[scpa.info] Web site for the South Coast Paragliding Association
Bus & Train link updated 10/2013, text review 11/2013 / minor update on 1/3/2014 to clarify the route 16 to Vista connection
|
SB MTD Rt 14 / Rt 20 (805) 963-3366 |
Vista Costal Express Hwy 126 (800) 438-1112 |
Ventura County Rt 10 / Rt 16 (800) 438-1112 |
| SB Shuttle Carp Shuttle |
|
| Greyhound 800-231-2222 | Amtrak 800-872-7245 Route Map / Surfliner |
As most pilots already know, both Eagle Paragliding and Fly Above All frequently run service up to the launches off Gibraltar Road plus Ojai and Pine Mountain. Both schools post their meet times daily on their respective home pages. We recommend meeting at the Chromatic Arch in Santa Barbara (East Beach LZ) or Ash and Front Street in Ventura (on the inland side of the freeway footbridge to the Pier) to facilitate bus retrieval logistics.
There is no bus service to Parma. The MTD Route 14 and Route 20 bus both run on Coast Village road with a stop at Hot Springs Road. The Parking lot behind Von's may make a good meet spot. You can get there from East Beach through Carpinteria. Unfortunately, the Costal Express Bus doesn't stop there. The first stop for the Coastal Express is the Rainbow (Chromatic) Arch next to the East Beach LZ. It goes to the Transit Center on Chapala Street.
From Carpinteria to Santa Barbara, take the MTD Route 20 bus. Route 20 has both local and express routes. Local 20 follows the frontage road past the polo fields, gets on the freeway at Summerland, and off again at Coast Village. It will service all regular stops along the 101 frontage from the Upper Bates overpass through Summerland. The bus stop signs will be posted with a "20". The various express routes get on the Freeway at Santa Clause Lane, and may bypass Summerland, Montecito, and Milpas (check the schedule). The local runs about once an hour on weekends and every 45 minutes on weekdays. You can take the VISTA Costal Express, but it won't stop until the Rainbow Arch and then the Transit Center on Chapala.
Carp also has unscheduled trolley service every 15 to 30 minutes depending on the time of day. Ask for a transfer.
From Montecito, the MTD Route 14 bus runs along the SB beach front and loops up to 192.
From Ojai to Ventura, take the SCAT (Gold Coast Transit) Route 16 bus. Ojai sometimes has a trolley but it's status is uncertain. If you plan to continue on to Carpinteria or Santa Barbara, do not take the 16 bus all the way to the transit center. Get off at Main Street to connect to the Coastal Express. You can catch the Coastal Express at the Transit center, but it is a long detour, plus you can try to thumb a ride while waiting for the Coastal Express.
From Ventura to Santa Barbara, you want to take the Vista Costal Express Bus. It's an express bus, so it has limited stops. From the Pier (after getting off the Vista 126 Bus), walk to Santa Clara and Oak as noted below. From Main Street and Ventura Ave (after getting off the #16 from Ojai) walk west along Main Street 600 yards toward the Ventura River. I think the bus stop is about 50 yards past the 33 underpass just before the Ventura River. The stop isn't listed, but I've used that stop in the past. There may be another stop along main street, so look for the Vista Sign. You can see the bus in the Google Earth view as of 1/2013 [JPG] [KML]
From Piru through Santa Paula, take the VISTA Hwy 126 bus to the Ventura
Pier. The bus leaves Fillmore every hour on the hour. The last bus
departs Fillmore at 5 PM, but the last
bus that gets to Ventura on time to make the last connection to Carpinteria and
Santa Barbara leaves Fillmore at 4PM.
You can park in a dirt lot at the corner of Ash and Front Street where the foot
bridge comes over the freeway, then if you get off the 126 bus at the Ventura
Pier, you can walk across the freeway to your vehicle.
If you are trying to get back to Carpinteria or Santa Barbara, get a
transfer from the Vista 126 driver. Get off the 126 bus at the Ventura Pier and
walk to Santa Clara and Oak to transfer to the Coastal Express. Oak is 1 block west of California Street, and Santa Clara is 1 block north of
Thompson. The 126 will then loop back to the transit center by the mall on
Mills and Telegraph, but you don't want to backtrack to the mall or you might miss the
Coastal Express connection, so get off at the Pier.
There are only 3 stops
from Fillmore on the weekend, 2 in Santa Paula and 1 at Wells Road on the east
end of Ventura. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Fillmore to the Pier
with no traffic (the bus schedule says 48 minutes). The
Coastal Express cycle period is longer than the 126 bus, so check the schedule
for sync. Riders tell us the last Coastal Express bus often runs late on
the weekend, but the 126 bus is frequently a ahead of schedule, so hustle in
Fillmore but you might get away with being late in Ventura.
To add (or avoid) confusion, there is also a non-Vista Service named the Coastal Express Limited, so don't confuse it with the Vista Coastal Express. The Coastal Express Limited Service is a newly funded project run by MTD (the Santa Barbara Bus Service). Presently, the schedule focus is on commuter times and only runs toward Santa Barbara in the early morning weekdays with no weekend service.
Vista has real time apps for both the iPhone and Android, but currently
(11/2013) only the iPhone app is listed on their web site. A Google search
for an Android app yielded
http://www.appszoom.com/android_applications/transportation/yourbus-vista-ventura-vctc_houst.html
From Wells Road (Saticoy), take either the SCAT (Gold Coast Transit) Route 10 to the Pacific View Mall, or the VISTA Hwy 126. to the Ventura Pier.
The route 12 buss serving the Ventura Harbor, has been discontinued
Greyhound 800-231-2222
Page assembled and maintained by Tom Truax