EMPIRE-GERLACH BUS SERVICE
In-and-Out policy
Movement of cars is a safety hazard, and protection of the environment is of paramount importance to Burning Man. Casual traffic in and out of Black Rock City is strongly discouraged.
Participants who leave and return by personal vehicle will be required to pay $20 per person.
The alternative is our community bus service, which travels between Black Rock City and the nearby towns of Gerlach and Empire. The Burning Bus of Black Rock City leaves approximately every hour; between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Wednesday; between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Thursday - Friday, and between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
There will be only one "stop" in Black Rock City to pick up and discharge passengers. The Bus Depot location is on the outer edge of the Center Camp Circle, in the area behind Playa Info (on Ring Road clockwise 50 yards from the 6 o'clock exit from Center Camp.)
Once the bus leaves Black Rock City, it will stop in Gerlach, then finish its route in Empire. The bus will wait for a little while at the Empire Store before returning back through Gerlach where it stops again. You can pop out in Gerlach to make a phone call, and then wait for the bus to return after the Empire stop.
Tickets for the bus are available in center camp. It costs $5.00 to leave the city on the bus. You must have a valid Burning Man ticket stub AND a bus ticket, OR a gate re-entry chit (which you will receive if left by car) to ride the bus back into the city. Conversely, if you return to the city by car, you must have a Burning Man ticket stub AND a bus ticket (you need to show BOTH items to get back into Black Rock City).
*IMPORTANT: you must be sober and fully clothed to ride the bus. Please respect the locals - they are patient beyond belief, and tolerate our teeming masses when we invade their community each year.
If you'd like to volunteer for the bus service, check out the volunteer
page.
