The Alameda-Contra Costa County Transit District (AC Transit) has announced that it will suspend all discounted monthly passes to K-12 students who currently rely on the bus lines to get to school. Youths 18 years of age and younger will now have to pay about $40 a month for transit, which used to cost $15 with the pass.

In a release issued on the AC Transit website, Interim General Manager Mary King stated, “Right now, this agency is like a patient in critical condition. AC Transit must act to stop the hemorrhaging now.” The AC Transit Board of Directors also decided on September 22 that it would stop four “All Nighter” routes and 35 weekend routes which will coincide with the termination of 60 jobs.

CSUEB students will surely remember that this summer, AC Transit discontinued its free service on route 92 for students and faculty.

The current budget for AC Transit in the 2010 fiscal year is $323.4 million, which has been decreased by $2.7 million from last year. Considering the fact that 73 percent of AC Transits General Fund Operating Expenses Budget is allocated to employee costs, a $2.7 million dollar decrease would necessitate the loss of 60 jobs if the employees make on average $32, 850 a year.

The news is not all bad. On September 30, the federal government announced that the State of Good Repair program would award AC Transit $5.4 million dollars. King calls the stimulus money, “extremely good news for our agency,” which, “could not have come at a more opportune time for us.” However, like all “bail out” funds, the temporary relief is not a long term source of revenue.

Marin Trujillo, a spokesman for the West Contra Costa School District, recently told the Oakland Tribune regarding AC Transit cuts, “The bottom line is it’s a mess. It’s disrespectful to the community, and it’s not right.