TransMETRO Bus Service

Anyone who has been approved as a visitor by CDCR is able to ride transMETRO. Registering for a bus service does not mean you are an approved visitor – you can only become an approved visitor through CDCR.

Bring I.D.

Please see Identification Required for Visiting for details on documentation needed in order to ride transMETRO and/or enter a CDCR institution. Additionally, the page has information on documents required for minors and those who accompany them.

Your Information Will Be Shared

TransMETRO shares all rider information with CDCR a week prior to a scheduled trip. CDCR notifies transMETRO if the incarcerated person a rider is attempting to visit is unable to visit for any reason. In this case, the visitor will not be permitted to ride transMETRO and should try again in the future.

Order of Processing

Visitors traveling to institutions using transMETRO will be processed in the same manner as visitors using other methods of transportation. There will be no priority given to a visitor due to their use of the bus service.

Register and Reserve Your Trip With TransMETRO by completing the Registration Form or calling TransMETRO at (415) 259-4746 during office hours Monday-Friday from 9am to 5pm.

• Registering for a bus service does not mean you are an approved visitor – you can only become an approved visitor through CDCR.
• Seats are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis.
• A week prior to a scheduled trip, confirmed riders will receive an email with important details including pickup and drop-off locations and times.
• All visitors are encouraged to schedule their visit through CDCR’s Visitation Scheduling Application (VSA) a week prior to the bus trip. Otherwise, the visit will be considered a walk-in visit. Directions for utilizing VSA to make a visiting reservation can be found here.

Buses depart Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday from Central, Southern, Northern, and Bay Area regions. Each region schedules service to all institutions on a rotating basis. All trips are subject to change based on demand and health and safety factors.

Buses will stop at multiple locations within each region to pick up passengers before traveling to an institution.

Pickup cities within regions:

• Central: Riverside, Pasadena, Lancaster
• Southern: San Diego, Long Beach, Bakersfield
• Northern: Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Stockton
• Bay Area: Richmond, Oakland, San Leandro, San Jose

Once a seat is confirmed, riders will receive information on pick-up and drop-off times and locations a week prior to their trip.

Pickup Addresses with Location Photos:

No. Please log onto CDCR’s Visitation Scheduling Application (VSA) up to eight days prior to your scheduled bus trip to secure a visiting reservation. Instructions for scheduling a visit using VSA can be found here.

You may still ride transMETRO and try for a walk-in visit. However, you must notify transMETRO five days before your scheduled trip that you were unable to secure a visit through VSA and are trying for a walk-in.

Those traveling by bus for a walk-in visit will be processed in the same manner as other walk-in visitors. There will be no priority given to a visitor due to their use of the bus service.

Trips with travel times expected to exceed 24 hours will  require lodging. Riders are responsible for the cost of overnight lodging. TransMETRO will designate a hotel for overnight lodging and attempt to get riders a discounted rate.

To ensure safety, multiple drivers will be designated and work in shifts for trips that are extensive in duration but do not exceed 24 hours.

Up to five approved visitors per incarcerated person are permitted to ride the bus at one time.

Space permitting, you may ride transMETRO as often as you would like.

Minors (persons under the age of 18 years old) must be accompanied by an adult who is an approved visitor of the same person the minor is visiting. Those who are not an approved CDCR visitor will not be permitted to ride the bus.

Please see Identification Required for Visiting for details on documentation required for minors and those who accompany them if riding transMETRO and/or entering a CDCR institution.

TransMETRO will provide free water during the trip. Riders are permitted to bring their own non-alcoholic beverages and food on the bus.

The bus will stop at a restaurant (usually fast food) for a dinner break for those who wish to purchase food. Riders must pay for their own meals..

Please note that visitors are only allowed to bring up to $70 per adult and $40 per minor into an institution. Excess funds brought on the trip can be stored in the secure storage lockers available for use on the bus. See the CDCR website for information on items permitted into institutions:

TransMETRO and CDCR are not liable for lost or stolen items.

Rides may be canceled at any time due to health, safety and/or availability. TransMETRO trips with less than 10 registered participants are subject to cancellation. If a trip is canceled, riders will be notified by transMETRO as soon as possible. CDCR and transMETRO are not responsible for any costs associated with canceled trips.

All visitors are encouraged to check the Facility Visiting Status page often for the most current visiting status of the institution you wish to visit.

Buses will be in a variety of sizes, and will comfortably accommodate the number of registered and confirmed participants on each trip. All vehicles are clean and in good working order and are equipped with climate control systems.

Depending on the size of the vehicle, it could come equipped with a restroom.  Otherwise, restroom breaks will be included in the schedule provided to confirmed riders.

Bus trips will take place on any holiday that falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Buses will not offer services for holidays that take place Monday through Thursday.

No. This service is not intended for overnight Family Visiting. People planning overnight visits with their incarcerated loved one must make their own travel plans.

Yes. The bus will have small, secure storage lockers with the ability to safely store personal items such as phones, wallets and keys.

TransMETRO and CDCR are not responsible for any lost or stolen items.

Riders are not required to take the bus round-trip. The bus travels to and departs from the institution at the time detailed in the itinerary. Those using transMETRO are responsible for boarding the bus on time and securing their own transportation if they miss the bus.

Buses from each region are scheduled for each institution on a rotating basis. Once every institution has been visited, the bus schedule will re-cycle through the list.

Yes, TransMETRO will provide a phone number to be called afterhours and for emergency purposes only during the scheduled trip. The emergency phone number for each trip will be added to the schedule when it gets emailed out to the public. TransMETRO will also provide the contact information during the confirmation process of the scheduled ride.