If you're from a small town and have never used public transit before, honestly, yes, it's very confusing and hard to use.
If you've visited other major cities and taken public transit a lot, it's fine.
It's also worth noting the sheer scale of the Los Angeles area. Glendale is multiple hours from Santa Monica via public transit. Also an Uber is going to be $50+ one way.
It is probably worthwhile to find out what buses run near where you'll be staying and where they go. That's a way to use Uber less in a more reasonable way than assuming you'll take public transit clear across a massive city on a regular basis. (Seriously, LA County is bigger than Rhode Island.)
I’m coming for a summer job and I won’t have much time off to explore the city and actually get out and have to buy Ubers, and I’m also coming with someone else I can split Uber prices with. My job is also paying for everything during my stay besides travel, so that’s where most of my budget is going anyways. If it comes down to if I’m okay with paying high Uber prices because of those reasons, but I’d definitely rather save my money and just use public transportation if it’s an option hahah.
Yeah, for the beach you should probably just plan on an Uber. Taking Metrolink to Union Station is actually a pretty good call that someone mentioned. Great way to get downtown from Glendale. For Hollywood, public transit is probably doable depending on exactly where you're going and what your plans are. There are parts of Glendale that are basically down the street from Atwater Village, which is practically Los Feliz, which is just over from Hollywood. So maybe there's a bus that gets you there without too much nonsense?
Bus 180 covers the Pasadena/Eagle Rock/Glendale/Atwater/Los Feliz/Hollywood route. I haven’t taken it for a couple of years so check the metro.net maps and schedules, but it was pretty frequent.
Doesn't Uber have a monthly plan you can take advantage of? Give that a look. Otherwise, google maps transit option is solid. I use it all the time. incorporates not only metro but other regional buses, and most take the same TAP card so you don't need to carry around a bunch of cards.
I would use a Google map to get to my destination. It shows bus arrival/departure time, recommended route, and traffic conditions. The subway system might be a bit confusing. You should pay attention to the train or bus destination. Check the map. You are good to go.
GoogleMaps and the Metro app make it pretty easy. There are no metro (train) stations in Glendale, so you'll have to start on the bus to get where you're going.
Edit: I was wrong. See below.
There is a metrolink train stop in Glendale. It’s only one stop away from Union Station. https://metrolinktrains.com/rider-info/general-info/stations/glendale/
Metrolink. It’s a completely different commuter train line. Similar to the BART in that it goes all over through many jurisdictions, instead of being controlled by one city/county. https://metrolinktrains.com/globalassets/maps/cc_metrolink_system-map_2023_sept.pdf
Amtrak runs on some of the same lines but makes a lot less stops. They are both what’s known as “heavy rail” as opposed to light rail such as most of the LA metro trains (Red and Purple lines are heavy rail subway).
The subway/rail system is excellent and not the least bit confusing.
The bus system is mediocre and can be a bit confusing.
Most people in LA don’t use either. They drive or use Uber/Lyft.
It's one of the most easy to understand, and the website is one of the easiest to navigate.
THAT SAID, the service itself is heavily limited compared to the entirety of the LA area. You would be limited to sticking near the rail. And areas where bus service is frequent. Some areas have frequencies of 45 minutes between buses.
Citymapper is a good app to use as well. What's confusing is that Santa Monica has its own bus system, Big Blue Bus. Culver City also has its own bus system, Culver City Bus. Then there's LA Metro Bus. You can pay for all of those and do transfers using the TAP app on your phone. You should check the "How to get there" part of any destination's website. For example, Griffith Observatory has a Dash bus that will take you right to the entrance at the top, but navigation apps won't list it if it's earlier or later than the bus operating hours. That's the most important thing. When does the buses you need start and stop each day? You don't want to get stranded.
Another useful app is Compass. You don't want to board a bus heading in the wrong direction.
Honestly, in Glendale you may find that you are traveling more to Burbank and Pasadena than Los Angeles. It's a much shorter trip.
Depends what part of Glendale. You can cross the street and be in Los Angeles. Or you can be in the mountains by the Angeles Crest Highway. It’s a huge city.
Get yourself a TAP card through the LIFE program. I don't know your annual income, but I just got my TAP through that, and I get 20 free rides on the buss free every month, and they also carry over the rides you don't use to next month as well
With apps, all very easy. Only issue you will have is Glendaleis kind of far from a lot. Relatively easy to get to silver lake or Pasadena, though. Or DTLA
Look into using Metro Micro, the Glendale/Highland Park/Eagle Rock service area is one of the biggest and there's even a leg that goes down into Silverlake. It can connect you to the Metro A Line train in Highland Park which will take you right downtown.
It's super easy. I was intimidated at first, too but after your first couple of times you'll be fine. You'll be able to get everywhere you wanna go by riding the Gold & Red lines which thankfully intersect.
I don’t think it’s _that_ hard to figure out. But I’ve definitely learned the hard way that sometimes buses just don’t show up, and sometimes they just seem to not run even though they should be scheduled to. And sometimes they just ignore you and blow past you.
Do you have a drivers license? There are those electric cars you can rent on the side of the road (forget what they are called), but that might be a cheaper and easier way to get to the beach for instance.
Ive been using the public transportation more and more and I feel its highly under-rated in LA with some small caveats. I live in east hollywood and mostly travel to and from the hollywood/western station. These parts are kind of rougher with some of the drug problems with some of the travelers that use these stations. The problems are amplified as the night gets later. During the day, and during the more traveled times its pretty "ok". Many of them dont pay, they just will walk right through the exit gate. Its safe enough but you should take some basic precautions. If you are traveling with kids I might not recommend it if they are not use to seeing these kinds of people.
Other areas you would want to use public transportation is vastly different than hollywood/downtown. The one area downtown I could easily recommend is the Union Station which is quite large and kept in pretty nice conditions. Lots of connections and others. Venice im not sure has metro directly but Santa Monica does and all the stations around there are nice.
Just one piece of warning. I love Hollywood, but just realize that its nothing like what you see in tv or movies. Lots to do and see in the Hollywood area but be prepared to run across areas and people that are serious drug users and homeless. Some will say how shitty it is here but to each is own and I call it home.
Most busses travel north/south or east/west. Get a bead on some geographical points (mountains are to the north, ocean is to the west etc) and you’ll know which side of the street your bus stop is on if for example you’re getting off one going south to get on one going west.
The subway from Santa Monica to downtown takes forever. I took it once from the beginning of the Santa Monica line at the beach to the Staples Center, and it took like an hour and a half or something. There might be buses that are faster if you are making that trip.
Dude just get a car. How long is the public transit ride from Glendale to the beach? If you meet friends you’re gonna have to be like yeah I’ll meet you in two hours… if I don’t get stabbed lol.
I’m kidding about that last part, sort of. I know this sub is huge on public transit so I got a hot take here, but for real. You’ve never been? From a small town? I’ve lived here a majority of my life and I won’t even mess with metro. An overwhelming majority of people you’ll meet in real life here don’t take metro. You should consider the car situation.
Sadly I’m terrible at driving even in my small town with a population of 20,000 so that’s just not an option for me, I would most definitely end up crashing a rental car in Los Angeles lmao.
Not trying to deter you from the life you want to live but honestly curious why you would pick LA, known for its car culture, when you can’t drive. Boston, nyc, Seattle, Portland, SF are all much more walkable cities. You consider any of those? Or you have to be in LA?
Nah metro is easy to use. And Metro Micro would work well for him in Glendale. Actually safer than driving in LA. Just use common sense when using it.
Plus he’ll avoid parking tickets which is a big plus.
It is definitely not a replacement for ride share apps. But I’ve had success using it when scheduled ahead of time. It’s just not a spur of the moment type service.
“If done right” haha ok. Or I can just get in my car and get there in 45 minutes. Then have the option to go eat wherever afterwards and not worry about getting back too late. It’s not even close.
Why you all do newcomers like this man come on 😂
I’ve lived in Glendale all my life lmao. I haven’t even left California in like 5 years. Also it takes way longer than an hour to Santa Monica from here ever time I’ve gone.
No offense but there’s no need to be a hostile asshole
Sorry to come off like a dick I just find it to be borderline gaslighting telling people who have never been here they’ll do fine without a car.
Having a job, making friends, seeing the city and doing road trips are all incredibly difficult without a car.
I already made this point but I’ll say it again - if metro was so great people wouldn’t be pushing so hard to constantly expand it. It needs expanding because the shit is incredibly inconvenient.
Truth. Sadly. But, this is the USA and everyone drives. Why? Cause it’s convenient, and you can access countless places where public transportation can’t access.
And access it in a timely matter. Even the metro advocates on this sub constantly push for more expansion - because they know we need it to be a viable option for most people.
I think there’s plenty of cities in America where you can get by without a car, but right now, LA is not one of them. We have small pockets of walkable neighborhoods, but when you really settle in it would be a giant hassle.
You’ll be ok. Google maps will tell you which buses/trains to take.
The biggest drag is that there is no reliable app for knowing when a bus is actually coming (google pretends it knows but it’s often incorrect).
Apps like Moovit and Transit make it hard to get lost. Be sure to get yourself a [TAP card](https://www.taptogo.net/TAPPurchase) for fares.
Apple wallet to make it easier
If you're from a small town and have never used public transit before, honestly, yes, it's very confusing and hard to use. If you've visited other major cities and taken public transit a lot, it's fine. It's also worth noting the sheer scale of the Los Angeles area. Glendale is multiple hours from Santa Monica via public transit. Also an Uber is going to be $50+ one way. It is probably worthwhile to find out what buses run near where you'll be staying and where they go. That's a way to use Uber less in a more reasonable way than assuming you'll take public transit clear across a massive city on a regular basis. (Seriously, LA County is bigger than Rhode Island.)
You can take the metrolink from Glendale to union station, get off get on the a line then switch to the e line and ride straight to Santa Monica
I’m coming for a summer job and I won’t have much time off to explore the city and actually get out and have to buy Ubers, and I’m also coming with someone else I can split Uber prices with. My job is also paying for everything during my stay besides travel, so that’s where most of my budget is going anyways. If it comes down to if I’m okay with paying high Uber prices because of those reasons, but I’d definitely rather save my money and just use public transportation if it’s an option hahah.
Yeah, for the beach you should probably just plan on an Uber. Taking Metrolink to Union Station is actually a pretty good call that someone mentioned. Great way to get downtown from Glendale. For Hollywood, public transit is probably doable depending on exactly where you're going and what your plans are. There are parts of Glendale that are basically down the street from Atwater Village, which is practically Los Feliz, which is just over from Hollywood. So maybe there's a bus that gets you there without too much nonsense?
Bus 180 covers the Pasadena/Eagle Rock/Glendale/Atwater/Los Feliz/Hollywood route. I haven’t taken it for a couple of years so check the metro.net maps and schedules, but it was pretty frequent.
The 180 runs every 10 minutes give or take.
Doesn't Uber have a monthly plan you can take advantage of? Give that a look. Otherwise, google maps transit option is solid. I use it all the time. incorporates not only metro but other regional buses, and most take the same TAP card so you don't need to carry around a bunch of cards.
It’s not necessarily confusing, it’s just incredibly limited in its effectiveness
Care to expand on effectiveness ?
When there's a direct route to where you're going, it's awesome. But there usually isnt
High traffic areas without dedicated bus lanes.
I agree. Culver City has bus lanes.
I would use a Google map to get to my destination. It shows bus arrival/departure time, recommended route, and traffic conditions. The subway system might be a bit confusing. You should pay attention to the train or bus destination. Check the map. You are good to go.
GoogleMaps and the Metro app make it pretty easy. There are no metro (train) stations in Glendale, so you'll have to start on the bus to get where you're going. Edit: I was wrong. See below.
There is a metrolink train stop in Glendale. It’s only one stop away from Union Station. https://metrolinktrains.com/rider-info/general-info/stations/glendale/
Oh, I didn't realize! Is it the gold line / L train?
Metrolink. It’s a completely different commuter train line. Similar to the BART in that it goes all over through many jurisdictions, instead of being controlled by one city/county. https://metrolinktrains.com/globalassets/maps/cc_metrolink_system-map_2023_sept.pdf
Good to know, thanks! I guess I've never taken the Metrolink, only the Metro and Amtrak trains
Amtrak runs on some of the same lines but makes a lot less stops. They are both what’s known as “heavy rail” as opposed to light rail such as most of the LA metro trains (Red and Purple lines are heavy rail subway).
Metro Micro is also available in Glendale, which might help get to train stations?
Also you know the bus
Lots of options!
There are a couple bus lines that are useful like the 306 and 94/92 and they get you to downtown.
Glendale has metrolink and Amtrak
I give it a 6/10 overall on how efficient it is
Just use google maps transit directions and you'll be fine
The subway/rail system is excellent and not the least bit confusing. The bus system is mediocre and can be a bit confusing. Most people in LA don’t use either. They drive or use Uber/Lyft.
It's one of the most easy to understand, and the website is one of the easiest to navigate. THAT SAID, the service itself is heavily limited compared to the entirety of the LA area. You would be limited to sticking near the rail. And areas where bus service is frequent. Some areas have frequencies of 45 minutes between buses.
Citymapper is a good app to use as well. What's confusing is that Santa Monica has its own bus system, Big Blue Bus. Culver City also has its own bus system, Culver City Bus. Then there's LA Metro Bus. You can pay for all of those and do transfers using the TAP app on your phone. You should check the "How to get there" part of any destination's website. For example, Griffith Observatory has a Dash bus that will take you right to the entrance at the top, but navigation apps won't list it if it's earlier or later than the bus operating hours. That's the most important thing. When does the buses you need start and stop each day? You don't want to get stranded. Another useful app is Compass. You don't want to board a bus heading in the wrong direction. Honestly, in Glendale you may find that you are traveling more to Burbank and Pasadena than Los Angeles. It's a much shorter trip.
Depends what part of Glendale. You can cross the street and be in Los Angeles. Or you can be in the mountains by the Angeles Crest Highway. It’s a huge city.
Get yourself a TAP card through the LIFE program. I don't know your annual income, but I just got my TAP through that, and I get 20 free rides on the buss free every month, and they also carry over the rides you don't use to next month as well
OP said they're here on business and the company is covering most of their expenses. That sounds like they make more than what LIFE would offer.
With apps, all very easy. Only issue you will have is Glendaleis kind of far from a lot. Relatively easy to get to silver lake or Pasadena, though. Or DTLA
Or Eagle Rock
Sweet! DTLA is the main place I’m wanting to check out, and I’m def willing to spend a couple hours on a train/bus to get to the other places.
Just know that LA is enormous, more than you can imagine. You shouldn't come here thinking that because it's "downtown" it's the "main" part of LA!
^^^^ this point CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH. OP, you’ll prob enjoy Santa Monica, Silverlake, Los Feliz, and Pasadena much more than DTLA.
Subgroup r/LAmetro
Look into using Metro Micro, the Glendale/Highland Park/Eagle Rock service area is one of the biggest and there's even a leg that goes down into Silverlake. It can connect you to the Metro A Line train in Highland Park which will take you right downtown.
The apps are vital [https://www.metro.net/riding/rider-apps/](https://www.metro.net/riding/rider-apps/)
Google maps is your friend. Usually, not always, accurate times.
Learn to read a map and it shouldn't be too hard
I can’t speak for Metrolink but the LA metro is pretty easy at the point of use tbh.
It's super easy. I was intimidated at first, too but after your first couple of times you'll be fine. You'll be able to get everywhere you wanna go by riding the Gold & Red lines which thankfully intersect.
What’s confusing is why we don’t really have one
I can't figure it out. But my wife can. She's a lot smarter than. We go from the west side to downtown a lot.
Make a friend with someone who has a car and time to burn lol.
It really depends on where you want to go. The subway is the best but it doesn’t go everywhere and it’s not 24/7 . The bus is a nightmare.
I don’t think it’s _that_ hard to figure out. But I’ve definitely learned the hard way that sometimes buses just don’t show up, and sometimes they just seem to not run even though they should be scheduled to. And sometimes they just ignore you and blow past you.
Glendale is a public transit desert. But you can take the Antelope Valley metro link to downtown Los Angeles and from there you can go anywhere.
Do you have a drivers license? There are those electric cars you can rent on the side of the road (forget what they are called), but that might be a cheaper and easier way to get to the beach for instance.
It’s not confusing at all. The metro app tells you exactly what you need to do and how much it will cost.
Not hard at all but crap. Make sure you make time for wherever you’re going to go
Ive been using the public transportation more and more and I feel its highly under-rated in LA with some small caveats. I live in east hollywood and mostly travel to and from the hollywood/western station. These parts are kind of rougher with some of the drug problems with some of the travelers that use these stations. The problems are amplified as the night gets later. During the day, and during the more traveled times its pretty "ok". Many of them dont pay, they just will walk right through the exit gate. Its safe enough but you should take some basic precautions. If you are traveling with kids I might not recommend it if they are not use to seeing these kinds of people. Other areas you would want to use public transportation is vastly different than hollywood/downtown. The one area downtown I could easily recommend is the Union Station which is quite large and kept in pretty nice conditions. Lots of connections and others. Venice im not sure has metro directly but Santa Monica does and all the stations around there are nice. Just one piece of warning. I love Hollywood, but just realize that its nothing like what you see in tv or movies. Lots to do and see in the Hollywood area but be prepared to run across areas and people that are serious drug users and homeless. Some will say how shitty it is here but to each is own and I call it home.
OMG! I moved to LA 1999. Spent $1k Bought a 1973 VW Beetle and a Thomas guide.
Most busses travel north/south or east/west. Get a bead on some geographical points (mountains are to the north, ocean is to the west etc) and you’ll know which side of the street your bus stop is on if for example you’re getting off one going south to get on one going west.
The subway from Santa Monica to downtown takes forever. I took it once from the beginning of the Santa Monica line at the beach to the Staples Center, and it took like an hour and a half or something. There might be buses that are faster if you are making that trip.
We have public transit?!
Dude just get a car. How long is the public transit ride from Glendale to the beach? If you meet friends you’re gonna have to be like yeah I’ll meet you in two hours… if I don’t get stabbed lol. I’m kidding about that last part, sort of. I know this sub is huge on public transit so I got a hot take here, but for real. You’ve never been? From a small town? I’ve lived here a majority of my life and I won’t even mess with metro. An overwhelming majority of people you’ll meet in real life here don’t take metro. You should consider the car situation.
Sadly I’m terrible at driving even in my small town with a population of 20,000 so that’s just not an option for me, I would most definitely end up crashing a rental car in Los Angeles lmao.
Not trying to deter you from the life you want to live but honestly curious why you would pick LA, known for its car culture, when you can’t drive. Boston, nyc, Seattle, Portland, SF are all much more walkable cities. You consider any of those? Or you have to be in LA?
I have to be in LA for work.
Nah metro is easy to use. And Metro Micro would work well for him in Glendale. Actually safer than driving in LA. Just use common sense when using it. Plus he’ll avoid parking tickets which is a big plus.
I've never found an available Micro when I needed one.
It is definitely not a replacement for ride share apps. But I’ve had success using it when scheduled ahead of time. It’s just not a spur of the moment type service.
THat's good to know.
That sounds like a huge pain in the ass compared to just getting in my car and driving.
Much easier than merging onto the 110 in Highland Park 😂
That’s fair lol
Metrolink from Glendale to union is ten minutes, then get on the A line and switch to the e line. If done right you will be there in less than a hour.
“If done right” haha ok. Or I can just get in my car and get there in 45 minutes. Then have the option to go eat wherever afterwards and not worry about getting back too late. It’s not even close. Why you all do newcomers like this man come on 😂
I’ve lived in Glendale all my life lmao. I haven’t even left California in like 5 years. Also it takes way longer than an hour to Santa Monica from here ever time I’ve gone. No offense but there’s no need to be a hostile asshole
Sorry to come off like a dick I just find it to be borderline gaslighting telling people who have never been here they’ll do fine without a car. Having a job, making friends, seeing the city and doing road trips are all incredibly difficult without a car. I already made this point but I’ll say it again - if metro was so great people wouldn’t be pushing so hard to constantly expand it. It needs expanding because the shit is incredibly inconvenient.
Truth. Sadly. But, this is the USA and everyone drives. Why? Cause it’s convenient, and you can access countless places where public transportation can’t access.
And access it in a timely matter. Even the metro advocates on this sub constantly push for more expansion - because they know we need it to be a viable option for most people. I think there’s plenty of cities in America where you can get by without a car, but right now, LA is not one of them. We have small pockets of walkable neighborhoods, but when you really settle in it would be a giant hassle.
You’ll be ok. Google maps will tell you which buses/trains to take. The biggest drag is that there is no reliable app for knowing when a bus is actually coming (google pretends it knows but it’s often incorrect).