Driving in and parking versus Santa Clarita Transit's Commuter Express to Downtown L.A. — set your own days and car and see which costs less over a year.
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Most of the valley leaves for work, and most of us drive. Here's what getting to Downtown Los Angeles actually costs over a year — driving in and parking, or riding Santa Clarita Transit's Commuter Express. Set how many days a week you go, and your own car, to see which comes out ahead for you. Nothing you type is saved or sent.
| Way | You drive | Cost a day |
|---|---|---|
| Drive in and park | 64 mi | from $21.03 |
| Commuter Express bus to Downtown L.A. | — | $9.00 |
$9.00 a day · Board the Commuter Express (routes 794, 797, 792, 799) at a Santa Clarita Transit park-and-ride — the McBean Regional Transit Center and the other valley lots, where parking is free.
No freeway driving and no Downtown parking to find — best if your work is a walk or a short Metro ride from where the bus drops you.
Paying per ride — a monthly pass pays off from about 7 days a week.
Two $4.50 fares a day on a TAP card (cash is $5.00 each way). The yearly figure leaves out the short drive or walk to your park-and-ride. A $220 monthly pass also covers weekend travel and the other Commuter Express routes.
from $21.03 a day · Drive I-5 to the SR-14 split and on into Downtown — about 32 miles each way, longer in the morning rush.
Door-to-door and on your own schedule — but the dearest way, and Downtown parking adds up.
Parking shown as a monthly permit near the job (about $150-$220 a month) worked out per day; pay-as-you-go Downtown garages run more like $20-$40 a day. The 64-mile round trip is the fuel that drives this figure.
Fuel worked out at 25 mpg and $4.70 a gallon, over 46 commuting weeks a year. Change the days — or your own car — above.
“From” figures are a representative estimate, not a fixed fare — city-centre car parks vary and can run higher.
These are running costs only — fuel, parking and fares. They leave out the fixed cost of keeping a car (insurance, tax, servicing, wear), which you pay whether you drive in or not.
Fuel is worked out from a 25-mpg car and regular gas around $4.70 a gallon (AAA Los Angeles County average, late June 2026) — enter your own car above for a closer figure. Gas prices move; check the live AAA link below. Distances are round trips from Santa Clarita.
The Antelope Valley Line runs from the valley's three stations to Union Station, and station parking is free. We've left it out of the figures because Metrolink's exact fare between your station and Downtown is only shown on its live Price Finder (linked below), and the line cut about a fifth of its trains from 23 March 2026 with no return to the old timetable announced — so check the live schedule and fare before you count on it.
If your work is near a Metro B Line (Red) subway stop, the NoHo Express (route 757) runs to the North Hollywood station for $3.50 a ride ($176 a month) — often the cheaper way when you finish the trip on the subway rather than going all the way Downtown by bus.
Santa Clarita Transit's local routes are $1.25 cash or $1.00 on a TAP card, and the fare is capped at $3.00 a day and $10.00 a week — so extra local rides on a commuting day don't keep adding up.
These are out-of-pocket running costs — fuel, parking and fares. They don't include the fixed cost of owning a car (insurance, registration, servicing, wear), which you pay whether or not you drive to work. If you'd keep the car anyway, the bus saves you even more than the table alone shows.
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