Hook
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Public transportation options to TJ airport?
I have some friends who will be flying from TJ to Hermosillo, Sonora on Volaris. They live in South OC.
What are the best options for getting themselves and their suitcase to the TJ airport?
I heard there might be some kind of Greyhound bus connection?
Amtrak and trolley?
Dropoff at the border, walk across and taxi?
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dasubergeek
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Getting to San Diego Santa Fe Depot (NOT OLD TOWN!):
Option A: Amtrak to San Diego from Irvine [$24], San Juan Capistrano [$22] or San Clemente Pier [$21].
Option B: Metrolink to Oceanside from Irvine [$11], Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo [$9.75], San Juan Capistrano [$9.25], or San Clemente Downtown
[$8.25]. Then switch to the Coaster [$5.50] to get to Santa Fe Depot.
Getting to the airport:
OPTION A: Take any trolley line (green, blue or orange) to the 12th St./Imperial Transit Center [$2.50]. Walk 1/2 block to the Greyhound station. Then
board a pre-booked Volaris/Crucero shuttle direct to the Tijuana airport [$15].
OPTION B: Walk across the street to America Plaza, then take the Blue Line trolley to the end [$2.50]. Walk across the border and take a taxi libre
(orange and white) to the airport. Negotiate the fare before boarding the taxi; fare shouldn't exceed 150 pesos [$12].
Bear in mind that the return trip will be more expensive as the taxis licensed to the airport have a monopoly. Expect to pay US$20 to get to the
border.
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Hook
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WOW! What a concise answer. Kudos, supergeek!!! And thank you very much!!
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bajalinda
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Regarding the Volaris shuttle from San Diego to the TJ airport. My brother-in-law took it last week and it left from the Amtrak (Santa Fe) station,
not the Greyhound bus station. You might want to double, double-check with Volaris on this if you decide to go for that option.
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Hook
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Thank you Linda.
Do you book the Volaris shuttle at the time you book your ticket? Does it come up as an option during the purchase process?
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bajaguy
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Volaris info
http://volaris.com/en/prepare-your-trip/travel-information/s...
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Hook
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Thanks, bajaguy.
That link seems to confirm that the shuttle leaves from the Amtrak station AND from an unspecified 'DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO" location about 15 minutes
later. So, it appears that the same shuttle goes to two locations in SD before crossing the border. Is 15 minutes about the distance between Amtrak
and the Greyhound depot?
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oladulce
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If they use the Volaris shuttle van from the Santa Fe Depot to TJ, I'd suggest taking one shuttle earlier than they think they'll need to make their
flight in case of unusual circumstances.
We had made reservations but they over-booked our scheduled shuttle and there were way too many passengers to be safe.They spent an extra 20 min
squeezing bags and people in the van. We decided to pack in the van anyway but should have waited for the next one. The van had to drop us off at an
different pedestrian access at Otay than usual because of construction, and we walked about 1/3 mile to the border with luggage which took another 20+
minutes.
Glad I'd booked us on the shuttle that was 3-4 hours before our flight because we arrived in time to make the flight comfortably. Shuttle passengers
on other flights were stressing because they were going to be late.
You can book the shuttle at the same time as your ticket or you can book just the shuttle through the Volaris website.
Another tip- my neighbor waited 2 hr for the Volaris shuttle to pick her up on the US side at the Otay border. It never arrived. We waited 1 hr at the
same location and ours finally appeared. Unfortunately, I didn't a phone number to call to check on the status but I'd suggest trying to get one in
case you need to contact them while waiting.
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LaTijereta
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Try the Metro Link train to Oceanside Transit station (or simply drive down there from OC.. Free parking is avalible while they are in Mexico).. Get
the Greyhound bus from Oceanside station that takes you to the TJ ariport, via a stop at the SD Sante fe Stattion ($16 one way, person).. Allow plenty
of time for arrival to the TJ airport, as delays can happen... Check the schedule, but I think the bus leaves every 4 hours from Oceanside to TJ
airport..
Democracy is like two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin (1759)
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dasubergeek
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Ah, my information may be outdated. There was never any room for buses before they revamped that plaza. If there's a bus from Santa Fe Depot that does
make it easier, but the warning about returning still exists: the way these things work is that you take a Mexican Volaris bus to the border, wait in
the bus line to clear customs, and then have to catch a US-side bus. (This is because it takes much longer for pedestrians to clear than empty buses.)
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Hook
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LaTijereta, does the Greyhound bus option from O'side to the TJ airport also force you to disembark the bus, walk across the border and pick it up
after clearing Mex customs?
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bill erhardt
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The Volaris shuttle is now available only for those flying in/out of Tijuana on Volaris. Last year my daughter used the shuttle to make connections
from the airport in San Diego to Tijuana to fly on down to Loreto on Aereo Calafia. When she tried to do the same for a trip down next month she
could not book a seat on the shuttle without a ticket for a Volaris flight out of TJ.
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LaTijereta
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
LaTijereta, does the Greyhound bus option from O'side to the TJ airport also force you to disembark the bus, walk across the border and pick it up
after clearing Mex customs? |
Going to the TJ airport there is no disembark..just when crossing north into the US..
Democracy is like two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin (1759)
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dasubergeek
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When you cross south on a bus, the bus will pull into secondary. Everybody will get off the bus and walk past the traffic light. Push the button to
see if you've been selected for secondary. The bus will be inspected. You walk a few feet, put your luggage back on the (same) bus, and continue to
the airport. Easy.
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Hook
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So, I notice that the Volaris site says they have a shuttle back to the US locations. So, everyone walks across, northbound, the bus is inspected and
waits in the secondary inspection area for everyone to clear US customs? And then everyone reloads back onto the bus?
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MitchMan
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Taking Greyhound Bus for a round trip from Orange County, CA (Santa Ana or Anaheim) to Tijuana Airport ("TIJ") costs $26 USD if you pay for it
online. Best deal going. You don't have to pay for taxis to/from the border to/from the Tijuana airport and usually you don't have to get off the
bus when going into Mexico, but you do have to disembark the bus to go thru US customs at the border when leaving Tijuana to go into the USA.
I go to La Paz six times a year departing from Orange County, California. I wait for deals on Volaris airlines (average cost for a RT ticket approx.
$175 USD plus or minus $75 USD), then get a round trip Greyhound bus ticket (Oceanside, CA to/from TIJ) for $22 USD. Total average cost for
transportation per trip all under $200 USD.
Beats the heck out of taking airlines out of John Wayne airport or LAX by multiples.
You do have to analyze the bus schedules closely and select boarding times that leave ample time to get to the TIJ in time to check-in.
Also, be mindful that if you are returning from your trip on a Saturday or Sunday, be advised that the buses leaving the US side of the border back to
Orange County, CA stop running in the early evening until the next morning. If the bus has to wait a long time before it can unload you to go thru US
customs (during times of high vehicle crossing volumes, such as on weekends, especially during the summer months) and your arrival time at TIJ is in
the mid to late afternoon, you could run into a timing problem getting the bus to take you from the US side of the border back to Orange County.
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oladulce
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
So, I notice that the Volaris site says they have a shuttle back to the US locations. So, everyone walks across, northbound, the bus is inspected and
waits in the secondary inspection area for everyone to clear US customs? And then everyone reloads back onto the bus? |
We picked up the Volaris shuttle van from the TJ airport and it dropped us off just shy of the Otay Mesa pedestrian crossing. We walked thru the US
border check, and walked another couple blocks where a different van picked us up and delivered to Santa Fe station. This is the link where their can
be problems as I mentioned. It's a different van that picks you up on the US side.
Entering Mexico on the way to TJ airport, the shuttle van dropped us off, we walked through the Mexican border, and the same van picked us up
and took us to the airport.
Volaris shuttle service is contracted out to a charter service- "Something entertainment", and communication can be lacking when returning from the TJ
airport back to the US because of the change in vehicles at the border.
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dasubergeek
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| Quote: | Originally posted by oladulce
| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
So, I notice that the Volaris site says they have a shuttle back to the US locations. So, everyone walks across, northbound, the bus is inspected and
waits in the secondary inspection area for everyone to clear US customs? And then everyone reloads back onto the bus? |
We picked up the Volaris shuttle van from the TJ airport and it dropped us off just shy of the Otay Mesa pedestrian crossing. We walked thru the US
border check, and walked another couple blocks where a different van picked us up and delivered to Santa Fe station. This is the link where their can
be problems as I mentioned. It's a different van that picks you up on the US side.
Entering Mexico on the way to TJ airport, the shuttle van dropped us off, we walked through the Mexican border, and the same van picked us up
and took us to the airport.
Volaris shuttle service is contracted out to a charter service- "Something entertainment", and communication can be lacking when returning from the TJ
airport back to the US because of the change in vehicles at the border. |
This has been my experience as well. Same bus/van on the way south, different bus/van on the way north because of the wait.
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