Students Want to Put Brakes on Bus Cuts

UCSB students want to put the brakes on Metropolitan Transit District bus service cuts in Santa Barbara.

MTD has proposed cutting at least five buses that serve students and workers in and around Isla Vista.

A state and federal fight over transportation grants is paving the way for emergency cuts.

Without grant approval, bus service could be reduced early next year.

Some Isla Vista residents take the bus to and from Santa Barbara City College.

Workers without cars say they need the buses to get to their jobs in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria.

MTD is considering a couple of options. One would would be to spare the busiest bus routes by cutting service on weekends.

During the forum at Embarcadero Hall Thursday night students urged people to contact Gov. Jerry Brown and Ann Comer at the U.S. Department of Labor. You can sign the petitions for each of them by logging on to http://ow.ly/omkw9 or http://ow.ly/omkA4