Google pledges $6.8M for San Francisco program

(AP)—Google is donating nearly $7 million to allow San Francisco to continue providing free bus and other transportation services to low-income city kids.

City officials announced the donation on Thursday and said it will cover an additional two years of the free transit program. The program is currently funded by a regional transportation agency through June 2014.

The donation comes as Google and other technology companies face criticism over private buses they use to pick up employees in San Francisco. Technology workers are also accused of driving up rents and gentrifying the city.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said the donation shows Google is a true partner in addressing San Francisco's affordability crisis for lower and middle-income families.

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