(Last UPDATED 1/26/2023) Description of the multiple ways of getting around Sacramento – with or without a car.
Sacramento is a very walkable city, especially Downtown and Midtown, but it helps to understand how you can get around – with and without a car.
Sacramentans and visitors have multiple options for getting around the City – from public transportation choices to shared mobility options. Following is a breakdown of what’s available to help you make your way to and from the airport and around town.
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Without a Car
Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) Light Rail and Bus Service
SacRT Forward, SacRT’s revised light rail and bus service, launched in September, 2019. Check out the schedules for light rail and bus service, fares, etc. You will also find a link to a Trip Planner on this page. Download the SacRT ZipPass to purchase light rail, bus and SmaRT Ride fare directly from your smart phone.
Note: Cash fares accepted only on buses. Exact change required.
SacRT Airport Express Bus Service
In early January 2020, SacRT launched an express bus service to the Sacramento International Airport. The service is direct from Downtown Sacramento to Terminals A and B. The multiple bus stops for the Airport Express Bus Service in Downtown Sacramento are easily accessed from light rail.
SacRT’s Route 142 runs every 20 or 30 minutes, seven days a week combined with Yolobus downtown/airport routes 42A and 42B.
There are multiple ways to pay for the airport express bus service. If using cash, exact change is required.
Check out the SacRT Airport Express Bus Service page for more information, including recommended light rail connections and a downloadable schedule and map.
SacRT SmaRT Ride
Sacramento Regional Transit is now operating an on-demand shuttle. The rideshare service is currently now available in:
Curb-to-Curb
- Citrus Heights –Antelope-Orangevale
Corner-to-Corner
- Arden – Carmichael
- Downtown-Midtown-East Sacramento
- Elk Grove
- Florin-Gerber
- Folsom
- Franklin-South Sacramento
- Natomas-North Sacramento
- Rancho Cordova
Customers use the SmaRT Ride app to request a ride that will pick them up and drop them off within the specific area’s service boundaries.
The app provides passengers with an estimated pick-up time, an alert when their ride is about to arrive, and an alert when they are about to reach their destination. The app also tracks their ride in real-time.
The route traveled by the shuttle bus is flexible depending on demand. SacRT advises that if you have to be somewhere at a specific time that you to build in a time buffer.
Download the SmaRT Ride app and book your ride. Visit the SacRT SmaRT Ride page for the latest information on the service, service boundaries, cost, etc.
Shared Mobility
GIG Car Share
GIG electric cars are “free floating” shared cars that can be hired via an app and then dropped off anywhere in the designated “home zone”.
The drivers of GIG cars do not have to pay to park at metered street parking within the home zone. However, drivers are required to obey all laws relating to parking, including residential parking permit limitations. Find out more at GIG Car Share Sacramento
Update
(1/26/2023) Gig Car Share is leaving the Sacramento market effective Tuesday, February 2023. Operators of the service cite “low demand and high operational costs” as the reason.
Gig Car Share will continue to operate in the San Francisco Bay Area.
See related blog post: Sacramento GIG Car Share
Zipcars
You can find Zipcars parked in designated parking spaces throughout Sacramento.
Apply for membership online, and once approved you will be sent a Zipcard via mail. Book in advance a round-trip car by the hour or day.
To unlock the car booked tap the Zipcard to the card reader on the windshield. Return the car to the same location and lock with the Zipcard.
Zipcars are particularly useful for those out-of-town trips. Find out more at Zipcar Sacramento
Additional Resource: City of Sacramento Car Share Program
Electric-Assisted Bikes & Scooters
Electric-assisted bikes and scooters are available to rent via app. Download the app and it will show you available bikes and scooters in your vicinity.
These bikes are allowed on sidewalks if operated in a safe manner, but scooters are not. Scooters may be operated in bike lanes or on the side of the street.
Both bikes and scooters are required to be parked at a bike rack or in a City-designated drop zone. Download the Lime app to bike or scoot within the city limits of Sacramento and West Sacramento (across the river).
Additional Resource: City of Sacramento Shared Rideables
Other
Lyft/Uber
Sacramento is served by both Lyft and Uber if none of the above options work for you.
Taxi
Lastly, Sacramento is served by multiple taxi companies. Google to find out your options.
4/12/2021 – As a result of the competition from Lyft and Uber, taxi’s availability has become unreliable, at best.
With a Car
Street Parking in Sacramento
What does that circular sign next to a parking meter (1+, 2+, etc.) mean? It means, for example, that the rate for parking will go up after the first (1+) hour or after the first (2+) two hours. The meter will provide you with cost and time of expiration. You can use either quarters (for a short stay) or your credit card to pay for parking.
SacPark
In certain areas parking spots in garages and on lots can be reserved, allowing you to be sure you will have a parking spot near your destination. Signing up for SacPark is easy.
ParkMobile
With the ParkMobile app you can reserve a space in a lot or at certain meters (look for a green decal). The app also allows you to pay for parking and sends you an alert if time is about to run out. You are then given the option to add more money – a handy feature. Parking tickets are costly!
Comments?
What is your favorite way of getting around Sacramento?
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