Balboa Park Conservancy Partners with MTS to Showcase Centennial Celebration on New Trolley Wrap

San Diego, Calif. – Building on a long-standing partnership between the Balboa Park Conservancy and the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), a specially wrapped San Diego Trolley car is playing an integral role in Balboa Park’s 2015 Centennial Celebration. Now seen on all Trolley lines, the wrapped Trolley car features historic 1915 park photos as the backdrop for other images that promote activities in Balboa Park in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.

“The 1915 Exposition was a landmark event, not only in Balboa Park’s history, but in San Diego. It is more than fitting that its Centennial is being celebrated in communities across San Diego. The wrapped MTS Trolley car will help create awareness and will also promote taking transit to the Park throughout 2015 and beyond,” said Councilmember Todd Gloria.

Throughout the course of 2015, Balboa Park and its cultural institutions are presenting a busy schedule of major events, exhibitions, and special programs that will impact traffic and parking in and around the Park. So in addition to being the most environmentally friendly form of transportation, MTS Trolley and bus services are a fast and convenient transportation option for visitors accessing the Park for Centennial-related activities. For a complete listing of 2015 activities in the Park, visit http://celebratebalboapark.org

“The eye-catching Centennial Trolley wrap along with other new MTS routes and services for Balboa Park demonstrate that public transportation is just as relevant today for connecting people to the Park as it was during the 1915 Exposition,” said Carol Chang, President of the Balboa Park Conservancy Board of Directors.

The Trolley wrap will not only raise awareness about Balboa Park’s Centennial activities for riders and anyone else who sees it along the trolley’s Blue, Orange, and Green Lines. It will also encourage visitors to make their trip to the Park “green” by taking public transit.

“MTS and Balboa Park have been closely tied since 1915 when the San Diego Electric Railroad Company provided service for the visitors to the Park’s Panama-California Exposition. That company evolved into today’s Metropolitan Transit System, which is proud to offer low-cost and easy transportation for Balboa Park’s visitors this year,” said Paul Jablonski, MTS Chief Executive Officer.

All Trolley lines offer direct connections to MTS’s new Rapid 215 route, which provides limited-stop express service to two stops serving the San Diego Zoo and the museums on Balboa Park’s east side. Rapid 215 operates between the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego and San Diego State University via Broadway, Park Boulevard, and El Cajon Boulevard. In downtown, Rapid 215 gives Balboa Park-bound visitors who work or live in downtown, are staying in hotels, coming ashore from cruise ships, or arriving on COASTER and Amtrak trains a quick and economical trip to the Park.

The regular one-way fare on Rapid 215 is $2.50. The one-way discount fare for Seniors (60+), Disabled, and Medicare riders with proper identification is $1.25. Or for $5, riders can load a Day Pass on their Compass Card ($7 without a Compass Card). The day pass is good for unlimited rides for the day. On Saturdays and Sundays, two children (12 and under) ride free with a paid adult rider.

Visitors can also access Balboa Park directly via MTS Bus Route 7, which runs along Broadway, Park Boulevard, and University Avenue, between downtown San Diego and the City of La Mesa, and MTS Bus Routes 3 and 120, which provide service to the Park’s west side along Fourth and Fifth Avenues.

The Metropolitan Transit System operates more than 93 bus routes and three Trolley lines on 53 miles of double-tracked railway. Every weekday more than 300,000 passenger trips are taken on MTS bus and trolley services. For more information on how you can use public transportation and save money, go to www.sdmts.com.

The Balboa Park Conservancy is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization responsible for raising funds, developing public-private partnerships, and collaborating with Balboa Park stakeholders to implement capital projects, address deferred maintenance needs, and seek solutions to accessibility needs in the Park. It operates as partners with the City, which owns Balboa Park, and with other park stakeholders to carry out its mission. For more information, visit www.balboapark.org/conservancy.

Photo 1: Joined by  San Diego Civic Dance Arts Program dancers are (L to R): Carol Chang, Balboa Park Conservancy Board President; Harry Mathis, MTS Board Chairman; Todd Gloria, San Diego City Councilmember

Photo 2: Joined by San Diego Civic Dance Arts Program dancers are (L to R):  Paul Jablonski, MTS Chief Executive Officer, Carol Chang, Harry Mathis, Todd Gloria

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