UCR Travel Trainings provide students with hands-on experience using local and regional public transportation to navigate campus, Riverside, and destinations throughout Southern California. Sign up for our mailing list to be the first to hear about upcoming Travel Training events and stay in the loop!
RTA Bus Route Travel Trainings
The Bus to Basics travel trainings demonstrate how to use local RTA bus routes to access essential amenities, including grocery stores, shopping centers, medical centers, and other community resources. The Bus to Basics travel training events are held at the beginning of the academic year to introduce incoming students or those who are new to using public transportation to local transit routes and the U-PASS program at UCR.
Fall Quarter RTA Bus to Basics Travel Trainings:
- September 22: Bus to Basics - RTA Route 16
- September 23: Bus to Basics - RTA Route 51
- October 8: Bus to Basics - RTA Route 56
- October 18: Bus to Basics - RTA Route 16
Metrolink Travel Trainings
UCR students can use Metrolink to travel to destinations throughout Southern California. Students receive a 50% discount on Metrolink fares, including the SoCal Day Pass, which costs $5.00* and is valid for round trips and transfers. Students must present their physical R’Card and ticket to the conductor. The regular SoCal Day Pass fare is $10.00*.
For Metrolink travel trainings, participants typically take RTA Route 1 from Bannockburn Village to the Downtown Riverside Metrolink Station. Weekend trainings provide students with opportunities to practice regional transit connections while visiting destinations outside Riverside County.
Fall Quarter Metrolink Travel Trainings:
- **September 20: Ride to the Beach — San Clemente via RTA Route 1 and Metrolink IE/OC line
- November 14: Ride to Los Angeles — via RTA Route 1 and Metrolink IE/Perris Valley line
*Beginning Monday, October 5, 2026, Metrolink will update fares. The SoCal Day Pass for students will increase from $5.00 to $6.00. The general fare for the SoCal Day Pass will increase from $10.00 to $12.00.
**Tentative: Due to continued high tides and conditions along the coastal rail corridor, tracks between Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo and Oceanside are currently closed. Orange County and Inland Empire-Orange County Line trains will continue to originate and terminate at Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Station. At this time, there is no confirmed timeline for when the tracks will reopen.