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There is one daily bus from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles. Traveling by bus from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles usually takes around 10 hours and 53 minutes, but the fastest Amtrak Thruway bus can make the trip in 10 hours and 40 minutes.
| Distance | 293 mi (472 km) |
| Shortest duration | 10h 40m |
| Cheapest price | $93.00 |
| Most frequent service | Amtrak Thruway |
| Bus lines | 1 |
Average score for buses from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles
(Based on 1 ratings and reviews)
5.0
Pros: I liked that I could take an overnight bus that way I could just sleep and avoid traffic. Cons: Seats don’t have a lot of leg room. We also made long stops at each place even though people couldn’t really eat or go to the bathroom cause nothing is open. I understand having smoke brakes but they don’t need to be 45 minutes long during overnight trips.
There is one intercity bus company available to search and book on Wanderu that operates from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles. Amtrak Thruway is the only company that has bus schedules available to search and book at the moment. It only makes the trip once a day on most days.
| Bus | Daily Trips | Avg. Time | Avg. Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amtrak Thruway | 1 | 10h 53m | $93.31 |
Amtrak Thruway, also known as Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach, is a system of intercity passenger buses operated by Amtrak to connect train stations to areas that are not served by the carrier’s railroads. On the bus, passengers can enjoy comfortable reclining seats with leg rests and access to onboard restroom facilities. Amtrak Thruway bus tickets from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles start at $93. On average, there are 1 Amtrak Thruway bus trips on this route every day.
The bus takes an average of 10 hours and 53 minutes to cover the 293 miles from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles. However, the fastest bus only takes 10 hours and 40 minutes. It’s definitely on the longer side, so plan to get comfortable for a long road trip. Keep in mind that your actual bus may arrive earlier or later than scheduled, depending on whether there is more or less traffic than usual.
Sunday tends to be the busiest day for buses, as many passengers take the bus to Los Angeles at the end of the week. If you are planning to travel on a Sunday, you should make sure to book tickets well in advance as they may sell out.
On the other hand, Monday is typically the least busy day for bus travel on this route. For a less crowded trip, try to book your bus travel for the beginning of the week.
There is usually only one bus per day from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles. It leaves the station in Santa Cruz at 12:00pm each day. The time might vary for specific dates, so be sure to search on Wanderu for the most up-to-date information.
There is usually only one bus per day from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles. However, it is not a direct bus, so you will have to get off your original vehicle to change buses during the trip.
Need more travel options? Consider taking the train from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles; ticket prices start at $83.00.
Los Angeles is the undisputed world capital of the entertainment business. Because of that, the City of Angels is where you will find some of the most iconic landmarks of the film and music industries, including the world-famous Walk of Fame and Dolby Theatre (home of the Academy Awards) on Hollywood Boulevard, the easily recognizable Capitol Records building at Hollywood & Vine, and the LA Live complex in Downtown Los Angeles.
The best part of LA is that it has something to offer for people of all interests: outdoor enthusiasts can hike up to the Hollywood sign, fashion aficionados can go shopping in Beverly Hills, art lovers can check out the prominent Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in the Miracle Mile district, and those looking for a fun night out can go bar-hopping in West Hollywood. Are you a Pokémon GO addict? Well then this is the place for you because LA is the best city to catch the rarest Pokémon in the U.S.. And if you want to want to experience the famed golden coast of Southern California for yourself, head west to Santa Monica and Venice for a refreshing dip in the Pacific Ocean.
With one of the biggest airports on the West Coast and several bus and train stops across the county, Los Angeles makes it easy to travel elsewhere in California, visit the neighboring Nevada, Arizona and Mexico, or take a flight to pretty much any other part of the world.
Most buses depart from the main station in Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz, California
These are the two stations where buses may stop when they arrive in Los Angeles.
592 Gayley Ave
Union Station
With just a quick search on Wanderu, you can compare bus and train schedules and prices from hundreds of travel companies in one convenient place to find the trip that works best for you. Wanderu’s simple checkout process makes it easy to book cheap bus and train tickets hassle-free. Most importantly, as Wanderu is an official partner of all leading bus and train companies, we always have the best bus and train deals out there.
