Bill's Bus

Two of the buses in Isla Vista.

Bill's Bus is a privately owned commercial bus service that runs from Isla Vista, California to Goleta and Santa Barbara bars, picking up and dropping off college students. As an effort to prevent drunk driving, rides have sometimes been sponsored by local bars and UC Santa Barbara's Associated Students.[1][2] It is popular among students, with multiple buses running on Thursdays and other busy nights.[3]

History

William J. Singer founded Bill's Bus in 1991, when he was 19 years old.[4] In 2002 the service was briefly suspended, and in a related news article, Singer said "There’s no money in it...I’m trying to do something that will make a difference."[5] The business faced financial trouble in 2003,[4] and in 2004 Singer sold it to Craig Jenkins,[6] owner of the Velvet Jones bar in downtown Santa Barbara.[7]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the service stopped operating in March 2020.[8] Faced with an increase to their insurance premiums, the company organized a GoFundMe to stay in operation.[8]

Attempted San Diego project

Singer started a separate, short-lived service in San Diego called Bill's Bus, which went between Pacific Beach and downtown.[9] That service is no longer in operation as of 2009.

References

  1. ^ Dana Olsen. "A.S., Goleta Bars Agree to Sponsor Bill’s Bus Fee", UCSB Daily Nexus, October 17, 2007
  2. ^ Marie Recalde. "Bill’s Bus Set to Run Free to Goleta", UCSB Daily Nexus, April 3, 2007
  3. ^ Wilson, Steven. " Bills Bus Celebrates 20th Anniversary", The Bottom Line, February 26, 2011
  4. ^ a b Veronique deTurenne. "Designated Driver May Go Bust", LA Times, May 19, 2003
  5. ^ Kristina Ackermann. "Bill Works to Bring Back Bus", UCSB Daily Nexus, November 14, 2002
  6. ^ D0507030 granting transfer of CPCN to Bill's Bus Inc, California Public Utilities Commission
  7. ^ Lisa Engelbrektson. "Four Reasons to Say “Happy Birthday” to Velvet Jones", Santa Barbara Independent, December 18, 2008
  8. ^ a b Shuda, Asumi (October 11, 2021). "Bill's Bus Needs Your Help". Daily Nexus. Santa Barbara, California. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  9. ^ Sebastian Ruiz. "PB bus service helps partiers leave the keys at home Archived 2012-05-13 at the Wayback Machine", Beach & Bay Press, November 21, 2009