Fairplex covers roughly 500 acres in Pomona, and on a Pomona Swap Meet Sunday the gates open at 5 a.m. — which means the crush of cars looking for a spot along McKinley Avenue and White Avenue is already backed up before most of the county has had coffee. During the L.A. County Fair in May, that same gate crush repeats every evening for 26 straight days. The question that actually matters for a group of 15, 30, or 50 people isn't whether you'll find parking — it's where the bus can actually stop, and how close that stop is to the gate you need.
A charter bus or party bus headed to Fairplex uses Gate 17, at 1801 W. McKinley Avenue on the south side of the main lot, the same gate Fairplex directs rideshare and drop-off traffic through for its ticketed events. Your group unloads there, and the bus can hold in a nearby lot until you're ready to leave — instead of your whole party hiking in from an overflow field because the vehicle that drove you couldn't get anywhere near the gate. Below is what actually happens at each Fairplex gate, what parking costs, which roads back up on event days, and how to size the right vehicle for your trip.
Why Rent a Bus to Fairplex?
Fairplex isn't one building with one door — it's a fairgrounds, a convention campus, a raceway, and a swap meet field all sharing the same few gates off McKinley Avenue, White Avenue, and Arrow Highway. That layout is exactly why a Fairplex charter bus rental solves more than a normal venue trip does. A church group, a school class, or a trade show delegation splitting into a dozen personal cars means a dozen separate hunts for a spot in whichever color lot is open that day, a dozen separate walks in from wherever they land, and a real chance the group never actually arrives together.
Send one vehicle instead, and the whole problem disappears. A party bus rental to Fairplex gathers your group at one pickup point in Pomona, Claremont, Ontario, or wherever you're starting from, and drops everyone at Gate 17 together. Nobody circles the Yellow or Blue Lot looking for their friends, and nobody pays for a parking pass they didn't need.
Call 840-226-2850 or fill out the quick online form, and Pomonaminibuscompany.com compares vehicles and pricing from a large network of bus companies serving Pomona so you can lock in the right bus for your date.
Charter Bus & Party Bus Drop-Off at Fairplex
Fairplex funnels non-personal vehicle traffic — rideshare, taxis, and drop-offs — through one entrance: Gate 17, addressed at 1801 W. McKinley Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768, on the south side of the main parking lot. The official page for the NO VALUES festival at Fairplex tells arriving guests to follow signage for rideshare pickup and drop-off once they reach Gate 17, and states plainly that no drop-offs are permitted at any other entry gate to the venue. That's the gate a bus should be aimed at for the same reason: it's the one entrance Fairplex has actually built out for vehicles that aren't parking and staying.
Fairplex's own directions page confirms the approach: exit Interstate 10 at Fairplex Drive, and the road runs directly north to the venue, with Fairplex signage posted throughout Pomona and the surrounding cities to keep transportation providers on track. For a bus carrying 30 or 40 people, that's the difference between one clean turn off the freeway and a transportation provider trying to thread White Avenue traffic during a swap meet.
Where Your Bus Waits During the Event
Fairplex splits its parking by gate and lot color depending on the event. Swap meet spectators are directed to Gate 17, while vendors and the car corral enter through Gate 15 at 2398 E. Arrow Highway in La Verne — reached by staying north on Fairplex Drive to Arrow Highway, then turning right, with Gate 15 as the first entrance on the right. For the L.A. County Fair, general parking runs through the Yellow Lot at Gate 17 and the Blue Lot at Gate 9 on White Avenue, with a tram connecting the farther sections of the lot back to the Gate 17 entrance.
Since the gate and lot in use shifts with the event on the calendar, confirm the current routing for your date when you book — that's part of what a dispatcher sorts out before your bus ever leaves the yard.
A bus doesn't need to squeeze into the same rows as personal cars. Once your group is out at Gate 17, the vehicle can hold in the lot or stage nearby for a few hours rather than parking and shutting down, which matters most on a swap meet morning when the Yellow Lot fills in fast behind the earliest arrivals.
Road Closures and Traffic That Change the Fairplex Drop-Off Plan
The single biggest jump in traffic around Fairplex happens during the 26 nights of the L.A. County Fair, when White Avenue and McKinley Avenue both see steady backups as ticket-holders funnel toward the same handful of gates every evening. The Pomona Swap Meet creates the same pinch on a much tighter schedule — gates open at 5 a.m., and traffic on McKinley and Fairplex Drive is heaviest in that first hour before the vendor spaces fill. If your event falls during a swap meet weekend or a fair night, plan your pickup time to reach Gate 17 well ahead of the surrounding crowd, not at the exact hour everyone else is aiming for.
Gate 17, at 1801 W. McKinley Avenue, is the entrance built for buses, rideshare, and drop-offs at Fairplex — not a random side gate you have to guess at. Confirming that gate and your pickup window when you book keeps a 30- or 40-person group from getting split up at the curb.
Fairplex Parking Costs and the Cashless Rule
Fairplex parking runs on a per-vehicle rate, and it's card-only at the gate. For the Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show, the organizer's own page states parking is credit card only, at $21 per vehicle, with general admission running $15 per person on top of that. That's $21 whether the car holds one person or five — which is exactly where a group starts losing money fast.
Six people driving separately to a swap meet pay $126 in parking alone before anyone buys a single ticket; one bus pays one flat rental rate and nobody splits off to find their own row.
The L.A. County Fair runs its own cashless system at the gate, so bring a card, not bills, if any part of your group plans to drive in on top of the bus. For a group renting a bus, that math simply doesn't apply — the vehicle is booked as a block of hours, not billed per car at the lot, so a 25-person group pays one number instead of stacking up individual parking charges on top of admission.
Getting to Fairplex: Routes, Traffic & Timing
Pomona sits at the meeting point of the 10, 57, 60, and 71 freeways, which makes Fairplex reachable from most of the Inland Empire and the eastern San Gabriel Valley without much trouble on a normal day. Event traffic is a different story. Fairplex's own directions note that both eastbound and westbound I-10 traffic should exit at Fairplex Drive and head north to reach the venue, and that approach is the one road every transportation provider, rideshare, and bus funnels onto during a major event.
Groups coming from Ontario, Chino, or the eastern Inland Empire have an easier run down the 60 or the 10, while groups coming from the San Gabriel Valley or the 210 corridor often find Arrow Highway to Gate 15 a shorter final approach than fighting White Avenue traffic to reach Gate 9 or Gate 17. Building a real cushion into your pickup time matters most on swap meet mornings, when the 5 a.m. gate opening means the road is already busy before sunrise, and during the L.A. County Fair, when the same evening surge repeats night after night for most of May.
Fairplex Transportation Alternatives: Metro, Park & Ride, and Rideshare
A private bus isn't the only way to reach Fairplex, and it's worth knowing the honest alternatives before you decide what your group needs.
Metro A Line – La Verne/Fairplex Station. Metro opened this light-rail station on September 19, 2025, near the intersection of Arrow Highway and E Street in La Verne, and Fairplex sits about one block to the south. La Verne has stated it intends to eventually build a pedestrian overpass connecting the station directly to Fairplex, crossing Arrow Highway and the rail tracks, but per the station's published details, that link doesn't exist yet — today's walk means navigating Arrow Highway on foot to reach Gate 15.
That's workable for one or two riders with no bags, and a rough one for a group of 20 trying to stay together across a highway crossing.
Fairplex Park & Ride. Los Angeles County operates a 553-space lot at 1810 & 1819 Gillette Road in Pomona, reached by exiting I-10 at Fairplex Drive, heading north, and turning right onto Gillette Road. It's served by Foothill Transit Lines 197 and 699 and OCTA Line 757, and the county notes overnight parking isn't permitted there.
It's a fine option for commuters catching a bus line that happens to pass Fairplex, but it isn't built as event parking, and it won't drop a group at Gate 17.
Rideshare. Rideshare works the same Gate 17 entrance a bus would use, which is convenient for a couple but expensive and disorganized for a real group — five cars means five fares, five different arrival times, and no guarantee everyone's app finds the same pickup spot when 5,000 people are leaving the swap meet at once. A charter bus rental to Fairplex is the only option on this list that gathers everyone at one pickup, drops the whole group at one gate, and waits until you're ready to head out.
What Size Charter Bus or Party Bus Fits Your Fairplex Group?
Fairplex hosts everything from a 15-person school tour to a 200-person trade show delegation, so the right vehicle really does depend on your group and how much gear is coming with you.
| Vehicle | Typical seats | Best for at Fairplex | Key amenities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprinter van | Up to ~14 | Small vendor groups, VIP or staff groups | Premium leather, USB charging, tinted windows |
| 18–25 passenger minibus | 18–25 | School and church groups, small trade show teams | Powerful A/C, plush reclining seats |
| Party bus | 15–40 | Swap meet groups and birthday or reunion groups wanting the ride to be part of the day | Built-in bar, LED lighting, premium sound system |
| 40–56 passenger charter bus | Up to 56 | Fair outings, conventions, and large school or corporate groups | Reclining seats, climate control, overhead storage, onboard restroom |
Vendors hauling swap meet inventory or trade show booth materials should factor in underfloor storage — the 40–56 passenger coach carries the most gear, with deep bays that keep folding tables and merchandise out of the aisle. For a fair trip that's really about the ride itself, a party bus keeps a group of 20 or 30 in one rolling space with music and lighting built in, rather than splitting into cars for the drive up McKinley Avenue.
Fairplex Charter Bus & Party Bus Rental Prices
Pomonaminibuscompany.com shows quotes online in under 30 seconds, and pricing for a Fairplex trip shifts with a few clear factors: vehicle size, total hours booked, your pickup location, and the date — a regular Tuesday expo prices differently than the opening weekend of the L.A. County Fair, when demand across the whole network climbs.
A Booking Example
To give you an idea: a 28-person group books a 30-passenger minibus for a Pomona Swap Meet trip. Pickup is at 4:15 a.m. from a hotel near Ontario, at Gate 17 by 5:00 a.m. right as the gates open, with the vehicle staged nearby until an agreed 11:00 a.m. pickup. A 7-hour rental at that size might run in the neighborhood of $1,100 — about $39 a person, with the 5 a.m. drive and the parking search both handled before anyone in the group is fully awake.
Call 840-226-2850 or use the online quote tool for pricing on your exact date, group size, and pickup point — or check the Pomona bus rental prices page for a general sense of what shapes the total.
Groups That Rent a Bus to Fairplex
Because Fairplex runs such a wide mix of events, the groups booking a ride there don't look alike. A few of the most common:
- Trade show and convention delegations. Expo Hall exhibitors and attendees headed to the Gem & Jewelry Show, a tattoo convention, or a truck show benefit from one Pomona convention transportation run instead of a parking lot full of rental cars.
- School and youth groups. Fair field trips and 4-H or agricultural program visits move easier with Pomona field trip transportation and a single drop-off at Gate 17 instead of a caravan of parent cars.
- Swap meet vendors and car clubs. Early call times and cargo make a minibus or charter bus a practical way to get a group and their gear to Gate 15 or Gate 17 before sunrise.
- Corporate and staff outings. Companies exhibiting at Fairplex conventions or sending teams to an industry show use Pomona corporate transportation to keep everyone on the same schedule.
- Reunion, birthday, and social groups. A day at the fair works well as a milestone outing, with a Pomona party bus rental turning the drive itself into part of the celebration.
Whatever the occasion, the same Pomona group transportation services page covers requesting a quote for any of these trip types.
What's on the Calendar at Fairplex
Fairplex runs events almost every week of the year, and knowing what's coming up helps you plan around the dates when the gates get busiest. Per the venue's own upcoming events calendar and the fair's general information page:
- Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show. Held roughly seven times a year, 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., with remaining 2026 dates on August 16, October 11, and December 6, entering through Gate 17.
- The Grand National Truck Show. September 26–27, 2026, in Expo Hall 4.
- Trusted Tattoo Gathering (INKCON). October 9–11, 2026, in Expo Hall 4.
- Los Angeles County Fair. The next fair runs May 6–31, 2027, Fairplex's single busiest stretch, with parking split between the Yellow Lot at Gate 17 and the Blue Lot at Gate 9.
- Los Angeles Black College Expo. January 30, 2027.
Fairplex also shares its campus and Fairplex Drive approach with the dragstrip next door, so drag racing weekends add their own traffic on top of whatever else is on the Fairplex calendar that day — worth checking before you lock in a pickup time. Peak dates like the fair's opening weekend fill vehicle availability across the network early, so the earlier you request a quote, the more vehicle options are still open for your date.
Visitor Tips for a Fairplex Bus Trip
- Bring a card, not cash. L.A. County Fair parking and admission run cashless at the gate, and Pomona Swap Meet parking is credit card only at $21 per vehicle.
- Know your gate before you leave. Gate 17 (1801 W. McKinley Ave.) handles rideshare, drop-off, and general spectator entry for most events; Gate 15 (2398 E. Arrow Hwy., La Verne) is the quicker approach from the 210 corridor and handles vendor and car-corral traffic during the swap meet.
- Arrive ahead of the crowd, not with it. Swap meet gates open at 5 a.m. and the road is already busy by then; fair nights see the same White Avenue and McKinley Avenue backups every evening for nearly a month straight.
- Save Fairplex's number. The main line is (909) 623-3111 for anyone in your group who needs to reach venue staff directly.
- Confirm ADA needs ahead of time. ADA-accessible vehicles can be arranged through the booking network — note it in your quote request so the right bus is ready.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fairplex Bus Rentals
Where does a charter bus drop off at Fairplex?
Gate 17, at 1801 W. McKinley Avenue on the south side of the main lot, is the entrance Fairplex directs rideshare and drop-off traffic through, and it's the same gate a bus uses to unload your group.
Can a bus wait at Fairplex during our event?
Yes. The bus is booked as a block of hours, so it can hold in the lot near Gate 17 rather than parking and shutting down, and it's ready when your group is done touring, shopping, or working the show floor.
What does parking cost at Fairplex?
Rates vary by event. The Pomona Swap Meet charges $21 per vehicle, credit card only, on top of $15 general admission per person. The L.A. County Fair also runs cashless at the gate.
A group renting a bus avoids stacking up that per-car charge across multiple vehicles.
Which gate should vendors and the car corral use?
Vendors and car corral entrants at the swap meet use Gate 15, at 2398 E. Arrow Highway in La Verne, reached by staying on Fairplex Drive north to Arrow Highway and turning right.
How do I get to Fairplex from I-10?
Exit at Fairplex Drive from either direction on I-10, and the road runs directly north to the venue and Gate 17.
Is there a train to Fairplex?
Metro's A Line opened a La Verne/Fairplex station in September 2025, about a block north of the venue near Arrow Highway and E Street. There's no direct pedestrian bridge yet, so reaching Gate 15 on foot means crossing Arrow Highway until the planned overpass is built.
How early should we arrive for the Pomona Swap Meet?
Gates open at 5 a.m., and McKinley Avenue and Fairplex Drive traffic builds fast in that first hour. Scheduling your pickup to arrive before or right at opening avoids the worst of it.
What size bus fits our group?
A Sprinter van covers up to about 14 riders, an 18–25 passenger minibus suits school and church groups, party buses run 15–40 passengers for a group that wants the ride to be part of the outing, and a 40–56 passenger charter bus fits large fair trips, conventions, and corporate outings with the most luggage or gear.
How much does a bus rental to Fairplex cost?
Pricing depends on vehicle size, hours booked, pickup location, and the date — fair weekends and swap meet Sundays price differently than a quiet weekday expo. Call 840-226-2850 or use the online quote tool for a number based on your exact trip.
Are there road closures around Fairplex?
Fairplex doesn't publish blanket street closures, but McKinley Avenue and White Avenue see heavy, predictable congestion during L.A. County Fair evenings and swap meet mornings, since most traffic funnels toward the same two or three gates.
Can we book a bus for a Fairplex trade show or convention?
Yes. Trade show and convention groups headed to Fairplex's Expo Halls commonly book through Pomona convention transportation, moving a full delegation between a hotel and the venue on one schedule.
How far in advance should we book?
Book as soon as your date is set, especially around the L.A. County Fair in May and the Pomona Swap Meet dates on the calendar above, when vehicle availability across the network tightens first.
Book Your Fairplex Bus Today
Whether it's a 5 a.m. swap meet run, a school field trip to the fair, or a trade show delegation filling an Expo Hall, Pomonaminibuscompany.com makes it easy to compare charter buses, party buses, minibuses, and Sprinter vans for a trip to Fairplex. Also planning a trip to the dragstrip next door or a game at Toyota Arena? Those guides cover their own drop-offs.
Call 840-226-2850 or fill out the quick online form for pricing on your Fairplex trip — no account required, and no obligation to book.
