SDCCU Stadium will depart from Gaslamp Quarter as needed until crowds diminish.
UC San Diego Blue Line (best station for the game: 12th and Imperial Transit Center).
Trains depart all stations every 15 minutes throughout the day;
Service will increase to every 7.5 minutes before the game beginning at 11:43 a.m. from San Ysidro;
After the game, trains will depart every 7.5 minutes toward National City, Chula Vista, South Bay and San Ysidro.
Orange Line (best station for the game: 12th and Imperial).
Trains depart all stations every 15 minutes throughout the day.
MTS also has 22 bus routes with stops in the downtown area including Rapid 215 (SDSU – Downtown) and Rapid 235 (Escondido – Downtown). Fans can use the MTS Trip Planner function or OneBusAway app to find the transit trip that works best.
Compass Cloud is the everyday mobile ticketing solution for MTS and North County Transit District services that can help fans save money, speed up boarding, and add convenience to bus and Trolley trips all season long.
With Compass Cloud, fans avoid ticket vending machine lines and can purchase a Day Pass on their smartphones at any time prior to boarding. Multiple Compass Cloud fares can be purchased on one phone too, making it easy for families and friends traveling together. Fans without a Compass Card can avoid the $2 card fee by using Compass Cloud.
Fans headed to Opening Weekend are encouraged to take transit and stop by the pre-game East Village Block Party events happening on Friday, March 30 at 2 p.m. and Saturday, March 31 at noon. There will be live music, food and drink vendors, family game and more. MTS Rider Insider staff will also be there with Coca-Cola, providing samples for four new Diet Coke flavors, giving out prizes and offering more exclusive Rider Insider raffles.
Fans riding the bus or trolley can avoid traffic and park for free at one of many park-and-ride lots available. Trolley stops with high capacity for free parking are as follows:
· SDCCU Stadium: 5,000 free parking spots (Sycuan Green Line);
· Palm Avenue: 499 free parking spots (UC San Diego Blue Line);
· Spring Street: 404 free parking spots (Orange Line).
For all service-related information, including Park & Ride lot options, visit sdmts.com. MTS operates 95 bus routes and three Trolley lines on 53 miles of double-tracked railway. Every weekday more than 300,000 passenger trips are taken on MTS bus and Trolley services in 10 cities and the county. In FY 2017, MTS served more than 88 million riders.
