More people are riding the university's shuttle buses between the Davis and Sacramento campuses -- so many more that officials have added extra buses on the two busiest runs each day.

"We're here to transport people, not to leave people behind," said Humberto Contreras, shuttle supervisor with the UC Davis Health System's Parking and Transportation Services, which runs the buses.

Indeed, some of the shuttles did not always have enough room for everyone in May and June, when ridership began going up, no doubt in response to rising gasoline prices, Contreras said.

A one-day ridership count the week of July 28 tallied 500 boardings (people going one way or the other), compared with a daily average of around 470 from July 2007 to June 2008.

Because of safety concerns, the university does not allow people to ride while standing in the aisle, Contreras said. In other words: no seat, no ride -- which means an hour's wait for the next shuttle. Each can accommodate 41 or 43 passengers.

In late June, university officials authorized temporary funding for second buses on the 8:10 a.m. run from Davis to Sacramento and the 5:15 p.m. run from Sacramento to Davis. The extra buses carry 25 passengers.

Contreras said he is working to secure permanent funding for the extra buses. The money would add to the subsidies that the Sacramento and Davis campuses already provide to cover the difference between fare revenue and the actual cost of running the shuttles.

Sacramento puts in $355,000 and Davis puts in $80,000 -- money that officials say is well spent, because the shuttles keeps cars off the road and their emissions out of the air, and free up space in parking lots. Ridership in 2007-08 exceeded 116,000 boardings.

Parking savings, too

Shuttle fares are a real bargain. The one-way charge is $1 for the roughly 20-mile trip. If you drive your own car, and it gets 20 miles per gallon, the one-way trip costs you a gallon of gas.

A year ago, a gallon of regular gas was selling for about $2.80 in the Sacramento area, according to the American Automobile Association's Daily Fuel Gauge Report. The price reached $4.57 a gallon on June 17, and in recent days dropped to just under $4 a gallon.

At $4 a gallon, you save, in gas alone, $3 each way with a $1 shuttle fare. People who buy monthly shuttle passes save even more: A pass costs $30, which breaks down to 75 cents per ride for 40 one-way rides.

Bus riders also save on parking, if they otherwise would drive or carpool to work. The cost for a C permit, for example, is $38 a month.

Ryan Sandwick, entering his fourth year at UC Davis, started riding the shuttle in June. He lives in Sacramento's Midtown, about a mile from the UC Davis Medical Center, where he catches the shuttle.

"It's nice to begin and end your day with a walk," said Sedgwick, who is working this summer as an intern in the Buildings and Grounds division.

Not to mention the money he is saving: "It's enough to make my car payment."

"I'm on a student budget, so I'll probably keep riding the shuttle until I graduate," he said.

Jay Leek, a graphic artist for University Communications, also started riding the shuttle in June. He said he figures he is saving $50 a week in premium gas and perhaps twice that on maintenance and wear and tear on his car.

Now, even though gas prices are falling, Leek said he will continue riding the shuttle. "It's so much more relaxing," he said. "You can read or doze."

And, without having to deal with the stress of driving, the bus ride offers a time to wind down from your workday by the time you get home, he said.

Larger buses

The shuttle service, for any UC affiliate (faculty, staff, students, interns, volunteers, patients and visitors), is offered hourly, 15 times daily, from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday -- with buses departing from Davis and Sacramento at the same times.

Contreras said ridership also has gone up on the health system's shuttle buses that run between the Sacramento campus and the 39th Street light-rail station. To accommodate the growth, he is dispatching 25-seat buses instead of 14-seat buses.

For shuttle service schedules and ticket information:

Davis campus -- Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS), (530) 752-TAPS (8277) or taps.ucdavis.edu (click on "Commuter Services," then "Bus Program," then "UCD/UCDMC Shuttle").

Sacramento campus -- Parking and Transportation Services, (916) 734-2687 or www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/parking (click on "Commuter Choice," then look under "Alternative Transit Options").

Alternative transportation

The Davis-Sacramento shuttle service is one of many ways the university promotes alternative transportation.

On the Davis campus, Transportation and Parking Services, or TAPS, offers monthly subsidies for public transportation (Unitrans, Yolobus, Fairfield and Suisun Transit, or FAST, and Sacramento Regional Transit, as well as Amtrak).

TAPS also assists in bringing people together for vanpools (some of which qualify for non-UC Davis subsidies) and carpools.

"TAPS' goal is to contribute to improved air quality and reduced traffic congestion in our area," said Director Cliff Contreras (no relation to the health system's Humberto Contreras). "In addition, fewer cars means fewer parking spaces to construct, which helps keep parking costs down for those who have no choice but to drive to campus."

The health system offers monthly subsidies to vanpool riders and discounted passes and tickets for Sacramento Regional Transit.

For more information:

Davis campus -- Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS), (530) 752-TAPS (8277) or taps.ucdavis.edu (click on "Commuter Services").

Sacramento campus -- Parking and Transportation Services, (916) 734-2687 or www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/parking (click on "Commuter Choice").