Transportation Alternatives
Students attending SMC have many alternatives to get to campus without driving alone. In fact, 70% of our students get to campus by bus, train, carpool, bike, scooter or walking because they know it saves money on gas and permits/tickets and is less stressful.
Explore your alternatives using Commute.smc.edu SMC's personalized trip planner. It provides all options (bike, walk, transit, carpool, and car) in one screen, including costs, time, route maps, calories burned and CO2 emitted.
*Some of the transportation options are provided by third parties and not regulated by SMC. Some may involve you signing legal agreements. You should carefully review the agreements and ensure that the option you select is appropriate for you.
Get the GoPass ($22.50 per semester) for unlimited rides on 12 transit agencies throughout Los Angeles
(see details below).
*Several BBB lines serve various SMC campuses. For more info, visit Big Blue Bus.
Steps to get the GoPass:
1. First, pay your $22.50 Student Benefits fee at Corsair Connect: smc.edu/cc.
2. Get your TAP card ready:
- Use a TAP card you already own (except a reduced-fare College/ Vocational TAP card).
- Don’t own a TAP card ? Pick one up from the Cashier's Office or request it be mailed to the address we have on file. Just email your student ID # to Transportation@smc.edu. (The blank TAP card will need to be registered before it can be used to ride for free. See next step)
- Use the TAP app on your phone. This only works if you have a TAP card that has never been used before. Follow the enrollment steps below and then download the TAP app to make your phone your pass
3. Go to the Enrollment tab on www.smc.edu/cc (current semester), then find Metro/BBB TAP Card menu option to retrieve your eligibility code.
4. Enter the code in Metro's portal: taptogo.net/gopass, along with the 20-digit number found on the bottom right of the back of the TAP card or in your app. Your pass will be ready to use within 4 hours.
- Tap your card on any TAP device (bus farebox, rail gate, or TAP vending machine) within 90 days or your pass will not be activated. You must tap your card each time you ride.
- Ride for free on Metro and other participating transit agencies for the duration of the academic term. You will need to register your card using a new unique registration code every academic term.
- In case your TAP card is lost or stolen, login to Corsair Connect to cancel the old card and get a replacement code to use on taptogo.net/gopass to activate another card number. Your original TAP card will be deactivated.
- Main campus - 17th Street (10 min walk or take BBB #41 or #42)
- PAC campus - 17th Street (10 min walk or take BBB #41 or #42)
- Emeritus - 4th Street Station (10 min walk)
- Center for Media and Design - Bergamot Station (4 min walk)
- Bundy / Airport campuses - (catch the BBB #14 from the Bundy Station)
- Malibu Campus - catch Metro's #134 from downtown Santa Monica to the Civic Ctr / Malibu Library (about 1 hour ride + a 4 minute walk).
More Expo info.
Waze Carpool - Find a ride for $0.58 per mile or fill a seat in your car to make a little extra
money on your commute. Download the Waze app. Allow at least 24 hours to be matched (but no guarantees so have a back-up plan).
Carpool - Find another SMC rider via Commute.smc.edu or check out Metro's Ride Match for a larger pool of drivers in Los Angeles.
Ride Hailing - Drop Off/Pick Up Zone for Lyft/Uber rides on Pico Blvd. @ 19th St. Do not use Pearl Street.
- UberPool: Use promo code uberpoolsmc2016 for $20 first ride.
- Lyft Shared: Use promo code SMC18 for $10 off your first shared ride.
Vanpool - Find a spot in an existing van or start a new one.
DAY: Use the Big Blue Bus for free to get to CMD and PAC (When you pay your Student
Benefits fee). EVENING: Call a Lyft Shared ride for free using the code.
SMC has many safe bike lanes surrounding the campus and state-of-the-art bike parking
and skateboard racks. A local Bike Loaner Program allows you to test bike commuting.
It’s important to properly lock your bike. Bikes locked to handrails and other structures outside of designated bike racks will be impounded. Bike maps, routes, Bike Club info, safety tips, and resources available here.
Bike Repair
SMC Bike Club repairs minor problems (flats & squeaks) for FREE Tue & Thu during club hours at the Pearl Bike Lot.
Free bike maintenance support at www.Bikerowave.org, for those who have paid their Student Benefits fee. Bring your ID card to avoid being charged.
DIY stands with pumps and tools are available 24/7 on Pearl St. and Lot 1 by SSC.
Hundreds of ebikes and e-scooters to choose from can be found around all campuses.
Use apps for Lyft, Spin, Veo, and Wheels to rent by the minute.
Each company has discounted prices for low income students. Apply here: Lyft, Spin, Veo, and Wheels
At Santa Monica College, we care deeply about your safety. With the recent influx of electric scooters, we thought it was important to give you a quick look at the state laws regarding electric scooters, so that you can be safe. Please note that electric scooters and bikes are NOT allowed on any of Santa Monica College’s campuses.
California Vehicle Code (CVC) 407.5(a) defines a motorized scooter as any two-wheeled device that has handlebars, has a floorboard that is designed to be stood upon when riding, and is powered by an electric motor. CVC 21235 mandates that all scooter riders in California:
- Must wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet if you are under 18.
- Have a valid driver license
- Ride on the road and remain off sidewalks
- May not park scooters on a sidewalk in a position that blocks pedestrian paths
Be very aware of your surroundings as you may not be seen or heard by other vehicles. Drive cautiously and defensively. Please be safe and be a responsible rider. Use common sense: don’t forget that these scooters are motorized vehicles, not toys, operating on streets.
These new apps take the guesswork out of planning your trip by aggregating real-time
data from the nearby bus, train, bike share and car share services. Check arrival
times, find closest stops, plan your route, weigh your options. Never waste time at
a bus stop again.
Transit App - Real time schedule updates for all nearby transit options.
CityMapper - Plan your trip from A to B across all mobility modes.
Google Maps - Trip planning for walking, biking, transit and driving.
NextBus - Real time arrival info & vehicle locations for BBB & Metro.
If you absolutely must drive to campus, plan extra time for traffic and parking. We
recommend heading directly to Bundy Campus where parking is free, plentiful, and shuttles run to main campus every 14 minutes. The
BBB #44 shuttle drops off at 17th and Pearl on main campus. To park on any of the
SMC campuses you must have a current parking permit. Get a permit online or in person at the Cashier's Office.
Please ride to campus but not through campus. Dismount from bikes, skateboards, and
scooters or risk a citation.
Interested in being a part of the solution? Attend the Transportation Task Force meetings
on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month from 1 – 2:30 pm. Meetings located at
1744 Pearl Street.