Nearly 1,100 people a day are now riding the bus to San Diego International Airport, up from fewer than 700 a day just four years ago — a jump of nearly 60% that transit officials say proves demand for better airport transit exists, even as the region's long-studied dream of a direct rail connection remains stuck in planning limbo.
The growth centers on MTS Route 992, the bus that has linked downtown's America Plaza Station to the airport's Terminals 1 and 2 since 1999, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Ridership climbed from fewer than 700 passengers per day in fiscal 2022 to nearly 1,100 per day in fiscal 2026, the newspaper reported. A separate MTS release described the increase in slightly different terms, citing annual ridership that rose from 165,908 passenger trips in fiscal year 2021 to 398,790 in fiscal year 2026, an increase of more than 140%, according to MTS.
San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn said the route's growth shows there is real demand for better airport transit, per the Union-Tribune's reporting. He added that Route 992 demonstrates transit can be a reliable and convenient way to reach the airport.
MTS Supersizes Service, Riders Notice
MTS expanded Route 992 service beginning Sunday, Sept. 6, boosting buses to run every 15 minutes throughout the entire day until the end of service, with added evening and late-night trips, according to FOX 5 San Diego. Officials hope the added frequency will make public transit a more convenient option for travelers, particularly when airport roads and parking lots get congested, the station reported. Route 992 now begins service at 4:30 a.m. and runs its last bus from Terminal 2 to downtown at 12:56 a.m., per the Union-Tribune.
The bus runs along Broadway and Harbor Drive between downtown and the airport, stopping at Santa Fe Depot, where the Green and Blue Trolley lines stop, at Courthouse Station, where the Orange Trolley line stops, and at America Plaza, where Rapid bus routes 215, 225 and 235 connect riders to San Diego State University, South Bay communities and Escondido, respectively. The bus itself is built for travelers, with large luggage racks and wider doors than a typical MTS bus, and it picks up passengers at the airport's transportation plaza near baggage claim alongside the free San Diego Flyer shuttle.
Riders interviewed by the Union-Tribune described discovering the service through word of mouth and even artificial intelligence. Burcu Temizoz said she learned about the shuttle from ChatGPT, while Enrique Bernal said a co-worker tipped him off. Loyda Zepeda was taking the 992 to the airport for the first time, and Sydney Ortiz was riding the Old Town shuttle for the fourth time. Manuel Lauderos told the paper he commutes to work using the Blue Line Trolley and Route 992 in 45 minutes. MTS and the airport authority do not track riders' home locations, the newspaper noted.
The Free Shuttle Option Nearby
Travelers also have the San Diego Flyer, a free electric zero-emission shuttle that has run between the airport and Old Town Transit Center since November 2021, carrying passengers for about $1.2 million a year in operating costs. The Flyer operates seven days a week, arriving every 20 to 30 minutes on average between 4:45 a.m. and 12:30 a.m., according to Mass Transit, with trips taking 12 to 15 minutes. The airport authority says the Flyer is timed to connect with the first and last Trolleys, the Coaster, Amtrak and some MTS buses, and from Old Town, riders can reach the Blue and Green Trolley lines, more than a dozen bus routes, the Coaster and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner.
Flyer ridership more than tripled between 2022 and 2026, climbing from 207 passengers per day to 660 per day, according to the Union-Tribune's reporting. Airport transit passengers overall can save as much as $25 one way and $50 round-trip compared with taking a taxi or rideshare, the paper reported. That savings calculus shifted slightly on Oct. 1, when the MTS fare for Route 992 rose from $2.50 to $3, with another increase to $3.25 scheduled for fall 2027.
Notably, San Diego's Trolley system still does not stop directly at the airport. “While the Trolley doesn't stop at San Diego International Airport, you can still use it in conjunction with San Diego MTS,” according to the airport's own transportation guidance, which lists Route 992 running every 15 minutes from 4:15 a.m. to midnight — a schedule that differs slightly from the roughly 1 a.m. end time for the September service boost.
A Decade-Old Push for a Direct Link
That gap is exactly what the San Diego Association of Governments has spent years trying to close. A transit connection to the airport has been under consideration since 2007, according to KPBS. SANDAG's Airport Transit Connection project aims to create a direct link between the airport and the region's transit system, potentially combining Rapid bus and rail connections, per the agency.
SANDAG is studying up to three Rapid bus options connecting the airport to Downtown, Old Town and Shelter Island, while also evaluating rail concepts. The agency narrowed its options from 21 to five, a mix of three automated people mover concepts and two Trolley concepts identified as most feasible. In 2026, SANDAG completed an Airport Transit Connection Concept Study Addendum that pared the field further — from 17 concepts studied in a second round down to five advancing toward environmental analysis, based on cost, construction complexity and projected ridership.
The Trolley options were projected to have the highest ridership and lowest cost among the finalists, with the least expensive estimated between $1.3 billion and $2.0 billion, per KPBS. The cheapest elevated automated people mover option, by contrast, was estimated at $1.8 billion to $2.8 billion. The Union-Tribune separately cited a broader estimated range of $1.5 billion to $3 billion for a possible direct connection, which regional planners say could include a new airport Trolley stop or a people mover. Regional planners have cautioned the project may take a decade or more to complete.
How San Diego Compares Nationally
San Diego's airport transit debate echoes a pattern seen across the country. A U.S. Government Accountability Office study found that 23 of the nation's 31 large airports have rail service, and at 18 of those airports, the rail connection sits on airport grounds or links via an air train, according to Mass Transit's coverage of the GAO findings. The same report found that transit use by passengers ranged from 4% to 19% at the 12 airports for which the GAO could identify passenger transportation reports, and an estimated 4% of airport and airline employees nationwide commute via public transit.
The GAO noted that cost, travel time and familiarity with transit options all shape whether travelers choose to ride transit to the airport — factors San Diego officials are banking on as they expand bus frequency while the costlier rail debate plays out. For now, the surge in Route 992 and Flyer ridership stands as the clearest evidence that San Diego travelers are willing to take transit to catch a flight, even without a train that runs straight to the terminal.
