The first is probably the most important to anyone reading this - it is that it is still a very…read morereasonably priced method of travel. I also love that I have a table. I can sit at and write or eat something or play a game with someone who is with me instead of having to focus on traffic and being uncomfortable about not being able to change my seating posture for a long trip. I like the fact that I can go get a snack whenever I want to, and start up a conversation with a stranger and to make a new friend. That's what I think you want to hear when you want a review, but I want to tell you another special thing about why I love Amtrak. The sound of the train is something I have loved and that has comforted me from the first time I ever heard it when I was a child, until I bought my first house and discovered that there was a train track right on the other side of a fence that was 8 feet from my house. I learned later that the realtors were supposed to tell you that, but I was young and dumb. I had no idea of that. I was a newlywed and that happened the first night we slept there. It rattled the ground and knocked pictures and clocks off of the walls and terrified my husband and I, thinking it was an earthquake, until we heard the horn. Then we looked at each other and laughed and responded that same way as long as we lived in that house. I missed it for the longest time until many many years later I moved into a senior mobile home park that was nearby a train track, and I was thrilled to hear a train the first night I spent there. I was there five years and smiled every time I heard that that and felt my walls rattle. Between those two experiences, I had a Red Hat Society group for 12 years and we used to take the Amtrak train from Bakersfield to Hanford and spend the day there at different events they put on in the Civic Park, and then Fred the antique fire truck would pick us up and drop us back off at the train station and we would have fun riding home sharing the rolling adventures we had had that day. But the trips there and back themselves were also very fun because there were a few very sweet conductors who played with us and let us take pictures of them with us, and even tried on our hats and let them take pictures of them with us, and that kind of thing. We were a very silly and fun-loving group and we loved that! That's been many many years ago and I wish I could find those pictures...

Clean place also right by bus station and Bakersfield welcome center. Also close to restaurants!read more

I want to know can I leave my car there? It's pretty vintage and wont make it to where I want to goread more

I pass through this station quite frequently. The area is in the middle of nowhere, but its seems…read morevery safe and the people here are good people. The scenery is quite lovely and the food offered in the train is above average.. Could be cheaper though..

This station is as posted. I arrived after a canceled flight very early in the morning. The signs…read moresaid the lobby would open at 6:00 a.m. and they opened at 5:40 a.m. the staff were friendly and offered information on where short-term and launching parking were and the best place to leave my car. By the way, long-term parking is free and they will give you a sign to put in your dashboard if you arrive early enough before your train departs so you have time to walk it down to your car. While the staff on the trains themselves are not very friendly for the most part, the staff at the station are very helpful and polite. Train travel, can't be time-consuming, but it can also be relaxing. My hat is off to the staff at the Amtrak station in San Luis Obispo.

Definitely one of the better Amtrak stations in California. There are a few restaurants nearby,…read morewithin walking distance. Highly recommend Roma [Italian Restaurant] or MyThai [Thai Restaurant] directly across the street. Amtrak personnel are on site, so you can make ticket changes or stash your bags if you have time to walk around and explore. There is a railroad museum adjacent to the station as well; railroad buffs and kids will enjoy a visit there. The station is somewhat busy with North and South trains coming through. Just make sure you are boarding the correct train; it can get confusing and the volunteer helpers sometimes make things more confusing. All aboard!!

I don't want to give bad stars but here's my place to vent about why you should NEVER get the…read morehotdog from the train cafe. When dreams are just dreams - a hotdog pipe dream that went terribly wrong. On a Saturday night the 45th of January 2025 , I took Amtrack north bound. With the romantic glow of the sun filling the train where you have to imagine that the men inventing trains shook hands with God and made a deal that the light be most warm and most beautiful in a train. The purple haze grazing the palm trees of Goleta as the sun set so beautiful in shades of pink and coral into a rolling ocean of navy. The announcement sounded that the cafe was still open, it was 7:23pm. As I passed the train cars of families playing cards I felt like I was in the most wholesome of nights. The cafe had limited options, such as a hotdog. And there began the question one must ask, do I get the hot dog? I am playing a hasty game of chance if I get a hot dog... I'm on a train. If I get sick the bathroom won't be inviting. Will I gain enemies ? But I love hot dogs- every once in a while. Screw it "I'm only 36 once!" I proclaim in the whole 3 mins these thoughts race through my ADD mind. I bought the hot dog , a ginger ale and made my way to grab two packets of ketchup and a mustard. I got back to my seat. Placing the ketchup and mustard lovingly across the dog - as the buns collapsed like exhausted cartoon tires off their hinges. Caution took wind! This was the red flag. No the hot dog on a train was the first red flag. But while I'm still figuring out dating and not going for red flags , you can't blame me for picking this one. I said a prayer still eager that this might not have been a mistake. Ketchup filled the air as I thought , Oh holy Hebrew National hotdog , will thy bless thy self and use thy hotdog skills to land me a hottie husband who will adore me even when I give in to thy hotdog with plenty of ketchup - amen. I held the buns up. One side was wet of frost bite - like it had traveled too far off course on the Oregon Trail. The other side was very hard, but I thought I think it'll be fine. Very much like past relationships except this time I gaslit myself. I took a bite with the 'good bun' - one entire hot dog with one short hard bun that did not match in size , ok it was weird - so when I say the one and only bite I took was terrible I mean it was terrible. All nostalgic wonder passed me by. This was not "what dreams were made of" Hilary Duff , this was a hotdog nightmare. Alone in my train row I humbly acknowledged my mistake. And covered it to rest with a napkin. Amtrack please supply some decent food for goodness sake!

It's a decent but infrequently served station, not too clean sometimes but still decent, direct bus…read moreconnection for Amtrak bus service, but not city bus lines and has a modern ticket machine.

Whoa whoa what do we have here? Colorful characters ride the train today. First stops…read moreBakersfield, Wasco, Corcoran you're bound to see some tattoos. The rear car #4 yikes. Never seen so many tattoo'd females in very little clothing. Are we Ho Ho'ing or are we strippin' ? I got up to find another seat. Came across a table & some older man had the nerve to say I could not use the table. It's a crazy train now. So I sit in the dining cart to regroup. Noticed no one is staffing the dining cart. Time to regroup & check the app. Next thing I know two conductors come & tell me I can't sit here. (You can't park here.). I know I know. He tells me where the have plenty of seating & I ask him if he can retrieve my bag. Yes, I need help. The conductor graciously gets my carry-on from car 4 and carries it all the way to car 1. He tells me there's no dining service, but all the items out are FREE. 'Doesn't make any sense, right?' He asks me. It's all junk, except the baby water bottles & it's probably a tax write off for Amtrak. Time to put on my earbuds. Talkative people have just arrived stuffing their face with free corn chips & Doritos. Ride was not bad. Car #1 was mostly quiet. Passed by the Bay, got to see the water & all the tires sticking out of the shallow area. Arrived safely with some daylight. Staff was friendly & informative. Paid $43 for the ride from HNF to OAK JkL It beats driving.

Great way to travel, we enjoy the services, staff is excellent, when traveling down south,…read moreSacramento, Emeryville

They finally updated signs and have taken a bit better care of the station somewhat recently,easier…read moreto know where to go.

Pretty in the early morning! Creepy at night. No bathrooms. Nobody works here. No food options…read more Free parking. It's just a stop between Lompoc & Shell Beach. That's all I've got to say about that.

Michele took me and my siblings wine tasting in Paso Robles from Visalia and was great. She was…read morevery easy to coordinate with, flexible, a careful driver, and was very reasonably priced. I will definitely reach out to her in the future.

Well, Michelle, you got a one-star review from me this morning, because I really needed you today…read moreand I called and you didn't answer. I got sent to a robot voice who told me your voice mail box had not been set up. How do you expect to be in business for yourself when this is what happens when we try to call you? REVISION: Michelle responded quickly to my one-star review and I want to change that to a four-star review, because everything I've read sounds like she's amazing and wonderful, and she responded to my complaint very quickly. I'm sure I'll give her that fifth star as soon as I get a chance to ride with her. Michelle, I apologize for being cranky. I was in a car accident a few months ago and have a herniated disc in my neck, and two pinched nerves with bulging discs in my back, plus I twisted my knee a couple of days ago on top of that. So I've been in a lot of pain and was really hurting and stressed out. This is going to be a long story, but I want you to understand there were some serious extenuating circumstances to my rude review. I was meeting some prior very special students of mine from Bakersfield, who I rarely get to see, and who had taken the train to visit me at the Renaissance Faire. They were only going to be here for a little while, as they were taking the train back home at 2:30 pm, so I was REALLY struggling to get ready to meet them (it's really hard to get dressed quickly when you're in all of this pain ). Then I tried to get in my car and I realized my knee had gotten so swollen I couldn't get it to bend enough to do that. So then I was really freaked out. I have a wonderful private driver I use now and then when my car is in the shop or I have to go to the train station, and I called him but he was on an out-of-town pick-up and couldn't get to me quickly. So I tried three more people and was really frustrated that no one answered their phone. So that's the state of mind I was in Michelle, when I wrote that review, and I apologize and thank you for your quick response. I'm looking forward to doing business with you, and I promise you I'm not a cranky old lady. Cianne ~

Used the service for a trip to Spain. I needed transportation to LAX from Santa Maria. I tried to…read morebook online but kept getting a code required message that was supposed to be sent to my email. I never got the email. I tried this for several days and gave up and called to book. Booking by phone was fast and the operator was helpful and informed. She did not know why I was having trouble booking online. She said you could eat/drink in the vehicle but to not leave a mess. Total cost for roundtrip transport for my situation was just under $180. On the day/time of my transport, I parked my car in the general airport parking lot (free). I had to fill out some paperwork because my car was going to be there for more than 2 weeks. Shuttle was ready at the scheduled time. We made stops in Buellton and a rest break in Ventura. Driver was good but spoke very little English. A/C was functioning properly as it was hot outside. There is no form of entertainment (TVs), outlets to charge your electronic devices (phone), or WiFi. This is definitely a good service for the cost.

1. The driver won't turn off their music or turn it down even if you ask nicely…read more 2. The bus will make random stops "to pick up packages" along the way so don't expect the transit time to be accurate 3. If you call to complain they will just tell you to leave a review...so that's what I did.

RTA bus no longer returns to Grover Beach from Santa Maria after 17:00 so there is no safe route to…read moreand from these locations without a registered vehicle, no bike lane not even a shoulder on the roads to walk on. The only option is Amtrak which often arrives in Guadalupe as late as 24:00 but don't expect them to get you to your destination safely. There is no kiosk to buy a ticket at this station. As I was purchasing my ticket online the train arrived and denied me safe passage in the middle of the night. I do not advise walking along highway 1 at midnight. What takes 15 minutes on the train took me 5 hours to walk while dodging vehicles at 3am. Seems to me Amtrak cares less about giving paying passengers safe passage. The conductor located at the back of the train shut the door in my face as I showed my ticket being purchased through the window September 2, 2025 at 10:50 pm

Joel, and Kevin are very professional, kind and got me to my appointment today. Thank you for your…read morehelp

It feels really good knowing booking an event with Ride-On means giving to this non profit and all…read morethey do. I wish everybody could know that when booking a corporate event, wedding, or wine tour they are supporting a cause by riding with them.