<p>My daughter will be flying to Portland to see her friend in Eugene at Univ of Oregon on Veteran’s Day weekend. We have most of the transportation figured out (my husband will pick her up at school, take her to the airport and pick her up when she gets back.) However, the next day, Monday, she’ll be taking Greyhound back to SLO. I did a Google map search and it doesn’t look like the best area of town, although it says it’s only a few miles from campus. Will she be able to catch a regular city bus back to SLO from the station or very close by? Luckily, it’s during the day right after lunch. She has a 4:00 class, so hopefully she gets to SLO on time. If there isn’t bus service, she’ll need to take a taxi.</p>
<p>When my son and I were at the SLO Amtrak station waiting for the train to go home, there were Greyhound buses coming to the Amtrak station. I thought the person working there said that they now have Greyhound services there as well. Check into that because the train station is very nice and it is definitely in walking distance to the buses that go back to campus.</p>
<p>It looks like she’d have to take the #2 bus to the downtown transit center and transfer to the #6 to get to campus. The buses are great in SLO. Don’t worry about the area of town around the Greyhound station - it’s residential, just outside of downtown, and isn’t a bad area at all. By Veteran’s Day your D will have figured out how to get everywhere in SLO on the bus.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.slocity.org/publicworks/download/transit/busmap.pdf[/url]”>http://www.slocity.org/publicworks/download/transit/busmap.pdf</a></p>
<p>Thanks momofmov. When we looked at the Greyhound bus schedule the address they gave in SLO was on South and Parker. I notice South runs into Higuera (the other end from downtown.) She wanted to take the Amtrak bus to SLO, but they won’t allow it unless part of the trip is on a train. (Something about CA law and taking business away from Greyhound. It has to be in conjunction with train travel.) Oh, well. It’s $30 from Santa Cruz to SLO on Greyhound. It costs that much in gas, alone! And no wear and tear on my car. 
**
momofmv said:</p>
<p>When my son and I were at the SLO Amtrak station waiting for the train to go home, there were Greyhound buses coming to the Amtrak station. I thought the person working there said that they now have Greyhound services there as well. Check into that because the train station is very nice and it is definitely in walking distance to the buses that go back to campus. **</p>
<p>Thanks for this information, vballmom! And the reassurance that the area is okay. Like you said, by then she should be acclimated with the bus system. Maybe she can take a trial run out there one day just to get an idea where it is. </p>
<p>The main thing–she just needs to be back on time after her long weekend for that 4:10 class! 
And between the plane trips and bus rides she’ll have lots of time to study. Her friend from U of O is going to take the Amtrak bus from campus and meet her at the station. My daughter can take a taxi or shuttle there from the airport. They’ll spend a little time in Portland and then head to Eugene for 3 nights in her friend’s dorm. Should be fun! It’s also good for my daughter to learn how to travel on her own a bit. </p>
<p>**vballmom had written:</p>
<p>It looks like she’d have to take the #2 bus to the downtown transit center and transfer to the #6 to get to campus. The buses are great in SLO. Don’t worry about the area of town around the Greyhound station - it’s residential, just outside of downtown, and isn’t a bad area at all. By Veteran’s Day your D will have figured out how to get everywhere in SLO on the bus.**<a href=“http://www.slocity.org/publicworks/d...sit/busmap.pdf[/url]”>http://www.slocity.org/publicworks/d...sit/busmap.pdf</a></p>
<p>Yes, I don’t like that about Amtrak busses. I need to look into Greyhound for my son to go to campus from home or come home from SLO. We plan on driving him sometimes, but that will get hard if we do it too much.</p>
<p>Your daughter will have a great time with her friend. I think she will like seeing another campus and dorm!</p>
<p>You can take the Amtrak bus the entire distance, the only thing you can’t do is purchase an Amtrak ticket online that’s bus-only. So one alternative is to go to the San Jose bus/train station (by HP Arena) and buy the bus ticket there. Another alternative is to buy the ticket online that’s on the train from Fremont to SJ, bus from SJ to SLO, and forget about the train segment (it’s the same price).</p>
<p>DS says the Greyhound station is closed, so the bus must go into somewhere else, probably the Amtrak station.</p>
<p>Also he says he buys his Amtrak ticket to go from SLO to the Great America stop in Santa Clara. I always pick him up in San Jose.</p>
<p>Finally, he says that the Amtrak ticket office in SLO gives $10 discounts to Cal Poly students. He says he just found that out - apparently the information was in the WoW packet, but he didn’t bother to read it last year. (sigh)</p>
<p>Thanks for letting me know about the Greyhound station being closed, vballmom! I think I’m going to give them a call to see where the bus stops. Since momofmv saw the busses at Amtrak, I bet you’re right–they stop there now. That’s how it is in Santa Cruz. Thanks again! </p>
<p>We have a few months to figure it out! My older daughter used to take the train/Amtrak bus home from Fresno State all the time. She was a pro when it came to traveling! She flew all over the country and internationally doing internships and volunteering, as well as spending a semester abroad. I think my Cal Poly daughter has picked up the travleling gene! She and a school group flew to Guatemala a few summer’s ago, so at least I know she’s a bit familiar with airports and bus travel. Me, I prefer a cruise ship! ;)</p>
<p>I just went on the Greyhound site and they gave an option of two destinations in SLO. One is Amtrak and the other is the Greyhound station. It has a small (e) next to it. Not sure what the means. This schedule is sure a lot better than the one to Amtrak! It’s 4 hours, whereas the other one is over 6 hours and she has to transfer in Paso Robles with a 3 hour wait! Gee, it’s only 30 miles away! Plus, it costs more and doesn’t arrive until 3 PM. Her class is at 4:00, so it’s cutting it short in case there’s a delay. I’m going to call Greyhound to see what’s going on. Maybe it’s just a stop at the Greyhound station without full service. That would work out! I’ll let you know. Otherwise, I’ll probably end up driving her. :/</p>
<p>**Select A Departure</p>
<p>Departing From: Santa Cruz, CA
Going To: San Luis Obispo (e), CA
Departing On: Monday, Nov 15, 2010
Returning On:<br>
Passengers: 1 Adult </p>
<p>DEPARTING ARRIVING TRAVEL TIME TRANSFERS WEB ONLY
FARE ADVANCED
PURCHASE STANDARD
FARE REFUNDABLE<br>
8:20 AM
Mon, Nov 15
SCHEDULE DETAILS 12:20 PM
Mon, Nov 15
4h 0m 0 $30.801 $28.00 $35.00 $41.00
Location Arrives Departs Layover Carrier Meals Available Schedule
(START) - SANTA CRUZ, CA 8:20 AM GLI 6725<br>
WATSONVILLE, CA 8:45 AM 8:50 AM :05 GLI 6725<br>
SALINAS, CA 9:25 AM 9:40 AM :15 GLI 6725<br>
KING CITY, CA 10:35 AM 10:40 AM :05 GLI 6725<br>
PASO ROBLES, CA 11:40 AM 11:40 AM GLI 6725<br>
(END) - SAN LUIS OBISPO (E), CA 12:20 PM (END) GLI 6725 </p>
<p>1:30 PM
Mon, Nov 15
SCHEDULE DETAILS 5:40 PM
Mon, Nov 15
4h 10m 0 $30.801 $28.00 $35.00 $41.00 </p>
<p>11:55 PM
Mon, Nov 15
SCHEDULE DETAILS 3:25 AM
Tue, Nov 16
3h 30m 0 $30.801 $28.00 $35.00 $41.00 **</p>
<p>Okay, it’s all straightened out. I called Greyhound and spoke to an agent. She told me it stops at Railroad Ave. near the Amtrak station. They just haven’t updated the information online. My daughter went ahead and purchased the ticket via online (non-refundable discount) of $28.00. It leaves Santa Cruz at 8:20 AM and arrives in SLO at 12:20 PM—4 hours. It showed the correct stop (Railroad Ave.) on the ticket confirmation. She can study or take a nap on the way. And, she can take a city bus up to campus.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yay! Students take these buses all the time, so your D should have no problem. And the Greyhound ticket ($28) is cheaper than what my son usually pays on the Amtrak bus ($39).</p>
<p>I’m not sure where you would be coming from, but I just looked up San Jose and the online fare purchased at least 2 weeks before the trip is still $28.00. Again, that’s non-refundable. They gradually get higher, depending on if you buy it the same day or buy a fully refundable ticket. It takes just about a full tank for me to drive to SLO, so this seems like a good deal. I love the Amtrak Coast Starlight train. We can drive her over to Salinas and she can take that to SLO in a few hours. But it costs $48. Still, it’s an option.</p>
<p>Thanks 2Leashes, I’ll keep this in mind. DS will be taking his car to SLO this year so probably won’t be a bus customer any longer. I’m not crazy about his doing the drive every time (3 hours) but he’s been down there & back a couple times already this summer with no problems. DS, best friend and 3 others have rented a house off campus for the year.</p>
<p>Amtrak, Grayhound and SLO Transit’s route 5 (which does go to campus) all share the same physical stop at the railroad depot. Grayhound closed their terminal on South St. around two or three years ago, so they have no real physical presence in SLO besides the sign marking the stop at the railroad depot. The depot is a reasonably good area, it’s well light at night, that end of the “Railroad District” is one of the nicer places in town and there’s even a Union Pacific Police Department office there (although I’m not sure how often it’s staffed).</p>
<p>Thanks, bjornredtail. I imagine my daughter will be an old pro getting to know the bus routes in SLO and the safe places to hang out. I hope! :)</p>
<p>Hi current and future students and parents, can anyone suggest a good route for visiting SLO from NY, by plane, then public transport? My daughter and friends want to go to see my son at CP in October, flying from NY. They will look for airfare deals, choosing to fly into LA vs SF vs ? Cost is definitely an issue, and the girls are all too young to rent a car (around age 21). I read about a bus shuttle from LA, so am wondering if anyone knows about that? What about ways to get from SFO or San Jose to SLO on public transportation? I belong to ZipCar, and could add my daughter to the membership, but that gets expensive when it is more than a short trip. Thanks for any ideas…</p>
<p>I have to believe that just flying from New York all the way to SLO would be well worth the cost relative to the hassle factor of trying to take ground transportation from LAX/SFO/SJC to SLO. Public transportation from Bay Area airports (I can’t speak for LA) is pretty awful. You’d have to get to either an Amtrak or a Greyhound station from the airport (expensive taxi?) and then take a 4-hour bus to get from SFO/SJC to San Luis.</p>
<p>You could also look into flying to Santa Barbara and taking a bus from there.</p>
<p>Here’s the Amtrak schedule:</p>
<p>[Amtrak</a> Routes and Schedules](<a href=“Amtrak Routes and Schedules”>Amtrak Routes and Schedules)</p>