The Mobility Transport Program, which provides campus transportation for students with temporary and permanent disabilities, is seeking a permanent student fee to fund the program. The program has faced budgetary challenges over the past year, and its initial grant will expire soon.
During the last fall quarter, MTP provided 2,124 rides. Courtesy of the Mobility Transportation website
Student staff members started a fee initiative with the goal of putting it on the upcoming spring election ballot. The petition, which is requesting $3.50 per quarter from each student, needs 1,500 signatures to be placed on the ballot. According to the petition, the funds will be used to cover student driver salaries, a program manager and other fees.
The program began in 2022 after a veteran transfer student with a permanent mobility limitation asked campus Veterans and Military Services (VMS) for transportation accommodations. VMS Director Mike Fogelsonger, alongside the student who identified the issue, looked into ways to fund a program that could transport students.
The program was then established to operate under VMS Veteran groups on campus, such as the UC Santa Barbara Student Veterans of America (SVA) chapter, continue to support the program.
“[The Mobility Transport Program (MTP)] is more than just golf carts transporting students across campus — it is about dignity, access and equity,” SVA President Enrique Medina said in a statement to the Daily Nexus. “It ensures that students with permanent or temporary mobility limitations are able to attend class, access campus resources, participate in workshops, maintain campus employment and remain fully engaged in their education without being limited by physical barriers.”
For the past few years, the MTP has been funded by a grant from the Student Fee Advisory Committee and Associated Students. The students behind the ballot initiative said they’re seeking a permanent undergraduate student fee since roughly 95.7% of rides are for undergraduate students. They said they are also seeking additional funds from the Graduate Student Association and a faculty group since they would like to expand their services to faculty members.
“Since undergraduates make up a vast majority of the rides, we felt like that was the right place to start,” fourth-year political science major and Veterans Resource Center Peer Advisor Micah Littlepage said.
Starting with one rider in 2022, the program has grown to 106 riders in 2025, with the number of carts having increased with demand from one to five. During the last fall quarter, MTP provided 2,124 rides.
Fourth-year psychological and brain sciences major and MTP student worker Samantha Quezada said she has seen the value of the program by interacting with students.
“I think of some of the students I see in some of my classes … come late because they have mobility limitations,” Quezada said.
Quezada added that “you never know what [can] happen” in regard to personal injury and believes that having an established campus program is necessary, even if an individual doesn’t currently need it.
According to MTP driver and fourth-year sociology major Tiffany Jordan, they have had to significantly cut back on the flexibility in transportation services due to the decreased budget. Jordan schedules rides and said when the program started, MTP was able to drive students to office hours or stop by the Arbor if the rider requested. Now, MTP drivers can only provide transportation to and from class.
During the last academic year, MTP faced budget cuts that reduced its operational hours and capabilities. Without adequate funding, Jordan said they are no longer able to have drivers on standby for unscheduled rides. Jordan said one time they were so understaffed that MTP Program Manager Tracie Eymann had to give a ride.
For students considering signing the petition, Jordan emphasized the necessity of the MTP due to the possibility that any student may need their services
“But in the long run, what is preventing you from needing the service one day? You might actually trip on one of these crazy sidewalks out here and twist your ankle, and then you will be in that situation,” Jordan said. “To have that as an option there, even if you don’t require it or don’t need it [now], in the event it is a necessity, it is going to be there for you.”
A version of this article appeared on p. 4 of the Feb. 19, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.
