Unitrans
Many riders are students going to/from UCD, but the system is also used extensively for trips to places such as downtown, junior and senior high schools, library, hospital, neighborhood shopping centers, medical offices, senior center, theaters, and the Farmers’ Market. Buses serve these locations every weekday from 7am-11pm, and the weekend from 9am-6pm. Buses run more frequently during the UCD academic year when ridership is higher, and less frequently during the summer and breaks. You can pick up a printed schedule at most public buildings or use this website to get more details. The printed schedule and website include a calendar showing the type of service running each day of the year, or just call 752-2877 (BUSS) to check.
* from ASUCD City of Davis Unitrans
Anyone can ride Unitrans for one dollar cash fare, and many types of prepaid discounted tickets and passes are available. One special fare category includes UCD Undergraduate students, who can show a valid undergrad ID instead of a cash fare, because they pay a portion of their quarterly ASUCD fee to Unitrans. Seniors (60+) may also ride free with an ID card available from the Senior Center. More information on fares and passes is available on the “Fares” page or by calling 752-2877.
The fare to ride the bus is just $1. However, many passengers ride for free because they belong to one of the many exempt groups listed below. Frequent riders may be interested in discounted passes and ten-ride tickets. Full fare information can be found at the Unitrans website at ![[WWW]](http://wikispot.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/sycamore-www.png){kind=small}
http://unitrans.ucdavis.edu/fares.
Free Riders Include:
- Undergraduates at UC Davis with a Reg Card . (All undergraduates have fare included in their registration fees. Grad students do not.)
- Former Unitrans Employees – Employees who have worked at least a year at Unitrans are given a Lifetime Pass for themselves and their immediate family members.
- UCD Parking Permit Holders – Riders may travel free if they show the actual permit (except for the ‘N’ permit) to the bus driver. Photocopies are not accepted (This is a program instituted by TAPS to reduce the amount of cars on campus)
- Sacramento Regional Transit and YoloBus Passholders.
- Seniors over 60 with a special pass. This pass is available from the senior center.
- City of Davis employees with valid employee ID card.
- All passengers ride for free on spare the air days. You can check the Unitrans website to check today’s “Spare the Air” status.
Grad Students
TAPS sells passes for an additional 40% off to UCD-affiliated non-undergrads (e.g., grad students, employees, and faculty). This comes to about 40 cents per pass. Note that this discount is only available at the TAPS office and not at other places where passes are sold.
Grad Students can also ride the bus in two ways:
- By purchasing a quarterly pass for Unitrans through the Transitpool program, including 6 free parking day passes, for $34 (2006)
- By becoming a member of ASUCD, which includes 15 minutes extra legal advice (in addition to GSA), for $41 (2008)
Discount Fares & Passes
Unitrans offers several discount passes available to community members (prices are as of June 2008): Annual ($180), quarterly ($64), and monthly ($25), as well as a “Summer Sizzler” pass that allows children age 5-17 ride all summer on both Unitrans and Yolobus for $15.
Passes can be purchased at City Hall, Transportation & Parking Services, Freeborn Hall Box Office, and the Unitrans Business Office at 5 South Hall. You can also call 752-BUSS and order a pass over the phone with a credit card.
In addition, 10-ride ticket passes can be purchased at Davis High School, Harper Junior High School, and Holmes Junior High School.
- Transfers to other Unitrans lines are free and valid for 30 minutes from time of issue during regular service, and for 1 hour during break and summer service. You cannot transfer to the same line, or to lines that travel the same route (P-Q, W-M, D-K, J-G, etc.) Transfer slips are provided upon request by the driver. **There is one exception, P to Q line transfers are allowed at Covell and Wright, to allow P line riders to access Harper JHS**
- Speak with the driver if you would like to ensure a timed transfer to another bus line. Please note that timed transfers are NOT guaranteed.
- For information about transferring to other transit agencies click here.
Unitrans in the Summer of 2009 outfitted many of their buses with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) that tie into the NextBus service, a 3rd party. NextBus is a “real-time” Internet and telecom service that provides, for buses so outfitted, the latest arrival information for serviced stops. It is free to Unitrans riders and any one with an interest in knowing if a bus will be ontime. Keep in mind that since this is a new system, it may not be available on all buses.
Arrival estimates can be queried automatically via SMS using your cell phone and can even be set to automatically page you. Or you can call an automated line and simply punch in your stop number (530-204-5529). The website provides a simple, regularly refreshing information page for a selected stop. They also have “live maps” to show you where the buses on a line currently are and what the latest arrival times are for each bus stop.
Visit the NextBus Unitrans website to see if your bus is on time or held up in traffic.
Buses: Unitrans is well-known for our fleet of historic London doubledecker buses, which in 2010 were joined by two modern doubledecker buses. The doubledeck buses run on six lines (B, E, F, G, J, V) in regular service during the academic year, and their times are noted on the printed schedule and a special flyer. One of the doubledecks has been converted from a diesel engine to run on clean natural gas. Unitrans’ CNG doubledeck is unique in North America, and perhaps in the world. Although the doubledeck bus is the symbol of Unitrans, most of our service is provided by modern buses fueled by CNG.
* from ASUCD City of Davis Unitrans
Other Services: Unitrans connects with several transit systems and links to their web sites are provided on the“Special Service” page. YoloBus provides service to Sacramento, Woodland, the Sacramento Airport, as well as within Davis and throughout Yolo County. YoloBus connects with Unitrans at the Memorial Union and at many common stop locations throughout Davis. Davis Community Transit provides demand responsive service within Davis, including ADA complementary paratransit service. Unitrans also connects withAmtrak/Capitol Corridor trains in downtown Davis, and a special shuttle operates on Sundays evenings when regular Unitrans service does not run. Other inter-city services available on the UCD campus include Fairfield and Suisun Transit, the UCD Med Center Shuttle, and the UC Berkeley Shuttle.
- Unlike other bus systems, Unitrans operates full schedules only during the regular UC Davis academic term (S and T lines follow the DJUSD calendar). Buses operate less often and stop running earlier during finals week, breaks between quarters, and in the summer. Weekend service is limited to only the J, W, P, Q, and O lines. Most holidays run similar to weekend service.
- Yolobus operates within Davis in addition to Unitrans. The 42A/B route runs longer hours on weekends, and 365 days a year including Sundays and other days when Unitrans runs at reduced schedules or does not operate. 42A (coming from Sac. and W. Sac.) serves south/east Davis (El Cemonte and Cowell), goes to Mace, Alhambra, then Covell to F, to Fifth, to the UCD MU, then Russell to Anderson, back to Covell, Marketplace (Covell/113), then to Woodland and Sacramento airport. 42B goes the opposite way.
- Do not run after buses after they have pulled away from the curb, especially at the terminal. Drivers are instructed not to stop. (Before the bus pulls away, however, running and/or yelling are often useful for the tardier riders.)
- If an undergraduate, be sure to hold your ID card so that the driver can easily see the blue UC Davis Emblem on the top of the card, which indicates you have paid your ASUCD fee that includes your bus pass.
- In addition, old registration cards are no longer accepted as of November 1, 2010. New registration cards are required to board the bus.
- Bicycles are not allowed, except on the last run of the day and all day on weekends, space permitting (except Finals and Picnic Day service).
- Lost and found items are brought to our office in 5 South Hall, Please Call (530)-752-2877 for any questions. *Note*: All Valuable items (Wallets, cell phones, laptops, etc.) are brought to the UC Davis Police Department on Kleiber Hall Drive