odom4president

I am going to be giving a surprise visit to some friends.

what is the CHEAPEST WAY to get from LAX airport to San Fernando Valley? I plan to arrive at LAX on a friday afternoon (2-6pm ish, haven't booked the flight yet)


I am willing to take cab, bus, or anything that can do the job for $20 or less

jackal

Cab won't get you there for $20. It's a lot further than you probably think. You'd be looking at $70-120, depending on where you're going and L.A.'s infamous traffic.

The Valley is a pretty big place. If you tell us where in the Valley you're headed (Chatsworth? Burbank? Sylmar? Woodland Hills? North Hollywood? Van Nuys?), we can probably help you better.

Are you looking for the absolute cheapest even if it's terribly inconvenient (multiple rail/bus transfers?), or would you mind paying a couple dollars more for a little extra convenience?

Cheapest would be utilizing only MTA public transit (either all buses or a mix of Metro and buses), which will cost you $1.25 for each bus or rail line you ride (a $5 day pass isn't a bad idea to keep things simple)--but you're looking at anywhere from 2-3 hours, depending on your final destination.

Depending on where you're going, you may be able to shave off some time by taking the LAX-Union Station FlyAway bus, which runs every half hour (except in the early AM hours, when it's hourly) for $7. You can then take MTA buses/subways for another $1.25 per transfer to get you to your final destination, or, depending on where you're going, Metrolink commuter trains or Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner might speed you to your destination faster ($5-8 for Metrolink or $5.50-12 for Amtrak).

If you're headed to the western parts of the valley, you may be able to take the LAX-Van Nuys FlyAway (also $7) and then catch connecting bus transit from there.

Spendier and more convenient (but horribly uncomfortable) would be one of the airport shared van services. I think a family member once paid $35 (plus tip) from the northwestern part of the valley.

Try pulling up directions on either Google Transit or the MTA's trip planner. Both trip planners may also factor in the FlyAway bus and/or Metrolink commuter train.

You can also reference ToAndFromTheAirport.com's comprehensive collection of information.

Have you considered flying into BUR? Fares into BUR are sometimes the same as to LAX (and occasionally cheaper), and it's right in the Valley, significantly shortening your transit time. It's an option to look into, anyway.

u600213

You didn't say where in San Fernando valley but
go to: http://www.metro.net/index.asp
and enter LAX as your origin and the actual destination and you'll get some options. Cheapest would be Culver city 6 to Westwood connecting to MTA 761 or Santa Monica 3 connecting to MTA 761 each for $1.25 one way but taking 2 or 3 hours. For $7 one way you can take the Van Nuys FlyAway bus to the valley and then the MTA bus of your choice to your final destination. Fly Away only takes credit cards now and picks up right outside the terminals. The Culver city and Santa Monica bus to MTA connections require you to take the Parking shuttle to Lot C and get off at the lot entrance where the bus terminal is adjacent.

odom4president

destination is granada hills, and i check the taxi site and rates are all around 100, which is out of my ball park, also i don't want to be in a bus for more than 1.5 hrs, i am willing to pay $35 max for a 1 hr trip, otherwise, i could rather pay the extra $20 to fly to Burbank airport [from sfo or oak] (if the cab from burbank to granada hills is under $25)

mlshanks

I'd recommend taking the LAX FlyAway bus to Van Nuys ($7), then grabbing a cab from there (there are usually 2-4 taxis hanging out in front). FlyAway stops at every terminal and then drives directly to Van Nuys, so it's apt to be in the 30 to an hour range (outside of rush hour) depending on if you board at terminal 7...or terminal 1. The taxi ride is 4-7 miles depending on where in Northridge you are going. (to Chatsworth & Balboa would be roughly $20)

...and no way that a cab from BUR to Granada Hills is $25. It's closer to $45.

odom4president

if i went to burbank, what to do you recommend? [chatsworth and balboa is perfect]

jackal

There are some various bus routes or combination Metrolink-bus routes (Metrolink's Burbank Airport train station is a very easy short walk from the BUR terminal) that all take a little over an hour (1:05 to 1:20). Alternatively, you could ride Metrolink from BUR to the Northridge station and then take a taxi from there to your destination (about $20--you'd need to call a cab company to meet you, since they don't tend to hang around Metrolink stations).

At that point, though, you're not really any better off than flying into LAX for $20 cheaper and taking the Van Nuys FlyAway. A cab ride from the FlyAway depot to Chatsworth and Balboa runs about $18 (according to http://la.taxiwiz.com), so it's actually cheaper (and faster) than trying to catch a Metrolink train from BUR (when outside of or opposite peak commute times, train schedules are irregular). Bus options from the FlyAway depot to Chatsworth and Balboa are available, too (they seem to take between 20 and 40 minutes from the depot to that intersection).

mlshanks

From Burbank Airport your options are:

1) Cab = $45+ & about 25-40 minutes
2) Shared Van (Prime Time Shuttle, Super Shuttle) about $20 & variable up to an hour
3) MTA Bus $2.50 (various routes, see www.metro.net) 50-90 minutes

I'd discard jackal's idea of taking a Metrolink train for part of the route.... The stops (Van Nuys & Northridge) don't interface well with the bus routes you'll need to get to Granada Hills and the schedules are all commuter oriented (and don't run weekends).

jackal

The combination Metrolink/bus options don't really save any time over the straight bus options, but they do exist (and come up on Google Transit searches) and take about the same amount of time (1 hour total), so they are an option should it be the only thing workable time-wise. All other things being equal, though, straight bus options from BUR (nothing direct, AFAIK--they all do require transfers) are the cheapest and most frequent.

The combination Metrolink/cab option may be the fastest and most convenient (if the times work), but like I said, at that point, you're better off just flying into LAX and taking a cab from the Van Nuys FlyAway depot.

ozstamps

Been a few years since I visited the Getty Mueseum in Bel Air, and seeing we have an expected 24 hours in LAX due to a mess with UA from Buenos Aires to SYD, will do that tomorrow it seems.

Anyone around that wants to catch up with a drink/dinner please chime in -

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...y-oct-9-a.html

Last time I caught some kind of Bus from LAX region to Getty but that does not seem possible anymore?

http://www.getty.edu/visit/la_bus_map.pdf

Have no clue how your bus system works, but do they allow on-line transfers for a 1 way ticket?

Glen
.

FlyinHawaiian

I used the trip planner here:

http://www.metro.net/index.asp

Which returned the following:

Starting at FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON LAX

Ride Culver City 6 (UCLA/WESTWOOD) heading west
From: 96TH ST/AIRPORT BLVD(NW corner) Lv: 09:06AM
To: WESTWOOD BLVD/LINDBROOK DR(SE corner) Ar: 10:02AM
Pay $1.00 + $0.40 for Transfer., (EZ Pass accepted)

Ride Metro Rapid 761( PACOIMA) heading north
From: WESTWOOD BLVD/LINDBROOK DR(SE corner) Lv: 10:24AM
To: SEPULVEDA BLVD/GETTY CENTER DR(SE corner) Ar: 10:44AM
Use Transfer or Media , Monthly Pass: $62.00, (EZ Pass accepted)

Ending at GETTY CENTER
Total cash fare = $1.40
Trip time is about 1 hour and 38 minutes.
Trip distance is about 15.47 miles.

I don't think I'll be able to meet you for dinner, but I'll keep an eye out for you at the RCC.

jackal

Hey Glen!

Too bad I'm a bit too far north to meet up with you.

The MTA bus system strangely doesn't allow free transfers. Depending on the bus lines you're connecting from and to, you can purchase a transfer (and I'm not completely clear on which buses you can do that with), but if not, then you have to buy a separate one-way ticket when you get on the next bus.

The rules are different for the different transit systems in the area, though, so on some, you may be allowed to transfer at no charge. I think going to the Getty Center, you'll be using the MTA system and not anything else (like the Santa Monica system, etc.).

The trip planner that FlyinHawaiian linked to will give you the total cost, including available transfers, for your trip. Google Transit will also give directions over most of the L.A.-area (and is usually easier to use), but fare information isn't displayed there.

mlshanks

For the most part, you can not use transfers (there are some minor exceptions involving minor regional bus systems and the larger MTA system... Each boarding requires a seperate fare....OR...purchasing a day pass, which for the MTA system is $5.

ozstamps

The $5 a day sounds like a deal to me.

Can we buy that as we get on Bus #1 using FlyinHawaiian great breakdown? (Assuming that is all MTA?)

Jackal .. Oh well, there is always Sydney again ....

jackal

Looks like you may need a TAP card to buy a day pass on a bus:

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/ri...ng_fare-01.htm

I'm having trouble getting the "Find a place to buy a TAP card" and "Find a place to buy a day pass" options to work for me (MTA's website is kinda broken). I'd hope there was some sort of customer center (or ticket vending machine) at the LAX Bus Center, but I'm not sure.

If someone can confirm there is, then that would be where you buy your bus pass. Otherwise, I don't know that you can.

Believe me, I'd love to figure out how to get back there soon!