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We will be taking our first ever train trip from Albuquerque, NM to Riverside, CA in a few weeks. What is the routine when you are dropped off at a station that is a mere platform at 5:30 in the morning? We will rent a car when we get there, but how do you get to the rental car place? We will also be using this platform station to return at 8:30 in the evening. Anyone w/ any information regarding this station as well as the San Bernardino station would be much appreciated. We are trying to avoid LA as much as possible. Thanks!
dilly Member # 1427
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Since you'll be stepping off the train in the most car-centric state in the nation, don't count on finding any local taxis waiting, especially at such an ungodly hour.
Before you leave on your trip, call the car rental agency (no, not the national 1-800 number; speak to someone who actually works at the Riverside office). They're in the best position to tell you how to get from the station to your hired car.
Unfortunately, in many towns and cities, local taxi services don't operate in the wee hours of the morning. There's not enough business.
However, if the car rental person says a taxi is your best option, ask them to give you the phone numbers of several taxi companies in the area (which you can also find on the Internet).
Be sure to call the taxi company to discuss your "situation" before you leave home. Then, when your train is about an hour outside of Riverside (ask the conductor or car attendant), call them again on your cell phone so a taxi will be there when you arrive.
The same applies to San Bernardino.
amtraxmaniac Member # 2251
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I can be the first to say from experience that taxi service runs 24/7 pretty much anywhere in Southern California. San Bernardino and Riverside would be no exception.
Avoid San Bernardino. The station is in a crappy part of town. The Riverside station, on the other hand is right in the heart of downtown. Some rental car companies will pick you up if your not too far, no?
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