The Unitrans bus system, serving the campus and the city of Davis, has proposed service changes for the 2020-21 academic year to improve reliability and reduce crowding.

The changes could take effect with the start of the university’s Summer Session II, Monday, Aug. 3; however, the implementation date may be delayed due to COVID-19-related impacts. A full summary of the proposed changes and schedules is available online.

Proposed reliability improvements:

• All-door boarding — To reduce customer boarding time, Unitrans would begin a one-year pilot program allowing customers with prepaid passes like the UC Davis undergraduate registration card to board through either the front or rear doors. Cash and 10-ride ticket transactions would continue to use the front doors.
• Drop-off-only stops — To reduce travel time, Unitrans would allow only drop-offs at five outbound stops on the G and J lines on Alvarado Avenue and Sycamore Lane, and at two outbound stops on the V Line on Sage Street at West Village Square and on Hutchison Drive at Sage Street. Customers would board at the inbound bus stops.
• Adjust morning departure schedules five minutes earlier — To ensure on-time arrivals before 9 a.m., Unitrans would shift all schedules five minutes earlier between 6:30 and 9 a.m.
• Reduced evening service on the D, G, J, W and V lines — Unitrans would discontinue the 6:20 p.m. runs on the D, G, J and W lines, and the 6:25 p.m. run on the V Line. The buses, underused at those times, would be reassigned to assist on 6:35 p.m. trips.

Proposed capacity improvements to reduce crowding:

• A and V lines, additional morning service — Unitrans would boost capacity on the A Line between 7:30 and 10 a.m. and increase the number of V Line runs to seven per hour (up from four) between 7:30 and 10 a.m.
• K and Z lines, additional evening service — Unitrans would add a 7:10 p.m. trip on the Z line and an 8:10 p.m. trips on the K and Z lines to reduce crowding on the A and Q lines.
• V Line, adjusted afternoon schedule — To better meet customer demand, Unitrans would shift V Line terminal departures from 0:25 minutes after the hour to 0:20 minutes after the hour.

Unitrans welcomes comments on the proposed changes through May 22, by email; phone, 530-752-2877; or mail addressed to Unitrans, 1 Shields Ave., 5 South Hall, Davis 95616.

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.