SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Santa Cruz Metro Transit buses are rolling again after the Metro board sealed the deal to get bus drivers back on the job.

On Wednesday, the board approved a three-year deal for drivers.

There's also a deal for riders -- they'll be able to ride free for a week. Metro officials said the plan is to lure back riders who found other ways to get around during the 36-day strike.

"To encourage people to get back on the bus to let people know they're running again and to reach people ... let's get on and ride them, so that's why," Metro director Emily Reily said.

But the move comes at a price for the financially strapped district. It's not clear exactly how much it will cost, but it's been estimated the week's wort of free rides could be as much as $150,000.

"I would have preferred a little more information. I think the ridership deserves discounts and free days. We need to get them back, but I feel today I didn't have enough information to make a good choice," Metro board member Deane Bustichi said.

"We're getting back to the issue of trust. We have to take the first step not to reward them, but to invite them back and say, 'Look, it's the same as it was, we apologize for the inconvenience, but let's go about our lives and lets start riding the bus'," Metro director Mike Keogh said.

University of California, Santa Cruz student Theresa Morris said she believes she has spent more than $300 on daily parking passes and towing fees and she welcomes the buses back, but the free rides don't matter much to her.

"It won't make any difference because we already paid it with our tuition fees, so we get on the bus for free anyway with our ID card ... so it really wouldn't make a difference," Morris said.

The Metro board hopes it make a difference because they've already promised they won't raise rates and won't drop any bus routes, despite the financial chaos that could lie ahead.

Anyone who purchased a bus pass before the strike can exchange it for a new one at the Pacific Avenue Metro Center in Santa Cruz.