Parking and Transportation

Book an Amtrak trip from CSUMB!

Starting January 22, 2023, anyone can book a trip on the Amtrak Coast Starlight Train with a bus connection to CSUMB! A grand west coast train adventure, en route daily between Los Angeles and Seattle, the Coast Starlight train passes through Santa Barbara, the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Portland. The Coast Starlight departs daily traveling north and south from Salinas Train Station. Amtrak provides a Thruway Bus Connection to and from CSUMB included with a ticket.

How to book a train ticket from CSUMB:

Visit Amtrak.com. Use station code 'MYU' to include a bus connection to the Salinas Train Station as part of your ticket. Amtrak buses pick up and drop off at the 4th Avenue Alumni & Visitor's Center transit stop.

Schedules are subject to change. Visit Amtrak.com for the most up-to-date schedules. Thruway buses must be reserved at least 48 hours in advance. If no trips are booked, buses will not stop at CSUMB. No ticket sales occur at CSUMB.

Northbound Destinations (in order of travel):

• San Jose Diridon Station (connections to Cal Train and Capitol Corridor)
• Oakland
• Emeryville (connection to San Francisco)
• Davis
• Sacramento 
• Chico
• Redding
• Klamath Falls, OR
• Eugene, OR
• Salem, OR
• Portland, OR
• Vancouver, WA
• Olympia, WA
• Tacoma, WA
• Seattle, WA

Southbound Destinations (in order of travel):

• Paso Robles
• San Luis Obispo
• Santa Barbara
• Oxnard (connections to Metrolink)
• Simi Valley
• Burbank/Hollywood (Airport)
• Los Angeles Union Station (connections to Pacific Surfliner)

Watsonville/Santa Cruz

Take MST Line 28 or 29 to Watsonville Transit Center, where you can transfer to Santa Cruz METRO buses. Please note that free fares using your Otter ID only work on Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) buses.

To get to Santa Cruz from Watsonville Transit Center, take Santa Cruz Metro Line 69W. Check Santa Cruz METRO for up-to-date schedules and routes.

Gilroy/San Jose (Weekdays Only)

Take MST Line 59 to Gilroy Transit Center, where you can transfer to Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses to get to San Jose and beyond.   You can also take Caltrain at the Gilroy Transit Center.  Please note that Free Fares using your Otter ID only work on Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) buses. Also, note that MST Line 59 only runs on weekdays.  Details for Line 59 are here: https://mst.org/wp-content/media/59.pdf.  There are no MST transit from Salinas to Gilroy on weekends.

For accuracy please check each transit website for fares and correct schedules.

Valley Transportation Authority - https://www.vta.org/go/stations/gilroy-transit-center

South Monterey County Cities

MST Line 23 travels from Salinas Transit Center as far south as King City. Line 23 provides hourly bus service to the four south county cities: 

• Gonzales
• Soledad
• Greenfield
• King City

San Luis Obispo County

MST Line 84 connects with Line 23 and allows riders to transfer for free. Line 84 travels as far south as Paso Robles, where there are other transit options available using SLO RTA.

Check MST.org for up-to-date schedules and route changes.

CSUMB Carpool is a great resource to find an affordable ride and make some friendly connections along the way! Visit the page to discover Otters headed your way.

Airport Destinations

Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) is the closest local airport in Monterey County and provides airline connections to several international airports. The closest international airport to CSUMB is Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). Below are resources to help you reach the airport you need. Destinations from MRY include:

• Burbank, CA
• Dallas, TX
• Denver, CO
• Las Vegas, NV
• Los Angeles, CA
• Orange County, CA
• Phoenix, AZ
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, CA

To reach Monterey Regional Airport using transit:

1. Take MST Line 17/18 to Sand City
2. Remain on the bus; it will change to MST JAZZ A/B, and take it to Monterey Transit Plaza in Downtown Monterey
3. Transfer to MST Line 7 to Ryan Ranch/Airport

MST Line 7 route and schedule. These directions can be reversed to return to CSUMB.

Car rentals

MRY offers rental car agencies for your convenience. Follow the link to learn your options.

Taxi Service

Salinas Yellow Cab - Contact: 831-333-1234

NOTE: A $3 Airport Surcharge will be assessed to the overall meter rate to and from the airport.

Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) is the closest international airport to CSUMB. Traffic permitting, SJC is approximately a one-hour drive from CSUMB. Driving directions are provided below. The Monterey Airbus also provides regular departures from CSUMB to Bay Area airports, including SJC.

Groome Transportation (Formerly Monterey Airbus)

Groome Transportation bus picks up from the Student Center (Building 12) and has daily departures between 2:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Visit Groome Transportation Monterey or call or text (831) 373-7777 for more information and to reserve your trip. With regular departures to San Francisco and San Jose airports, Groome Transportation/Monterey Airbus is a quick option for reaching Bay Area airports. The company offers three pick-up options: Downtown Monterey, Marina, and door-to-door service for an additional fee.

Driving Directions to San Jose International Airport

San Jose Intl. Airport (SJC) Information:

Car rentals

SJC offers 13 rental car agencies for your convenience. Follow the link to learn your options.

To reach SJC by transit from San Jose Diridon Station:

Caltrain + VTA Airport Flyer

1. Board Caltrain towards "San Francisco" station for a short ride
2. Transfer to VTA Route 10 at "El Camino Real" station for a direct connection to SJC terminals

Light Rail + VTA Airport Flyer

1. Board VTA train 902 towards "Winchester"
2. Transfer to VTA Route 10 at "1st and Metro" station for a direct connection to SJC terminals

Groome Transportation (Formerly Monterey Airbus)

Groome Transportation bus picks up from the Student Center (Building 12) and has daily departures between 2:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Visit Groome Transportation Monterey or call or text (831) 373-7777 for more information and to reserve your trip. With regular departures to San Francisco and San Jose airports, Groome Transportation/Monterey Airbus is a quick option for reaching Bay Area airports. The company offers three pick-up options: Downtown Monterey, Marina, and door-to-door service for an additional fee.

Car rentals

SFO offers 17 rental car agencies for your convenience. Follow the link to learn your options.

Transit from San Jose Diridon Station:

Caltrain + BART

1. Board Caltrain toward San Francisco
2. Transfer to BART at Millbrae station
3. Board a train headed towards "Richmond" or "Pittsburg/Bay Point" depending on the time of day
4. Enjoy a short ride to the "San Francisco International Airport (SFO)" station

CSUMB Carpool is a great resource to find an affordable ride and make some friendly connections along the way! Visit the page to discover Otters headed your way. The CSUMB Carpool page is a student-run public group on Facebook. Check out MyRaft too to find other students that may be traveling your way.