Ways to get around L.A. other than rental car?

Question

I am planning to travel to L.A. and there isnt a rental company in L.A. that rents to people under 21, well atleast that I havent found. What is the best option for getting around besides rental car? How much to cabs typically cost? What public transportation should I avoid? Any specific hours to not use public transportation?
Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

Cabs are not a very practical option for most tourists. Distances are long uin L.A., so costs tend to be pretty high.

However, it's really fairly easy to get around L.A. by public transit. If you're flying in, the free "G" shuttle will take you directly to the Aviation rail station. You can buy a $3 day pass there and travel on any MTA bus or train.

Metro trains connect downtown L.A., Hollywood, Long Beach, south L.A., Pasadena, and the southeast corner of the San Fernando Valley. Most tourists use them primarily to get between Hollywood and downtown. The red line subway and the gold line to Pasadena are both perfectly safe at any hour. The blue and green lines are also generally safe, but they may seem a bit too "colorful" for some people's liking after dark. (They both pass primarily through poor black and Hispanic neighborhoods.)

In addition to the metro trains, there is a great system of rapid buses that run along almost every main boulevard in the city. These red buses offer frequent and fairly fast connections between spread out areas of the city. One of the most popular is the Wilshire rapid bus, which connects downtown with the beach at Santa Monica. Local buses can get you absolutely anywhere in the city (though slower) and most nearby suburbs, and the same $3 day pass works on all of them.

You're unlikely to have safety problems on an actual bus, even after dark. If you think safety could be an issue, sit in the handicapped area up front just behind the driver. Buses are not very frequent in the overnight hours, though. On major boulevards, waiting at bus stops isn't that big of a deal, but on side streets it could get a bit creepy after dark. Get a schedule for the lines you want, and try to board a major stop if you can.

If you want to go further out, the Metrolink commuter train system fans out for about 100 miles in all directions, connecting downtown L.A. with the most distant suburbs. Metrolink trains are infrequent and fairly expensive, but service is reliable. You can also take Amtrak to other Southern California destinations, such as Santa Barbara and San Diego. The Pacific Surfliner trains generally run close to on time. Both Metrolink and Amtrak are perfectly safe at any time.

Answer 2

I have visited L.A. twice without a car. Based in Hollywood, I found the public transportation system very good and I traveled all over the place with no problems at all. Only thing is it is not as tourist friendly as the like of Boston as most folk seem to drive everywhere so it took a few days to get familiar with the various bus routes (trains are easier) and different streets so some time was wasted at the start of the trip. I would make an allowance for this and maybe if possible put aside an extra day or so in order to get the most out of the trip. Another thing, the visitors center seemed to know very little about the city and put me on the wrong path several times so perhaps double check whatever they may tell you.

Answer 3

What areas are you going to hit? If you will be in the city, meaning downtown or Hollywood, then buses and subways are fine. A $3 daily pass lets you ride unlimited on any route, and it's fairly easy and convenient. Getting to distant areas is doable by bus, but inconvenient b/c they don't run very often and you may need to transfer mutliple times. By distant, I mean disneyland, Santa Monica, or Long Beach. LA is not a city with good public transport. Some car rental companies will let someone 21 rent, but you have to pay more. Try searching all of them.

Answer 4

Do not take a cab. It will cost you over $50 to get 10 miles down the road! I'd recommend staying in Santa Monica or other beachy area because they have a lot of public transportation going through there throughout the day.

I also recommend going to MTA's website and plan your trip through there. It's really helpful and pretty accurate and they'll tell you what it'll cost to get to where you're going.

Answer 5

There are bus and subway stations here (the metro), however the subway isn't available in West LA, or along the ocean. It is kind of limiting as it is only in certain areas of the city.

Check out the LA public transportation maps here:

http://www.mta.net/default.asp

Answer 6

You may want to look into Flexcar. They're few and far between, but may be an option for you depending on your iterary.

There are also tour buses, sight-seeing tours, Gray Line Tours. Also talk to your hotel about shuttles. Even consider posting something on Craigslist, maybe you can hitch a ride with someone else going the same place and the same time.

http://www.grayline.com/Grayline/destinations/us/losangeles.go

http://www.flexcar.com/default.aspx?tabid=217

Answer 7

dmb has hit it on the nose, but i would recommend in using a trip planner if you are using public transportation. Transstar or MTA both have good sites as to plan a trip using buses and light rail.

Answer 8

Take a Greyhound busride !! Great fun and you'll learn about the city in a relaxed way !

Answer 9

you could always drive yourself...