How to get to Slab City from El Centro as a leather Tramp

[00kissmarrykick00]

If you arrived off the Greyhound or Flix bus, you'll most likely arrive in the afternoon. Call the shelters to see if there's availability, or have some money ready for a cheap hotel/motel.

Your options are to take a slab cab from El Centro, take the Imperial Valley City bus roue 2 to Niland and walk the four miles or get a slab cab from niland, or wait until Thursdays that isn't a federal holiday to take the city bus from El Centro into the main part of Slab City. It would be route 2 to route 51. Route 51 is in Niland.

Side note: Imperial Valley Transit route 2 also passes through Brawley California which is a little bit north of El Centro.

Area Agency of aging
778 W State St, El Centro, CA 92243 PA/AAA Homepage - http://www.aaa24.org/

Tell them you're homeless and they'll give you bus passes. They might ask where you're going, and it's okay to be honest. They don't check or anything.

Route 2 from El Centro to Niland runs all day an hour or two apart depending on the time of day.

 

[Dmac]

How much did it cost, or did you get the free,pass?

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

Slab Cab approximate prices by location:

Niland $5 Calipatria $10 Brawley $20 El Centro $45 Calexico $65 Indio $40 - $50 Palm Springs $65 - $75

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

How much did it cost, or did you get the free,pass?

The bus in El Centro is a $1.50, but I got the passes for free from the AAA building.

 

[Matt Derrick]

Call the shelters to see if there's availability, or have some money ready for a cheap hotel/motel.

This really isn't necessary, since there is plenty of open desert and other places that you can rough camp in.

Also it's only a 3 mi walk from niland into the slabs, and there's probably a 90% chance anyone seeing you walking along the road will offer to give you a ride into the slabs.

 

[TheDesertMouse]

What matt said, I would much prefer camping out then some sketchy el centro shelter, I’ve had to do it once, wasnt bad at all.
And yeah, theres. 90% chance someone will pick you up hitchhiking from
niland, even if you get off the bus after dark, theres almost always some people headed back in. Why spend 45$ for a slab cab ?

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

Ok,

This really isn't necessary, since there is plenty of open desert and other places that you can rough camp in.

Also it's only a 3 mi walk from niland into the slabs, and there's probably a 90% chance anyone seeing you walking along the road will offer to give you a ride into the slabs.

I say that as a person who doesn't prefer to camp, but if you prefer to camp go off.

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

What matt said, I would much prefer camping out then some sketchy el centro shelter, I’ve had to do it once, wasnt bad at all.
And yeah, theres. 90% chance someone will pick you up hitchhiking from
niland, even if you get off the bus after dark, theres almost always some people headed back in. Why spend 45$ for a slab cab ?

The shelter I stayed in wasn't sketchy, so if you're not speaking from experience it's better you don't speak at all. The shelter I stayed in was a reformatted house so it was actually very nice.

A lot of slabbers won't take people into town for free because gas cost money. Also, a lot of people believe that Slab City is dangerous, so it's more difficult than a lot of people think it is to find a ride. There are also some spots where people are very adverse to picking up hitchhikers.