Unitrans
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![]() Ex London AEC Regent III RT buses parked at the Unitrans garage. | |
Parent | University of California, Davis |
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Founded | 1972 |
Headquarters | 1 Shields Avenue, 5 South Hall Davis, CA 95616 |
Locale | Davis, CA |
Service type | Local bus transit |
Routes | 20[1] |
Fleet | 49[1] |
Daily ridership | 15,900 (weekdays, Q1 2024)[2] |
Annual ridership | 3,268,600 (2023)[3] |
Operator | Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD) |
General manager | Jeff Flynn |
Website | unitrans.ucdavis.edu |
Unitrans is the transit system which operates in and around the campus of the
In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,268,600, or about 15,900 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.
History
In the late 1960s, members of the Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD) realized the need for a transit system to transport students between the City of Davis and the university campus. In the spring of 1966, providing a transportation system became an ASUCD presidential promise. Newly elected in the fall, the President helped start experimental service in October 1966. This service was initially run using a private charter service. The estimated cost at the time was $2000/quarter. The service ran for several months, but ASUCD officials decided that the service needed to be changed. These students approached Davis' then-mayor Maynard Skinner and appealed for support both politically and financially. With the mayor's endorsement, the University Transport System, or Unitrans, began to take shape.[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Unitrans_London_double-decker_3123_at_Memorial_Union_in_2008.jpg/220px-Unitrans_London_double-decker_3123_at_Memorial_Union_in_2008.jpg)
To be unique, get the system noticed, and encourage ridership, Unitrans made arrangements to purchase two former
In 1972 the service dropped its remaining full-time drivers, and started operating with a full staff of part-time student drivers. Since then Unitrans has remained a student operated organization, employing students as drivers, conductors, supervisors, driver trainers, maintenance shop assistants, bus washers and office clerks. Career positions, the only non-student positions at Unitrans, currently include General and Assistant General Manager, Maintenance Shop Manager, Maintenance Shop Mechanics, and the Safety and Training Supervisor.[4]
Through the 1970s Unitrans added eight former London Transport
With an increasing demand for service fueled by the expanding size of the university and the City of Davis, Unitrans continued to gear up for larger passenger loads by adding more buses and more routes through the City of Davis. The mid-1980s saw the purchase of yet more previously owned single-deck buses: two more 35-foot GM "old-look" buses from the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/Unitrans_4350_at_the_Silo_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Unitrans_4350_at_the_Silo_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Greater ridership in the 1980s prompted the writing and passing of a student referendum that added a $13 fee to registration costs to create the fare-less system. Students who paid their registration fees could ride the bus by simply showing their registration card with a valid registration sticker, or board for a cash fare of $0.50. This referendum made Unitrans an even more convenient method of transportation for students attending UC Davis.[4]
The 1990s saw Unitrans operating 13 routes, with yearly ridership expected to top 2 million in fiscal year 1997–98. The addition of 15 brand new natural gas powered Orion Mark V buses from Oriskany, New York allowed Unitrans to modernize and clean up by retiring the Flxible fleet and portions of the GM fleet. Around the same time two 40-foot Gillig Phantoms purchased from Yolobus were reborn as Unitrans buses[4] (and yet two more were purchased for Yolobus in 2001 and 2005).
In the late 1990s, the remainder of the GM fleet was retired, as were the two Daimlers and RTL1194, one of the first two double-deck buses purchased by Unitrans (although it hadn't operated in some time). One of the RT's that was also no longer in service by this time was ultimately sold in 2002.
In 2000 the Unitrans maintenance shop completed its retrofit of
In 2001, Unitrans purchased 12 new natural gas powered
2003 saw the addition of five new
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Unitrans_New_Flyer_C40LFR_buses_laying_over_at_Memorial_Union_Terminal_in_2013.jpg/220px-Unitrans_New_Flyer_C40LFR_buses_laying_over_at_Memorial_Union_Terminal_in_2013.jpg)
In 2006–2007, Unitrans added eight new Orion Mark V 40-foot buses (4171-4178) to its fleet, returning to the high-floor design. This decision was made due to lower prices, fleet standardization, and availability of buses.
On May 12, 2008, construction began on the new Unitrans Silo Terminal. The terminal was completed in late September 2008. A dedication ceremony took place on October 30, 2008, and was attended by several local dignitaries. October 30, 2008 also marked the 50 millionth rider of the transit system.[8]
Unitrans received six new low-floor buses from New Flyer at the beginning of Summer 2009, and received 12 more in 2010. These new buses will replace most of the aging Orion V buses, due to the upcoming end of their fuel cylinder lifespans. Unitrans received delivery of two Alexander Dennis Enviro500 40' double-deck buses in March 2010.
In 2019, Unitrans started the transition to battery electric buses. Six New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE buses were purchased, supported by Federal Transit Administration grants.[9] Unitrans plans to fully transition away from CNG buses to battery electric buses by 2023. The first six New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE buses will go into service in Fall 2022.[10]
Future
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Unitrans_8185_001.jpg/220px-Unitrans_8185_001.jpg)
Unitrans has moved towards an almost-entirely alternative fuel fleet. With the exception of the vintage double-deck buses and two rarely used support vans, the fleet is powered entirely by compressed natural gas. All diesel single-deck buses have been retired from service and have been sold. The Unitrans fleet is currently powered by nearly 95% alternative fuel.
Unitrans received delivery in March 2010 of two Alexander Dennis Enviro500 buses, in an attempt to accommodate the high passenger loads while reducing the demand on drivers. These buses are powered by clean diesel engines, which produce the same levels of emissions as the compressed natural gas, which powers the modern fleet. These two buses are not intended to replace the antique double-deck buses, but to complement them and accommodate the high passenger loads that Unitrans experiences on a daily basis.[11]
Unitrans has added six New Flyer C40LFR low-floor buses to the fleet, and had 12 more delivered in 2010. The aging 1996 Orion V 35' fleet was retired, as well as four of the remaining 40' Orion V buses.
Unitrans purchased three New Flyer Xcelsior low-floor buses in 2014, and they were put into service in July 2014.
Notes
- ^ a b c d About Unitrans – A Bit of Unitrans History, unitrans.com, retrieved on 2006-04-20
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g A Bit O Unitrans History up to this point..., unitrans.ucdavis.edu, archived on 2001-01-24 on archive.org, retrieved on 2007-04-20
- ^ Antonius, Ben (2003-10-23). "Unitrans fleet gets hydrogen-powered addition". The California Aggie. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-01-20.
- ^ UC Davis News & Information: Clean-running buses hit the road, news.ucdavis.edu, Retrieved on 2007-01-10
- ^ Sacramento Area Council of Governments (2005-11-09). SACOG Region Transit Vehicle Inventory, as of October 3, 2005 (PDF). Sacramento, CA: Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
- ^ UC Davis News & Information: Bus Service Celebrates Terminal, 50 Million Riders, news.ucdavis.edu, Retrieved on 2008-12-06
- ^ "StackPath".
- ^ City of Davis [dead link]
- ^ Everidge, Marion (2006-01-23). "Unitrans tests modern double-deck bus". The California Aggie. p. Campus News. Archived from the original on 2007-01-29. Retrieved 2007-03-05.
External links
- Unitrans Homepage
- Unitrans on the Davis Wiki
- Unitrans Alumni Message Board