BajaNomad

Shuttle from TIJ to SD Greyhound

dtutko1 - 12-13-2012 at 08:12 AM

Has anyone taken the shuttle from the TJ airport to the San Diego Greyhound station associated with Volaris flights lately? Please describe your experience.

BajaBlanca - 12-13-2012 at 09:43 AM

be prepared for long waits at the border. no longer do they give preference to buses.

I did it from the main bus station to san diego grayhound station - which has moved ! It is now on 12th and Imperial - next to the trolley train station.

sancho - 12-13-2012 at 11:25 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaBlanca
be prepared for long waits at the border. no longer do they give preference to buses.




So busses like Mexicoach and the vans that take peds
standing in line to the front for $5 are out of luck?

Kalypso - 12-13-2012 at 12:43 PM

Busses, shuttle and cabs all have to wait in the same line as all the other commerical vehicles crossing. I crossed north on foot Saturday afternoon (hit the end of the line about 3 pm). There was a Mexicoach already in line a few feet up from us. We crossed before it even got up to the door to let it's passengers off!

As to the Volaris Shuttle question...Crucero has to wait in line too and it can be a l-o-n-g wait depending upon the day and the time the bus gets in line. You'd be better advised to simply take a taxi to la linea, walk across and hop on the trolley to downtown

bajaumpaw - 12-13-2012 at 02:54 PM

I just did the Volaris shuttle from Tijuana Airport to downtown San Diego. We went through Otay Mesa because there was a long wait at San Y. I'll talk about the Otay Mesa gate as I have not walked through the other one. It was easy and fast on the shuttles to and from the border. The line to walk across the border through US Customs is another bad thing. Buses and Vans might take you to the front of the long line and their drivers might promise you the world but the entrance that you can use into customs is determined by your documents that you use to get into the US. Along with many other types of documents, the long line includes using a PASSPORT to enter the US. If you wind up at the turnstile (head of the line) by paying whatever amount you paid and only have a PASSPORT, you will have to try and cut into the long line by bluffing your way in by using the "I'm on a bus statement". It is still a wait from there to the customs entrance. About 30 minutes the day I was there. Some people get that to work but don't rely on it, you might find yourself walking back to the end of the long line and doing it the right way. I guess, if somebody complains about you cutting in line, you could get in a fight and possibly win your position. Depends on who you are trying to cut in front of. But GOOD NEWS, there is the "Solo Ready Lane" that uses the same turnstile as the long line but after going through the turnstile, you go left and proceed up to the customs entrance. You need a Passport Card, Sentri Card, Global Entrance Card or a couple of others to use this entrance. No wait the day I was there. A PASSPORT won't get you in this gate if the agent is checking documents. Unless you want the SENTRI card along with it's high cost and background check, etc, if you plan to walk into the US from Mexico, get the PASSPORT CARD. It costs about $50 and is good for 10 years. Info is on the internet. It's as easy as getting a Passport. It will save you hours of standing in a line. If you have the Passport Card and you get dropped off at the back of the long line as I did, simply walk on the left to the metal turnstile and go through and proceed left. I thought I had the proper documentation to use this method by using my Passport and I walked through the turnstile up to the customs ready lane entrance but I got turned away at the entrance to customs by a sweet little guy who didn't seem to like his job. Since there was no way to get back out the turnstile to get in the long line without getting someone to open the gate, I cut into the long line in front of the oldest little couple I could find and in about 30 minutes I got back up to the entrance to customs. This saved me about 5 hours but was not the right thing to do. GET A PASSPORT CARD. IT ALSO LETS YOU USE THE VEHICLE READY LANE BUT EVERYONE IN YOUR VEHICLE HAS TO HAVE ONE INCLUDING CHILDREN. U2U me if you need any other info about getting to and from San Diego to Tijuana. Airports included. Good Luck. Sorry to be so wordy.

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Alm - 12-13-2012 at 04:01 PM

Northbound buses never had too much preference over pedestrians. In SY the Crucero/Greyhound used to bring you to the entrance of the customs building, so you were ahead of non-bus pedestrians. But you still had to stand quite a long line inside the building. They never asked me to go back to the end of a non-bus pedestrian line, though last time I was there 3 years ago. The bus was moving along the pedestrian line so slow that there was hardly any advantage in being on the bus. All those $5 rides to the border unloaded passengers the same way, at the entrance to customs building.

Kalypso - 12-13-2012 at 11:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajaumpaw
I just did the Volaris shuttle from Tijuana Airport to downtown San Diego. We went through Otay Mesa because there was a long wait at San Y. I'll talk about the Otay Mesa gate as I have not walked through the other one. It was easy and fast on the shuttles to and from the border. The line to walk across the border through US Customs is another bad thing. Buses and Vans might take you to the front of the long line and their drivers might promise you the world but the entrance that you can use into customs is determined by your documents that you use to get into the US. Along with many other types of documents, the long line includes using a PASSPORT to enter the US. If you wind up at the turnstile (head of the line) by paying whatever amount you paid and only have a PASSPORT, you will have to try and cut into the long line by bluffing


When flying out of TIJ I more frequently take a shuttle (not the Volaris) through the Otay crossing. A shuttle driver has never let us off anywhere other than the end of the line, nor have the busses that arrive after I've been in the line. I've waited anywhere from 10 mintues to an hour to cross at Otay on a shuttle run.

If a person is part of the Trusted Traveler or GOES programs they can expedite the process and use the special line. If not, then you've got to wait in the regular crossing line along with everyone else. Anytime I've used my SENTRI card to cross on foot I've never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes at any of the 3 border crossings (SY, Otay or Tecate)

Busses and shuttles at San Ysidro still pull up to the immigration building and off load their passengers into the lines that are usually used by SENTRI crossers. If an CBP officer sees a person holding a SENTRI card s/he will often take that person ahead of the bus passengers already in line. Busses and shuttles are only allowed to off load 1 vechicle at a time and you must take all your belongings and luggage with you when you disembark

wilderone - 12-14-2012 at 08:50 AM

"Busses and shuttles at San Ysidro still pull up to the immigration building and off load their passengers into the lines that are usually used by SENTRI crossers. If an CBP officer sees a person holding a SENTRI card s/he will often take that person ahead of the bus passengers already in line. Busses and shuttles are only allowed to off load 1 vechicle at a time and you must take all your belongings and luggage with you when you disembark."

Si, this was my experience in Sept. We waited on the bus in the bus vehicle line for about 30 min. It only took about 10 min. to actually drive from the bus station to the immigration line. Bus passengers go through the border inspection line and out the door on the SY side, and then wait about 10 min. for a different Greyhound bus that everyone boards (with ticket in hand) to the Imperial Ave. Greyhound station.

It is still preferable to standing and walking and waiting in the pedestrian line to cross. It will be a shorter wait in any event, and in relative comfort.

I once took a 35 cent local bus from the airport to "Central" and walked up Revolucion to the Mexicoach station (on 4th St. I think) to take the $3.50 bus to SY. Instead, the driver told us he was taking us via Otay. Everyone got off with all their belongings, went through inspection, and we all had to wait for everyone on that bus to get through immigration. If there would have been someone with a problem with documents, I don't know what would have happened. Anyway, the driver then drove on US highways all the way back to SY. From the airport back to SY it took about 3 hours, and about $4.00.

Alm - 12-14-2012 at 12:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by wilderone
Si, this was my experience in Sept. We waited on the bus in the bus vehicle line for about 30 min. It only took about 10 min. to actually drive from the bus station to the immigration line. Bus passengers go through the border inspection line and out the door on the SY side, and then wait about 10 min. for a different Greyhound bus...

Well, it looks like SY is even better than Otay, if crossing by bus. In SY they at least bring you to the point where the pedestrian "outside line" splits into few smaller lines inside the customs building. Yes, you have to take all your luggage and go 100 yards or so through the building and to the Greyhound terminal. No airport-style luggage carts, no Mexican porters to help you. And US border agents are rushing you to clear the curb and get the heck out of there and inside the building, with all your bags. Then outside the customs building another bus picks you up sometimes in 10 minutes, sometimes in 40. Crossing to the South is more comfortable.

So, the bus and pedestrian crossing in SY is still where it was, in the "old" location?

dtutko1 - 12-21-2012 at 09:40 AM

Made the trip from La Paz to San Diego via TJ on Volaris air and Volaris shuttle yesterday. Here's what happened. La Paz airport is much better to fly out of than Cabo. No crowds. Good "covered"off airport parking $50 usd for 14 days. Plane 10 minutes late. Flight full w/good service 2 free drinks!. Arrived TIJ on time. New and clean airport. Bags were coming off the luggage system as we arrived. Volaris shuttle a short distance from baggage claim. Departed for border within 20 minutes. 20 minute drive to Otay Mesa crossing. 1 1/2 hour wait in line to cross into US. 15 minute wait for another Volaris on the US side. 20 minuts drive to San Diego airport for rental car. All this to save $400 for 2 of us at the time of booking. Would we do it again? I'd try to get a flight to TJ earlier in the day, we arrived TIJ at 4 pm and most of the crossing and latter driving was in the dark which I try to avoid these days, but to save $400 heck yes! My savings was actually $300 because because of the border crossing time, the Avis car rental in Downtown SD was closed (6pm) and we had to pay an extra $100 in taxes at the SD airport.