Public transit ridership in San Diego is among one of the lowest in the country, but the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is increasing efforts to make bus and trolley routes more accessible to citizens.

In October the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) accepted the proposal for the 2050 Regional Transportation Program (RTP), which would allocate $214 billion toward city infrastructure in relation to transportation.

Of the estimated $214 billion, 36 percent would be allocated toward public transit for the first 10 years of the program, and will increase a projects develop.
Route 41 and Route 44 are the only two major bus routes that intersect with San Diego Mesa College’s campus.

For a community college that has over 21,000 students – a number that rivals some universities – the fact that public transit is so difficult to access is astounding.
There are 89 fixed bus routes in San Diego County, which service a population of an estimated 3.1 million.

This number is relatively disproportionate when compared to other cities, such as San Francisco, where their Municipal Transit Agency service approximately 805,000 residents with 80 fixed routes.
San Diego does have a trolley system to alleviate pressure from busses and traffic congestion, but the current routes only stretch from downtown to parts of East County and to the U.S./Mexico Border.

Effectively, this leaves the entire northern San Diego community, as well as those living near the coast, without access to the trolley.

Additionally, rider fare has steadily increased over the past decade with the typical bus fare at $2.25, one-way trolley fare at $2.50 and $5.00 for a daily pass to ride MTS.

Currently, MTS receives $220 million toward public transportation needs; $89 million received through fares.

Mesa College students can purchase a monthly pass at a discount price of $57.60, or a semester pass for $178.

You can also download the Any Stop: San Diego MTS application on your iPhone or Android device.

To speak to a MTS Customer Service Representative at (619)-557-4555 Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., or for more information regarding San Diego public transit visit www.sdmts.com.