Passengers in the downtown San Diego area are lamenting the fact that their low-cost rideshares in Circuit electric shuttles could soon come to a screeching halt at the end of this month.<\/p>\n
“No way,” Angela Milner said. “Are you serious?”<\/p>\n
Milner is one of the 78,000 passengers that the city of San Diego says were shuttled around downtown by Circuit this fiscal year. For some of those passengers, bussing and walking isn\u2019t necessarily an option.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis helps a lot, especially being disabled,\u201d Milner said. \u201cI have sciatica and back problems, so it helps where the busses don’t take you. It\u2019s very helpful.”<\/p>\n
The $2.50 per ride program apparently fell victim to the city’s nearly $260 million budget shortfall. A spokesperson sent NBC 7 the following statement:<\/p>\n
\u201cWith limited funding available in the upcoming fiscal year, the City is prioritizing the use of downtown parking meter revenues for necessary safety and infrastructure improvements like streetlight repairs in FY26.<\/p>\n
“The City is continuing to explore viable funding options and program structures to provide mobility services like circulators and shuttles citywide. Managing the FRED program has given the City years of valuable experience and extensive data to inform future program iterations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Driving for Circuit is a second job for Irma Fernandez that helps her make ends meet. While her future’s uncertain, she worries what the potential end of the affordable rideshare service will mean for the passengers she’s made friends with.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them that live downtown are older and live on a budget,\u201d Fernandez said. \u201cIt\u2019s bad for them because Lyft and others, when there are games, it goes up for them, so they can\u2019t afford to take it, so this was convenient.”<\/p>\n
The FRED program \u2014 later renamed Circuit \u2014 debuted downtown in August 2016. It uses parking meter revenue to help subsidize the cost. Offered as an affordable, eco-friendly way to get around neighborhoods, the program spread to Pacific Beach in 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n