Transit Driver Appreciation Day
Free rides next week, and safe, reliable service all year long (even during this particularly challenging winter) — what better time to say “thank you” to your Unitrans drivers? Especially considering Transit Driver Appreciation Day is this Saturday! Officially, it’s Saturday, but, because many of us ride only Monday through Friday, feel free to express your thanks on Friday OR Saturday (March 17-18). And don’t forget the bus maintenance personnel and other staff behind the scenes — consider sending them an email or calling on the phone, 530-752-2877.
Unitrans, a partnership of the city of Davis and Associated Students of UC Davis, runs 49 buses on 18 routes carrying more than 4 million passengers a year (more than 23,000 on a typical day). The transit system employs 235 UC Davis undergraduates, of whom approximately 150 are drivers.
What’s as good or better than a Therapy Fluffy during finals? How about free service for everyone on Unitrans?
That’s what we’re getting all next week, March 20-24, when finals service is in effect on campus and across the city. No need to worry about forgetting your student ID or Unitrans pass. No need to fumble for change.
“No one needs added stress during finals,” said Anthony Palmere, Unitrans general manager, who added that driver Benjamin Linden came up with the idea (he’s a student, like all the other Unitrans drivers). “Not only are we reducing stress, but we will improve our schedule reliability so we can get you where you’re going, on time.”
At busy stops, Palmere said, passengers can board through the front or back doors. Once on the bus, people should move quickly into all available spaces.
Palmere said free finals week is “also a good opportunity to try Unitrans if you’re not already riding our buses.”
He said Unitrans welcomes feedback on this finals week experiment, to help the bus system decide whether to offer free rides during every finals week.
If you’re looking at the Unitrans route schedules, remember to click on “Finals” — when buses run less frequently, and service runs later at night.
Media Resources
Dateline Staff, 530-752-6556, dateline@ucdavis.edu