MTS to Ramp Up Service for Busy Fourth of July Festivities

San Diego – The Fourth of July is a large celebration for San Diego and this year will feature fireworks, Padres baseball, large crowds, and traffic. MTS is encouraging people to take transit to avoid some of the challenges with large crowds.

Starting with the Padres taking on the Los Angeles Angels at Petco Park and followed by the annual Fourth of July Big Bay Boom fireworks show, MTS will be accommodating thousands of locals and tourists by running extra service on all three Trolley lines.

Getting to Petco Park for Padres vs Angels (First pitch at 3:40 p.m.):

All three Trolley lines provide direct access to Petco Park. Fans can use the 12th & Imperial Transit Center or Gaslamp Quarter Station for convenient access to the game. People heading to downtown for the games should expect limited parking and added traffic.

Pre-Game:

• All three Trolley lines will run standard 15-minute service or better.

Post-Game:

• Green Line: MTS will run 15-minute service, with additional service as needed.
• UC San Diego Blue Line: MTS will run standard service.
• Orange Line: MTS will run 15-minute service until at least 30 minutes after the game has ended with additional service as needed.

Big Bay Boom Viewing Points- Tuesday, July 4, 2023 - 9:00pm 

San Diego's highly anticipated Fourth of July fireworks show lights up the San Diego Bay with four displays at different locations on the bay.

Prime viewing locations are near the following stations:

• County Center / Little Italy
• Santa Fe Depot
• America Plaza
• Seaport Village
• Convention Center
• Gaslamp Quarter

Big Bay Boom Trolley Service Information:

Pre-Event:

• Green Line: In addition to regular 15-minute service, one additional trip will be operated from Stadium Station to 12th & Imperial at 8:07 p.m.
• UC San Diego Blue Line: MTS will run regular 15-minute service. Take the Blue Line to County Center/Little Italy, Santa Fe Depot, or America Plaza or transfer to the Green Line and ride to one of the Green Line stations listed above.
• Orange Line: Take the Orange Line to the 12th & Imperial Transit Center and transfer to the Green Line and ride to one of the Green Line stations listed above. Orange Line trains will be departing each station every 15 minutes throughout the day.

Post-Event:

• Green Line: In addition to regular 30-minute eastbound service on the Green Line, additional trips will be operated eastbound and westbound during the event.  For those going north from Santa Fe Depot or County Center/Little Italy, MTS recommends that passengers board first train that comes by and then transfer at Old Town, if needed.
• UC San Diego Blue Line: In addition to regular service, one northbound trip will be extended from Santa Fe Depot to UTC at 9:23 p.m., and three additional northbound trips will start at Santa Fe Depot (at 9:47 p.m., 10:07 p.m. and 10:37 p.m.).  For those going north from Santa Fe Depot or County Center/Little Italy, MTS recommends that passengers board first train that comes by and then transfer at Old Town, if needed.  Southbound service will be regularly-scheduled 15-minute service from America Plaza (across the street from Santa Fe Depot) to San Ysidro.
• Orange Line: The Orange Line will begin the normal transition to 30-minute frequency while the event is in progress. 15-minute service will resume eastbound at or near the end of the event with additional service as needed. Last trip is scheduled for 10:26 p.m.

Important Transit Tips:

• Park & Ride: Riders are encouraged to use MTS’ free transit station parking to park their cars and hop on the Trolley. Parking lots are available along all three Trolley lines. Transfers from the Orange and UC San Diego Blue Line Trolleys to the Green Line can be made downtown at 12th & Imperial Transit Center or Santa Fe Depot. 
• Get Your Fare Early: To avoid long ticket lines pre-and post-event, riders should download the PRONTO app or use a PRONTO card and load $5 in advance to cover a round-trip Adult fare ($3 for seniors with Senior PRONTO card). Riders must tap or scan their Trolley passes at a station validator before boarding.
• Friends Ride Free Promotion: Invite a friend to ride with you! All fare paying transit riders will be able to have a transit partner ride with them free of charge on the Fourth of July. Limited to one guest per user.
• Youth Ride Free: All youth 5 years old and under ride free all day any day. No pass required. Kids ages 6-18-year-old can ride MTS free with the Youth Opportunity Pass program (must have a valid Youth PRONTO card or Youth app account).
• Free Coronado Shuttle: The city of Coronado will also have its free shuttle available for those that wish to enjoy the holiday on the island. 

In observance of Fourth of July, MTS will be running Sunday service on most routes. For complete service details, please visit our service changes page. The MTS Information and Trip Planning Office will be open from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. MTS Administrative Offices, the MTS Transit Store, Customer Service, and PRONTO Support will be closed in observance of the holiday and will reopen for regular hours on Wednesday, July 5.

About MTS

The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) operates more than 100 bus routes and three Trolley lines in 10 cities and unincorporated areas of San Diego. MTS is a leader in advancing initiatives to create a greener, cleaner and better-connected transit system in San Diego. Each weekday more than 220,000 passenger trips are taken throughout the MTS system taking people to work, school, health appointments and other essential trips. In FY 2022, MTS served more than 57 million riders. For service schedule updates, news, alerts and more information on how you can use public transportation, go to www.sdmts.com.

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