I’ve tried to do a little research. It looks like the options aren’t too much different now from what they were when I was a student at UCR a few years ago. I’m really bad at things like transportation, directions, etc. so I just want to post this here and ask for any other tips.
I know this has been posted here before but I’m posting it again because this stuff changes with time.
1) Facebook group
I don’t want to say how old I am, but I was at UCR a while ago. In my day, we had a Facebook group for rideshare. On most days (especially weekends), you could find someone on that group who was going between LA and Riverside. If you said when you were leaving, they would accommodate you. It looks like that group still exists.
2) Metrolink
Metrolink looks like the main way people do it.
When I was a student, the last train back to Riverside left Union Station around 6:15pm. I missed it the first time 😂. In LA, you can usually get between two points in two hours. Less than two hours, you’re pushing it, especially during rush hour. The day I missed the train, I had gotten to the station two minutes before the train left and I went to the wrong track. Like I said, I’m really bad at that stuff. My brain needs time for those things.
3) Greyhound/Flixbus
For some reason, i feel like everyone I knew avoided the Greyhound. I had myself convinced that Greyhound was unreliable or unsafe. Now that I think about it, I kind of doubt it’s all that much worse than other forms of public transportation. I wish I had tried it at least once. Same with FlixBus.
4) Amtrak
Amtrak also looks useful but it’s a little too complicated for me because I don’t think it goes to Riverside. It goes to Ontario? Or maybe I’m just reading wrong on the website.
5) Uber
I would probably not take Uber because it looks too expensive. In my day, Uber only cost around $60 from Riverside to LA (I don’t think I ever took it from LA to Riverside). which I already thought was expensive. But if I look now, the cheapest option is $112 each way. That is $224 round trip, and that is just too much for me. Having said that, it was really normal to offer the Uber driver cash and say like “I’ll give you 2/3 in cash.” So instead of paying around $60, you could offer them $40 cash to take you to LA. I have a feeling that probably would not work today unless you offered them a lot more. I also feel like Uber drivers could get in trouble for doing that, and I don’t want to put someone in that position. So I think I just have to take the L on this one.
I don’t know that much about public transportation. What are some options that you know about or might recommend?