Bus service cuts to leave kids behind

San Mateo County Transit’s route 17 is the only public transport option for many Coastside residents

…Skyrocketing fuel prices and the vast, hilly territory of the Coastside put the school district in its present predicament, he added.

SamTrans spokesman Jonah Weinberg said the agency was under its own budget constraints and could not offer Coastsiders an additional bus route or any extra buses at peak hours.

“There aren’t enough riders to make more buses affordable, there’s no money to support it,” Weinberg said.

…At the heart of the problem are two isolated low-income communities that rely on public bus service to get around the coast