A program designed to help motorists and keep traffic flowing along Interstate 35 and the rest of the Austin roadways is scheduled to end.

On February 1, the Texas Department of Transportation highway response trucks will be parked and abandoned inside the TxDOT's back lot.

"For us here it was a difficult choice, but considering our budget situation it was something that we had to do. We just don't have the resources to fund the program the way we wanted to," said Marcus Cooper, spokesman for TxDOT in Austin.

Since the program in Austin started eight years ago, response crews have answered nearly 44,000 service calls. The courtesy patrol trucks are equipped to change flat tires, jump start stalled vehicles and fill up gas tanks on the side of the highway.

"If you're stuck out on the road and someone comes by to help you, it's a good thing," said Bonnie Mingle, Austin driver.

There are only three trucks in the Austin fleet. Cooper said the program really needed 15 to answer the city’s growing traffic demands.

"They are funded by tax dollars, and those dollars are hard to come by now, and we had to reassess the program, and that's why we're phasing it out," said Cooper.

Some Austin drivers said the department should cut something else and leave the response crews in place. Austin driver Mari Gomez said she would feel better knowing there was someone nearby with free gas.

"You're always in, sometimes I'm in orange, and I'm like, 'Oh no, am I going to make it to the gas station,' so that's kind of nice," said Gomez.

Other drivers said taxpayer dollars are better spent elsewhere.

"If there's more important things why not, like I said I just change a flat personally, put the taxpayer dollars to something different," said Reggie Ekeh, Austin driver.

The Austin Police Department is expected pick up the service calls once the program is shut down.

Detectives there are concerned the department isn’t equipped yet to handle the types of service calls the highway courtesy patrol is responsible for. Officials at APD say there are budget requests lined up to get the proper equipment for the department.

As for the TxDOT crews who patrolled in the highway fleet, the Austin office said they will be transferred to different departments.