Can Unitrans run smaller buses?
Unitrans has exceptionally high ridership for a system of its size, carrying over 20,000 riders per day in our community. This translates to over 50 passengers per bus hour, which is higher than many large urban transit systems. Although not every bus is full for every trip, all carry a full load at various times throughout the day. If the same number of riders were to be carried on smaller buses, there would need to be dozens more buses in operation throughout the day, representing a significant increase in the cost to provide the service as well as more traffic on the streets. Ideally, we could have different size buses for different times of day, but that would also represent a very significant cost increase above current funding levels. Unitrans has several 20-passenger shuttle buses that are used in special services when a full-size bus is not required, but these cannot accommodate the number of passengers who ride the regular lines.
