Shuttles

[TomAz]

I wish I understood how these were going to work. I would like to do this but I'm concerned.

I am staying at a hotel (Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage) that is not included in any of the lines. I would be willing, though, to drive to one of the hotels where there is shuttle service, park, and ride the shuttle in an out from there. However, I don't know if this will be permitted -- will the hotels let me park? will there even be parking?

I guess what I'm asking is, since my hotel is not on one of the shuttle lines does this mean it is not a viable option for me?

[Newro7ic]

I had friends who did this last year. We rented a house, but they had shuttle passes. They drove to the hotel, parked there and took the shuttle.

I obviously can't guarantee that this will be the case this year, but it definitely is a possibility.

[captncrzy]

I really don't think you have to be staying at the hotel to take the shuttle. Pretty sure lots of people drove to the hotels and then took the shuttle last year.

[jimmycrackcorn]

I wish I understood how these were going to work. I would like to do this but I'm concerned.

I am staying at a hotel (Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage) that is not included in any of the lines. I would be willing, though, to drive to one of the hotels where there is shuttle service, park, and ride the shuttle in an out from there. However, I don't know if this will be permitted -- will the hotels let me park? will there even be parking?

I guess what I'm asking is, since my hotel is not on one of the shuttle lines does this mean it is not a viable option for me?

Nice hotel (ask for a room with a western exposure instead of eastern)... It is not a problem to not be staying at the hotel where the shuttle picks up or drops off I don't believe... For example the palm springs shuttle pick up is at a mall not even a hotel...

[PlayaDelWes]

I would go with Indian Wells or La Quinta. They both get you as close to the venue as possible without having to deal with venue traffic. And since they have short routes, I would imagine they would be the most frequent.

[Stickjohn]

Valley Travel is still selling shuttle passes but the hotel packages have been sold out for awhile. To me that indicates the shuttles are for more than just hotel guests.

1/27 There are actually some packages left that were recently added.

[TomAz]

More questions.

1. do the shuttle buses run along dedicated exclusive routes which allow them to bypass traffic and get into the festival? I mean, if the buses sit in the same traffic as everyone else, what's the point?

2. Is last year a reliable comparison? Given the increased emphasis on the shuttles this year, and hence potential explosion in ridership, isn't it possible that last year could have been fine and this year could turn into a clusterfuck?

[rage patton]

Or, because of the extra shuttles, perhaps they will run more efficiently?

[Newro7ic]

More questions.

1. do the shuttle buses run along dedicated exclusive routes which allow them to bypass traffic and get into the festival? I mean, if the buses sit in the same traffic as everyone else, what's the point?

http://valleymusictravel.com/coachella_faq.php

How long will it take to get to the festival from my hotel?

While we have taken many precautions in order to circumvent festival traffic, we cannot account for area traffic or weather delays. However, we have several routes to and from the grounds that avoid most festival traffic and will get you there and back as quick as possible every time.

2. Is last year a reliable comparison? Given the increased emphasis on the shuttles this year, and hence potential explosion in ridership, isn't it possible that last year could have been fine and this year could turn into a clusterfuck?

I'm not sure how reliable it will be, to be honest. I know there are quite a few people who are saying they have the shuttle pass, but still plan on driving. I guess it all depends on what the rules will be regarding shuttle passes (you HAVE to take the shuttle if you have a shuttle pass wristband, or what have you). The rules aren't quite clear yet.

I would assume it's a decent baseline, but it could be a serious clusterfuck as well.

[Newro7ic]

Or, because of the extra shuttles, perhaps they will run more efficiently?

This is what I'm hoping. But that is still assuming they weren't running the full fleet last year.

I think we're still blind at the moment, just like we always are. We just have last year to go by until more information is released.

[TomAz]

i think i may buy a shuttle pass and try it the first day and if it works, great, if not, i'll drive and park after that.

[billtino]

If the hotels where the pick up spots don't have adequate parking, they may not let you park there unless you are a guest of the hotel....but then again this ain't Las Vegas.

[downingthief]

Tom, I had some of the same questions. On the not staying at the hotel issue, I found this:

Can we purchase one of the Local Area Hotel Shuttles even if we are not staying at one of the hotels on the line?
Yes you can. Choose the Hotel shuttle pass that is closest to your hotel. That hotel is where you will be picked up and dropped off, and where you will be picking up your shuttle passes and/or festival tickets.

[jazzz]

Are the ticket & shuttle combo passes sold out? I called "Valley Music Travel" yesterday about ticket/shuttle from Palm Springs and they said they were working on some issues yet today the website says sold out and when I checked Ticketmaster they didn't have ticket/shuttle passes available either.

[TomAz]

yes, there are no tickets left in any form.

[TomAz]

I'm impressed by my ability to write such a short sentence so poorly.

[luckyface]

I was considering this option pretty strongly, so I asked a few questions of VMT.

In my discussions with the company, who have been great, they do have alternate routes they take which will minimize the traffic. They also will have numerous shuttles running continuously throughout the day. They will have a coordinator on site that will help with the organization of getting on the shuttles. They also are only selling a select number of shuttle passes, so they will stop if they sell out of their allotment. It will not be a case where they continue to sell as many tickets as possible.

Shuttle passes purchased. Anyone going the JW Marriott route?

[TheClares]

If I weren't camping, I would buy a shuttle pass. They do have exclusive rights of way into the festival, and from what everyone said last year, it was the getting into and out of the day parking that caused the problems, where the shuttles zoomed in and out of the area. Not sure what happens when you hit the surface streets, but it seems like a much smarter way to avoid 3 hour waits, which I never heard a shuttle person complain about.

I imagine there will be lots of cheap shuttle passes for the Indian Wells route since those came with the the GA tickets that last minute people, including campers, had to buy, and will be looking to unload.

[psychic friend]

You can direct all shuttle related questions to VMT. You can change your shuttle route if you bought the pass/shuttle combo.

http://valleymusictravel.com/coachella_contact.php
Customer Service may be reached at 1-888-833-1031 during the hours of 10:30 am - 6:30 pm EST.

[TonyMostyn]

[QUOTE=psychic friend;2001827]You can direct all shuttle related questions to VMT. You can change your shuttle route if you bought the pass/shuttle combo. QUOTE]

Great news, I'd like them to change the route and pick me up here in Washington DC.

Serious question - I bought a festival ticket and shuttle pass from their website and the only option is to pick up the pass and ticket from at the shuttle location. For those who have done this before, is it a smooth process? What happens if I show up and they say you're not on our list, go away?

Tony

[Stickjohn]

Every year is a little different for a variety of reasons. I believe in you.

[Bee_troots]

Indian wells shuttle FTW!

[leahfiish]

Shuttle passes purchased. Anyone going the JW Marriott route?

Me!

Serious question - I bought a festival ticket and shuttle pass from their website and the only option is to pick up the pass and ticket from at the shuttle location. For those who have done this before, is it a smooth process? What happens if I show up and they say you're not on our list, go away?

Tony

Wondering the same thing....

[psychic friend]

You can direct all shuttle related questions to VMT. You can change your shuttle route if you bought the pass/shuttle combo.

http://valleymusictravel.com/coachella_contact.php
Customer Service may be reached at 1-888-833-1031 during the hours of 10:30 am - 6:30 pm EST.

[gaypalmsprings]

I just got this email. The shuttle company is surprisingly inflexible, wanting know which bus I will take. I can't change my mind in April. It also doesn't allow different times on different days. I say screw them - but I already have a ticket.

[Stickjohn]

Try the Coachella celebrity card?

[gaypalmsprings]

Try the Coachella celebrity card?

They're sold out. Maybe a BJ might help.

[brfilora]

I just got this email. The shuttle company is surprisingly inflexible, wanting know which bus I will take. I can't change my mind in April. It also doesn't allow different times on different days. I say screw them - but I already have a ticket.

I had the same concern after buying a 1 p.m. shuttle pass for the Riviera Palm Springs line. I e-mailed VMT and got this response:

Thanks for reaching out! Due to the capacity of these lines, that 1pm
slot guarantees you a seat on that specific shuttle for all three
days, however you may attempt to ride the other shuttles. You
shouldn't have a problem as many people will be swapping times, as
well. It's just not 100% guaranteed as the spot you chose.

[Alligator Bogaloo]

yes, there are no tickets left in any form.

Did you end up getting a shuttle ticket, Tom?

[brfilora]

You can direct all shuttle related questions to VMT. You can change your shuttle route if you bought the pass/shuttle combo.

http://valleymusictravel.com/coachella_contact.php
Customer Service may be reached at 1-888-833-1031 during the hours of 10:30 am - 6:30 pm EST.

I've talked to the people at VMT about this and they say you can do that no problem. They said to call MusicToday to find out the cost (Cause we wanted to switch to one of the $75 lines from a $50 line)

MusicToday said that this would involve cancelling the whole order (Fest ticket + shuttle pass) and putting it back through...also that they weren't sure they could even do it.

Seems a bit sticky...like you could potentially cancel your fest ticket inadvertantly.