Bill's Bus is a privately owned commercial bus service that runs from
Isla Vista, California
Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of 2020 census, the community had a population of 15,500. The majority of residents are college students at ...
to
Goleta
Goleta or La Goleta may refer to:
* ''Goleta'' (spider), a spider genus
* Goleta, California, United States, a suburban city in Santa Barbara County
* La Goleta, the Spanish and Portuguese name for La Goulette
La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), i ...
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. It is popular among students, with multiple buses running on Thursdays and other busy nights.
History
William J. Singer founded Bill's Bus in 1991, when he was 19 years old.
[Veronique deTurenne.]
Designated Driver May Go Bust
, ''LA Times'', May 19, 2003 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." The business faced financial trouble in 2003,
and in 2004 Singer sold it to Craig Jenkins, owner of the Velvet Jones bar in downtown Santa Barbara.
Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the service stopped operating in March 2020.
Faced with an increase to their insurance premiums, the company organized a
GoFundMe to stay in operation.
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.
[Sebastian Ruiz.]
PB bus service helps partiers leave the keys at home
", ''Beach & Bay Press'', November 21, 2009 That service is no longer in operation as of 2009.
References
External links
*
{{UCSB
Public transportation in Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara, California