21 replies to this topic

[fumarlamota]

Hey everybody!!

I just went down to Tijuana this week, and I had a wonderful time.... I love it. I felt safe, even whilst walking through the most 'depraved' neighborhoods, like zona norte (haha)....

I'm wondering if anybody has got any resources/information on how to commute to Tijuana, specifically to the Linea from Rosarito? I found a very affordable apartment in Rosarito, and I'm wondering when the buses start running to the Linea, and how much do they cost?? Because I need to be in the pedestrian line probably at about 6 AM at the latest, to be to school on time in San Diego at 8 AM.

Thanks!

[bajashrink]

The yellow & white taxi vans run between Tijuana-Rosarito with a fare of only 16 pesos. In Rosarito their stand is across the street from the Rosarito Beach Hotel, although their route in Rosarito is all along Blvd. Benito Juárez, so you can catch one anywhere along there.

In Tijuana their stand is downtown on Madero (1 block east of Revolución) between 3rd & 4th Streets. From there you can get to the SY border crossing by walking to 2nd Street and catching any bus heading towards the border with LINEA written above or on the windshield. The fare for the big Bluebird and school-type buses is 8.5 pesos. The somewhat smaller microbuses that are blue & white are 10 pesos.

[Cyanide41]

I would image that commute takes FOREVER!

[bajashrink]

I would image that commute takes FOREVER!

About 45 minutes, and even less if no passengers want to be dropped off in the La Gloria section of TJ in either direction.

[fumarlamota]

About 45 minutes, and even less if no passengers want to be dropped off in the La Gloria section of TJ in either direction.

16 pesos isnt that much money... Thats double what the local blue bus costs.... I paid eight pesos to get to playas from centro. Shit people, i'm so excited to get back to tijuana ...

[fumarlamota]

What time do the ruta taxis start running from rosarito to the linea?

[George Costanza]

If my memory serves me correctly they do not go to the border. You have to be dropped off downtown and take another tax to the border which can add time to your commute. One of my friends thought it would be a wonderful idea to move to Rosarito. Although not a bad idea unless you have to cross everyday and don't have sentri. His commute was at least 3 hours just to cross. He told me he spends around 5 hours just going back and forth everyday.

He did that for 6 months and now lives close to the Otay border and spends about 90 mins for his commute and that is total back and forth.

[C-Lo]

I live in Rosarito also and find crossing the border on foot or car is a pain in the ass! My mom has sentri and drops me off at the pedestrian crossing and the line is always rediculous. I have to admit I have cut more than once

I know there is a pedestrain sentri available and it is cheaper than the normal sentri. the last time I asked about it there was a 50% discount on the price. Not sure how long that is going on or even if it still is. Thankfully I don't have to cross everyday because I work in TJ. I think it is about a 10-15mins walk from where the taxi drops u off.

[Zoe J.]

I live in Rosarito also and find crossing the border on foot or car is a pain in the ass! My mom has sentri and drops me off at the pedestrian crossing and the line is always rediculous. I have to admit I have cut more than once

I know there is a pedestrain sentri available and it is cheaper than the normal sentri. the last time I asked about it there was a 50% discount on the price. Not sure how long that is going on or even if it still is. Thankfully I don't have to cross everyday because I work in TJ. I think it is about a 10-15mins walk from where the taxi drops u off.

All the information was good, as we did the walk across a couple days ago to try it out. We didn't bother with the blue linea bus after we got to TJ, but just walked down a couple blocks, went over the bridge and hit the overpass to the pedestrian line. In line about 18 minutes but it was a little later, maybe 11. The shuttle from Rosarito is a bargain, but it takes a bit as he goes pretty slowly hoping to pick up more fares.

[Pet Mom]

Okay, so to get across the border to the states five mornings a week is a bear. I'm guessing no one here would recommend driving from Rosarito, parking your car in TJ and walking across the border to catch the trolley to work in the states? I'm just wondering if there is a safe place to park and ride on the TJ side.

Or, would any of you suggest going to the other border crossing, whose name eludes me at the moment? Thanks.

[bombero]

Okay, so to get across the border to the states five mornings a week is a bear. I'm guessing no one here would recommend driving from Rosarito, parking your car in TJ and walking across the border to catch the trolley to work in the states? I'm just wondering if there is a safe place to park and ride on the TJ side.

Or, would any of you suggest going to the other border crossing, whose name eludes me at the moment? Thanks.

I am not an expert, but i believe without a sentri card it would be a lost cause

[Mary Ellen]

Okay, so to get across the border to the states five mornings a week is a bear. I'm guessing no one here would recommend driving from Rosarito, parking your car in TJ and walking across the border to catch the trolley to work in the states? I'm just wondering if there is a safe place to park and ride on the TJ side.

Or, would any of you suggest going to the other border crossing, whose name eludes me at the moment? Thanks.

You can park your car but it is going to cost you $2+ daily for a safe place; if you go to the U.S. side expect $5+ daily. If you get the Sentri or use Ready Lane at Otay it will shorten the time. Make sure you do get a passport otherwise you will have to keep your documentation/birth certificate, etc. in the car at all times as U.S. border patrol will check it everytime (and that increases your wait time as well).
Also if you decide to drive outside of the Free Zone you definitely need your passport otherwise you could have problems if the Federales stop you and you only have a birth certificate.

[Mary Ellen]

If you've noticed most people at the borders do not have Sentri or Ready Lane. As I've mentioned before, obtaining the Sentri is not quite as effortless as perceived. You have to spend a lot of time to qualify for it which is the major reason most people don't get it. For people like myself who go across the border less than 5 times weekly, it's not so important. And I use that time to improve my Spanish with CD's, reading books, meal planning, working on laptop, etc.

I am not an expert, but i believe without a sentri card it would be a lost cause

[Mary Ellen]

Okay, so to get across the border to the states five mornings a week is a bear. I'm guessing no one here would recommend driving from Rosarito, parking your car in TJ and walking across the border to catch the trolley to work in the states? I'm just wondering if there is a safe place to park and ride on the TJ side.

Or, would any of you suggest going to the other border crossing, whose name eludes me at the moment? Thanks.

The trolley is not available at the other border crossing, Otay, and you can only use the Ready Lane at Otay.
Also...if you use the search function on this board you can find more discussions about specific topics such as the border crossings. There is a whole topic devoted to that.

[HK70]

Sentri is not hard to get assuming you have the $145 bucks, can provide the documentaion and no skeletons in your closet. My guess most people do not get Sentri is becuase they have sekeletons so they don't bother or they are ignorant of the program. The $145 bucks for 5 years is a steal.

[Mary Ellen]

You forgot to mention that your passport is kept for processing for 2 months and there are several interviews so for someone like me who does not across more than 4 days a week it's just not worth the hassle not to mention providing documentation if you've lived in more than one state. If it were that easy to get it more people would apply. SanDiegoOnline did a poll as to why people don't have the Sentri and that was the #1 reason...too much of a hassle. Passing the backround check was either #3 or #4 so that is not the reason.

Sentri is not hard to get assuming you have the $145 bucks, can provide the documentaion and no skeletons in your closet. My guess most people do not get Sentri is becuase they have sekeletons so they don't bother or they are ignorant of the program. The $145 bucks for 5 years is a steal.

[Mary Ellen]

You forgot to mention that your passport is kept for processing for 2 months and there are several interviews so for someone like me who does not across more than 4 days a week it's just not worth the hassle not to mention providing documentation if you've lived in more than one state. If it were that easy to get it more people would apply. SanDiegoOnline did a poll as to why people don't have the Sentri and that was the #1 reason...too much of a hassle. Passing the backround check was either #3 or #4 so that is not the reason.

Sentri is not hard to get assuming you have the $145 bucks, can provide the documentaion and no skeletons in your closet. My guess most people do not get Sentri is becuase they have sekeletons so they don't bother or they are ignorant of the program. The $145 bucks for 5 years is a steal.

[HK70]

You obviously have no clue what you are talking about they do not take your passport for two months. You bring it with you to the interview and show it to them. The process is fairly simple. But the less people that use Sentri the better it is for me so you can continue to spread misinformation on how difficult it is to get but you are doing a disservice to the newbies who read your posts.

[Zoe J.]

You obviously have no clue what you are talking about they do not take your passport for two months. You bring it with you to the interview and show it to them. The process is fairly simple. But the less people that use Sentri the better it is for me so you can continue to spread misinformation on how difficult it is to get but you are doing a disservice to the newbies who read your posts.

No need to get testy HK70. At least this person is trying to participate on this forum which very few people do. Her observations are personal and perhaps she was wrong about the passport issue, but it IS a hassle. I have heard from so many people that had some minor infraction that caused them to be denied but they are still out of their $145. Perhaps, with the new Ready Lane becoming available soon, it will provide an alternative. I downloaded our application yesterday and will mail it in today. Yes, they require the passport to be sent in also, but just make a copy and it will be returned within 2-3 weeks along with a passport card. You don't need a passport, anyway, to cross back and forth despite what the Govt. wants you to believe.

[bombero]

I have applied for a sentri pass, its a long ass process. I think my interview is in a couple of weeks. It kills me when the no documentation line is shorter than the regular line.