Screenshot of SoFi stadium parking options available today for the August 3 concert
A quick glance at the SoFi Stadium parking website reveals that, where it's not already sold out, nearby parking will set drivers back $49 to $70 or more.
It's not just the cost, but the parking experience at big events is consistently wretched. Drivers can get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion both before and after concerts, easily lasting 20-30-40 minutes or more.
Arriving by bus or train, there is also the intangible benefit of sharing space with other concertgoers. Approaching and departing the venue, there is often a camaraderie bubbling among fans. Strangers often strike up conversations, either sharing excited anticipation beforehand or basking in the recollection of the event after.
HOW?
For folks interested in taking transit - public or private - to August Swift concerts, here is a run-down of your options, plus some tips.
First up, private buses. Rally OurBus is a company that organizes crowdsourced bus transportation to concerts and sporting events at numerous venues, including SoFi Stadium, where Rally has already served Super Bowl and BTS concert attendees.
Rally "bus rideshare" anticipates taking approximately 5,000 passengers to SoFi for Taylor Swift concerts. Chartered bus trips will depart from a couple dozen locations from Ventura to the San Fernando Valley to Orange County. Graphic via Rally.
For the August concerts, Rally is running prepaid charter shuttle buses to and from locations throughout Southern California, including Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, downtown L.A., and more. Customers can request new locations, and Rally adds buses where there is sufficient interest. Rally buses have wi-fi, restrooms, and allow food and drink.
As Metro notes: plan your trip ahead of time. Best to get a TAP card (one per rider) or TAP app, and pre-load stored value, so you don't get behind a line of newbies trying to use fare machines that day.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
Take a Metro bus
Metro rail is great, and fairly convenient for SoFi, but there are also several Metro bus lines that serve SoFi events:
Metro Bus Line 115 [schedule/map] runs from Norwalk to Playa Del Rey, mainly on Manchester Avenue and Firestone Boulevard. The 115 is useful for getting to SoFi from Cudahy, Florence, South L.A., Westchester, and Playa Del Rey.
Metro Bus Line 117 [schedule/map] runs from Norwalk to Westchester, mainly on Century Boulevard and Imperial Highway. The 212 is useful for getting to SoFi from Downey, South Gate, Watts, and Westchester, including areas just above LAX.
Metro Bus Line 212 [schedule/map] runs from Hollywood to Hawthorne, mainly on La Brea Avenue, hooking over to Prairie Avenue at SoFi. The 212 is useful for getting to SoFi from Hollywood, mid-city, and Crenshaw.
For all three of these lines, trips are fairly frequent around weekday rush hours - every 10 minutes - and less frequent on weekends and evenings, when service thins to every 30 minutes. Service ends between midnight and 2 a.m.
The later it gets, the less often buses run. It's frustrating to just miss an infrequent bus, so it's a good idea to check the schedule (can be via Google Maps) when leaving an event to know if you might need to walk fast to make sure to catch a bus that's arriving soon.
Getting to rail stations, skip the Metro shuttle and walk or bike instead
The hardest part of taking Metro will likely be waiting for shuttles after the concert; it often means waiting in a long line to access a packed vehicle that may be caught in a post-concert traffic jam. (The shuttle to the event is usually pretty chill.)
It may sound daunting, and it's certainly not for everyone, but one post-concert solution is to walk from SoFi to nearby C or K Line Stations. The walk to the Downtown Inglewood Metro K Line Station is about 25 minutes. The walk to the Hawthorne Metro C Line Station is about 40 minutes.
SoFi parking screenshot with Metro rail C and K Line stations added
And before angry readers write in about how you won't walk 25-40 minutes, check out comparisons with parking options. If you want halfway reasonably priced parking near SoFi, you would likely pay $18 to $30 or more - and would walk 20 or more minutes to get to your car, and then wait in a line of cars to get out of your lot. Some people already walk 30 or more minutes to access free on-street parking.
So, one option is to enjoy the night air while you casually stroll past the post-concert traffic which is probably moving at a walking pace or slower.
Then there's bicycling - also not for everyone. Metro allows bikes free on rail and buses - though it's only 2-3 bikes per bus, so it's not recommended for popular events; the bus bike racks are nearly always full before the bus gets to you.
For Metro rail, board bikes at train doors with a bike symbol. Bring a bungee cord to keep bikes in place. Packed trains after concerts can be a bit difficult to get bikes on to. It's sometimes easier to ride to the station before the crowd gets on. For example, if you're heading north on the K Line, bike from SoFi to the Westchester/Veterans Station instead of Downtown Inglewood (C Line trains are far enough from the venue that they perhaps won't be too crowded).
Transit ridership and freeway funding are up. $14 million for MicroTransit was postponed. South Bay C Line extension draws both controversy and support. Law enforcement, Taylor Swift, bus lanes, and more!