OC Fair Express

 

This year the Boyznberries and I decided to see what all the fuss was about with the OC Fair Express.

We decided to try it and it was great. We parked our car at one of their locations. Rode the bus with no fuss. They added more frequent service and it was a nonstop ride.  $2 each way, and you get a ticket for $3 admission into the fair. I saved gas and money for parking on the fairgrounds. My boyznberries thought it was an adventure. I was so relieved to not have to worry about the hassle of parking, driving. It was one less thing I had to do and I felt like such a good environmentally friendly with my older one for taking the bus vs driving. I was surprised how much fun the bus was to take.

 The OC Fair Express provided non-stop weekend service from nine locations to the OC Fair from July 17 to Aug. 16.

 

Buses ran every 20 minutes from Fullerton and Huntington Beach, every 30 minutes from Santa Ana and every 40 minutes from the two Anaheim stops, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Orange and San Juan Capistrano. Service runs between noon and midnight on Fridays and 10 a.m. and midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. They added an additional stop in Anaheim this year.  As seen on my instagram, The express service began with a kick-off celebration at 10:30 a.m. July 17 at the Irvine Transportation Center, 15215 Barranca Parkway. Attendees had the opportunity to win prizes and the first 100 people can catch the 11:25 a.m. OC Fair Express for free from the event.

“The OC Fair Express provided an affordable way for riders to visit the fair,” said OCTA Chairman Jeff Lalloway, also the Mayor Pro Tem of Irvine. “It allows riders to get to the fair without having to spend time looking for parking and helps alleviate traffic on the busy streets around the fairgrounds.”

 

In 2014, the OC Fair Express, which ran hourly, recorded nearly 77,000 boardings, a 31 percent increase in ridership over the previous year.

 

 

Riders could  catch the OC Fair Express from nine locations:

 

• Anaheim: Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, 2626 E. Katella Ave.
• Anaheim Canyon: Anaheim Canyon Metrolink Station, 1039 N. Pacificenter Drive
• Fullerton: Fullerton Park-and-Ride, 3000 W. Orangethorpe Ave.
• Huntington Beach: Goldenwest Transportation Center, 7301 Center Ave.
• Irvine: Irvine Metrolink Station, 15215 Barranca Parkway
• Laguna Hills: Laguna Hills Transportation Center, 24282 Calle de los Caballeros
• Orange: The Village at Orange, 1500 E. Village Way
• Santa Ana: The Depot at Santa Ana, 1000 E. Santa Ana Blvd.
• San Juan Capistrano: Junipero Serra Park-and-Ride, I-5 Freeway and Junipero Serra Road

 

The OC Fair Express was made possible in part by a grant provided by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee. The committee provides subsidies for cleaner transportation alternatives.

At the fair the Boyznberries and I had a great time trying new foodies and rides galore. We had a blast!

 

 

 

 

So much to do it was hard to decide. We can all agree that we will be back next year and we will be taking the OC Fair Express again.