The San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) is claiming that funding to fix four buses past their prime was denied, while pointing the blame at the San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG).

"Our customers are the most physically challenged, the most visually challenged, the most economically challenged," RTD Board of Directors Chair Gary Giovanetti said. "Our ridership, oftentimes the majority of our ridership, are what is called transit dependent."

RTD claims its application for $62 million in critical transportation funding has been denied by SJCOG.

Without it, the board voted Friday to draw nearly $15 million from their operating and capital reserves while also deferring four bus replacements.

"They're saying that any service that we put back on the street after the low of the pandemic through today, that our customers needed, that it was a restoration of service back to 2019, can't be funded by this money. They're wrong," RTD CEO Alex Clifford explained.

CBS Sacramento sat down with Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi, who is also the chair for SJCOG, to ask about this.

"They were not qualifying expenses, so we denied giving them the money for that," she said. "We didn't cut their budget or anything. The money is still there and they can still access those funds, but they need to provide invoices that are qualifying expenses."

Fugazi also noted a drop in ridership.

"They did reduce service during COVID because nobody was going anywhere, but you can't then bring back all those services, not have full ridership back, and then expand your services and ask for more routes and more buses when your numbers from 2019 are more than what your ridership is in 2025," she explained.

Now, a potential lawsuit is on the table, which both can agree they don't want to see happen.

"How sad that is that we have to spend taxpayer dollars to sue another governmental agency that should be nothing more than a pass-through of the resources," Clifford said.

"I don't like to be contentious. I don't like that. I feel for them," Fugazi continued. "Like I said, the money is still there. Send us invoices that meet the criteria."

RTD also said they've tried to schedule meetings with SJCOG, but Fugazi said those meetings would need to be public with a full agenda.

RTD warns that without this funding, it's possible within the next two months to see a drop in service.