When it comes to Orange County, the public transportation offered to travelers is limited – and basically non-existent.
John Wayne Airport has only one car rental counter in the airport. Other companies are located near the airport but you won’t be able to get a car at the terminal with them. Pretty much every one of the sna airport car rental companies will offer a free pickup service from the airport and some will offer a car drop off program. No matter what company you choose though, be prepared to rent a car if you don’t have a form of transportation available to you when you land.
Nearly every major city in America offers some sort of public transportation to incoming travelers. Cities on the east coast have subways and trains, larger cities also might rely on busses, most of them will have some options for getting around the area. When it comes to Orange County – and even Los Angeles – none of these are offered to travelers; their options are extremely limited.
Really the only form of public transportation available to tourists and visitors is bus lines that run through the area. They stop nearly every half mile and take hours to go only a few dozen miles; they are designed really only for business commuters. The rail lines follow the same schedules s the busses. The trains are built and designed mainly for business commuters. The tracks run in very limited areas and they are on very infrequent schedules. All of the busses and rail lines will shut down after the early evening rush hour. So if you plan on taking in the local nightlife you will not be able to see much using the busses or trains.
When it comes to cabs, unlike major cities like San Francisco, New York, and Chicago, Los Angeles does not have cabs that run through the town on a regular basis. The cabs are only available if you call ahead of time and wait for a pickup. The reason for this is that LA and Orange County are spread out over a very large area of land and there are very few places where travelers will gather where having constant cabs makes any sense. If you are visiting So Cal for either business or pleasure you will need to get a car rental orange county before you arrive at the airport terminal.
If you plan on getting around these areas you will need to use your own form of transportation. The primary form of travel around the LA and OC areas are the freeways that run throughout the state. There are dozens of freeways available in the area that will take you through any major (and even minor) cities in the two counties. Without a car to drive, you will be stuck.
Another concern is that even if you have a car or a way to get around on your own your going to need a form of navigation. The freeways are easy to navigate but you need to know where you are going with surface streets and highways. Many of the sna airport car rental companies can offer a GPS unit in your rental.
When you are visiting Orange County or Los Angeles you will need to get yourself a car.
Why You Need a Orange County Car Rental 