East County News Service
May 15, 2026 (San Diego County) — The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is ramping up its San Diego Trolley service to accommodate sold-out crowds next week at Petco Park when the San Diego Padres prepare to host their rival Los Angeles Dodgers, in their first high-stakes matchup of the 2026 season.
The three-game series, running from May 18 to May 20, historically draws massive crowds and heavy downtown traffic. To help baseball fans avoid congestion, steep parking fees and high fuel costs, transit officials are strongly encouraging attendees to use public transportation.
Three primary transit arteries — the UC San Diego Blue Line, the Orange Line, and the Green Line — provide direct access to stadium gates, dropping passengers off just steps from Petco Park. Throughout the series, transit officials are promising that trolleys will arrive every 15 minutes or better both before and after the games to ensure a reliable and seamless commute.
The transit push will extend well beyond the Dodgers series as MTS announced it will maintain extra Trolley service for the remainder of the Padres’ extended homestand, which includes matchups against the Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies from May 22 to May 27.
For the highly anticipated opening game against the Dodgers on Monday, May 18, which features a 6:40 p.m. first pitch, pre-game adjustments will begin early. Starting at 5 p.m., the Green Line will see increased frequency with extra service running between Stadium Station and the Gaslamp Quarter Station. The UC San Diego Blue and Orange lines will also maintain a steady 15-minute-or-better frequency leading up to game time.
Post-game dispersal plans are heavily structured to empty the downtown area quickly.
Once the final out is recorded on May 18, the UC San Diego Blue Line will dispatch trains every 15 minutes from the 12th & Imperial Transit Center toward both San Ysidro and UTC. The Orange Line will mirror this 15-minute departure schedule. Meanwhile, the Green Line will run trains every 15 minutes from 12th & Imperial, supplemented by extra trips originating at the Gaslamp Quarter Station that will continue running until crowds completely diminish.
Detailed schedules for the subsequent games in the series are available on the MTS website.
To assist commuters driving in from outer parts of the county, MTS is highlighting its network of free Park & Ride lots situated along the Trolley lines. Major hubs include the Old Town Transit Center, which serves both the Green and Blue lines and offers more than 400 free spaces. Anticipating heavy demand at Old Town, transit officials have secured an additional 300 overflow parking spots nearby at the Caltrans District 11 headquarters at 4050 Taylor Street.
Other high-capacity parking options include the El Cajon Transit Center with over 400 spaces, the H Street station with 295 spaces, and the Tecolote Station with 279 spaces. Commuters can also use lots at Morena/Linda Vista, Grossmont Transit Center, Amaya Drive and the Balboa Avenue Transit Center, all of which offer hundreds of free spots to help drivers transition from their cars to the rails.
MTS has also modernized its fare collection system to prevent bottlenecks at station kiosks. Contactless payment is now available by tapping a credit card, smartphone or smartwatch directly against a platform validator. This charges a $2.50 one-way fare that remains valid for two hours, allowing riders to bypass traditional ticket machines entirely.
Alternatively, commuters can use the proprietary PRONTO system by downloading the mobile application ahead of time and loading a minimum of $5 to cover a standard adult round-trip fare. Officials emphasize that every individual rider requires their own distinct payment method, meaning multiple fares cannot be scanned off a single credit card or PRONTO account. Families traveling to weekend games can also leverage the agency’s promotional rules, which allow two children 12 and under to ride for free alongside any paying adult.
The logistical undertaking underscores the massive scale of MTS, which handles more than 250,000 passenger trips each weekday across 93 bus routes and four Trolley lines, spanning 10 cities and various unincorporated pockets of San Diego County. In fiscal year 2025, MTS served more than 81 million riders.