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As of this week, free shuttle buses have been carrying passengers between San Diego International Airport and the Old Town Transit Center to alleviate the long-standing need for public transport to and from the airport.
Six shuttles will run seven days a week from around 4:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and stop at Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and the transit center. These buses come and go every 20 to 30 minutes on a schedule that’s synchronized with the trams, Metropolitan Transit System buses, and the Coaster and Amtrak trains that routinely drop passengers off at the Old Town Transit Center. The electric shuttles shouldn’t be difficult to see because they have pictures of aircraft on their sides, an airport logo and the words “Flyer” in orange.
“The San Diego Flyer will provide a seamless connection between the airport and the Old Town Transit Center,” said Kimberly Becker, CEO of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “This is one of the many ways the airport authority is working to improve passenger access to the SAN (the airport) and we hope that passengers arriving and departing from the airport will take advantage of this free service.”
But on Sunday it started slowly. According to airport authority spokeswoman Sabrina LoPiccolo, only 29 passengers took the shuttles. She added that the agency expects usage to pick up again in a few days with Thanksgiving.
The shuttle program is a short-term and partial solution to a profound and long-term problem: San Diego, the eighth largest city in the United States, has no local transit system connected to its main airport.
In 2019 the airport carried more than 25 million passengers. While travel has decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has gradually recovered and is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels as business and international travel gradually picks up. Meanwhile, the airport authority started construction on its $ 3 billion expansion and overhaul of Terminal 1 this month.
The California Coastal Commission approved the project in September after the airport authority promised to open the free shuttle line.
Long-term, the Airport Authority, the San Diego Association of Governments and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System are working on a high-speed transit connection to Terminals 1 and 2. The Coastal Commission requires the airport to state exactly where its on-site stations are Transit station, which is usually located on the west side of the Terminal 1 multi-storey car park, will be located. The airport authority has committed itself and created space for a train station that could easily serve both terminals.
For more information about the Flyer shuttles, visit the San Diego International Airport website, www.san.org, visit the public transportation page, or call 619-694-7427.
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