⁴ᴷ⁶⁰ Unitrans: Riding Historic London Double Decker Bus (AEC Regent III RT) in Davis
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- After a 21-month-long hiatus during the pandemic, Unitrans's one-of-a-kind historic London buses were back in service for the week of December 6-10, 2021!
Unitrans, short for University Transport, operates the majority of bus service in Davis, CA, The system is renowned for its collection of decades-old double-decker AEC Regent III RTs, which originated out of London during the 1940s and 50s.
The RTs were taken out of service at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and remained that way until December 6, 2021, when the first RT entered service doing G tripper runs in the morning.
Unitrans operates various "tripper buses" that are primarily designed to either alleviate crowding on other buses or keep other buses on time. The RT featured in this video was one such tripper bus, and was tasked with assisting the normal G line bus (the modern double decker visible throughout most of this video) with its run.
The first half of the journey is when the bus traveled out-of-service to the Alvarado & Sycamore bus stop, at which point it began its in-service trip as a G line bus to help out the normal G bus. For the rest of the run, the RT and the normal G bus "leapfrogged," with whatever bus was in front of the other picking up passengers, until both buses made it back to the Memorial Union Terminal.
This video is filmed from the front of the top deck aboard RT 4735, built in 1954. It is one of four historic London buses considered to be active fleet members for Unitrans.
In 1968, the Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD) recognized the need for a public transit system to serve students and residents of Davis alike, and ferry people from all corners of the city to campus. They quickly purchased a couple RTs from London, which was done to draw attention to the new agency and increase its patronage.
From its inception, Unitrans employed students as the sole drivers of the big red buses. This remains true to this day, with student employees driving a fleet of buses that now includes RTs, standard New Flyer single deckers, and modern double deckers from manufacturer Alexander Dennis.
I am one of those student drivers, so expect more Unitrans content in the future! For now, enjoy this footage of one of Unitrans's most prized possessions.
I love how the ADL In the front was so safe when it comes to Trees, Bikes, Etc.
So cool! It’s interesting to see the mods they’ve done on the lovely old RT, the red upholstery looks very smart & I quite like the ‘squared off’ rear mudguards.
Lovely video that brought back many fond memories of Davis, UCD, and the venerable AEC Regent double decker buses!
Thank you, I love hearing that :)
Even though I never experienced Davis in that kind of weather, this video brings back memories. I've been to Davis doing a semester abroad from Germany in 1999 and returned for some research work in 2008. I used to ride the busses a lot, of course - as well as Yolobus to Sacramento. The streets of Davis look the same as back then. I even knew that there would be a Rite Aid at one of the first intersections - and it was still there.
This is so cool! Thanks so much for sharing. Davis hasn't changed too much in over 20 years; hopefully you can visit again someday.
I don’t consider Davis to be part of the Bay Area, but okay, transit news- I’ll give it that. I was a Unitrans driver 1990-91. Good memories I must say.
Agree that Davis isn't in the Bay Area, but we film a lot of videos outside of the Bay Area anyway. And that's so cool! Do you remember your employee number? We're up to the 4500 range now.
No sorry. I don’t remember my employee number. I had since driven for Yolo Bus, Regional Transit, and County Connection in Contra Costa; so way too many numbers to remember.
But my hire date was somewhere in March 1990 w/ Unitrans. I remember the Daimlers, the Flexibles, the GM’s, and 3900 series 35’ Gilligs, with those crappy Stone-Bennett transmissions.
I forgot more than I could ever remember, but good times. I miss them dearly. Davis has changed so much since I graduated.
@@B3burner No worries, that's awesome you've worked for so many agencies around here. What Unitrans bus was your favorite to drive back then? We just received six Xcelsior electric buses that'll go into service next fall; I'm super excited to drive those. The RTs are still going strong too, along with our four modern AD double decks.
Interesting they reversed the bus flow direction at the MU. Used to be counterclockwise.
I believe the change was made in the middle of the last decade to accommodate more buses in the terminal space.
It’s no original RT but you’re going to get tons of crap from purists screaming - wrong engine, wrong gearbox, no soul etc. Yet you kept a tradition alive in a new country, in a modern age. Something we haven’t really got right ourselves.
Suggestion: can we have a video from the lower deck front, nearer the engine? That Cummins scream is always welcome.
Lol at the people on Radcliffe who have their own bus.
lol hi
Lol hi there! Thanks for being good company on the ride :)
@@BayAreaTransitNews aww thanks you too!
The wrong engine, the wrong gearbox, the wron seats and the wrong smell. Really just a shaped box being moved about a tourist route. Come to England and experience the real thing.
As a Unitrans driver, this comment is absolutely hilarious
In other news: Did you know that towels get wet as it dries?
Least angry brit
I saw a flurry of angry bus enthusiasts on another video of a new routemaster, and i find it hilarious
For daily service there's no choice. They did run them with their AEC's and preselects for a long time and tried to keep them original. This actually sounds good for what it is.