A recent survey regarding the Davis-Berkeley shuttle’s afternoon schedule received almost 1,000 responses, the majority of which indicated that people favored a later departure time from Davis.

As a result, a second survey is under way “to further identify the optimal” departure time,” said Richard E. Battersby, director of UC Davis Fleet Services, which runs the shuttle service.

Under the existing schedule, the afternoon shuttle departs Davis at 2:15. The follow-up survey asks people to pick a new departure time from among the following: 3:30, 4, 4:30, 5 or 5:30 p.m.

The Davis-Berkeley shuttle makes two runs daily, in the morning and afternoon, Monday through Friday, carrying about 15,000 riders a year, as well as intercampus mail. Only Davis and Berkeley faculty, staff and students are allowed to ride; the fare is $9.75 per one-way trip.

The bus also hauls materials to and from UC’s Northern Regional Library Facility in Richmond — going there every morning and afternoon. This is not a simple detour off Interstate 80 on the way to or from Berkeley; instead, the bus first drops off its passengers in Berkeley, then makes a side trip out to Richmond and back to Berkeley, to pick up passengers for the return trip to Davis.

Starting in 2011, Battersby said, Fleet Services will eliminate the afternoon side trip to Richmond. This is a cost-saving measure, he said, worth an estimated $20,000 in operating expenses.

In making this change, Battersby said, Fleet Services also decided to take the opportunity to see if there might be a more popular afternoon departure time from Davis. This is what prompted the first survey — in which 62 percent of the respondents said they favored a 4 p.m. departure from Davis.

Other results showed the following percentages for four other departure times:

• 3:30 p.m. — 10.6 percent
• 3 p.m. — 12.6 percent
• 2:30 p.m. — 5.6 percent
• 2 p.m. — 9.2 percent

In each scenario, the bus would operate on a two-hour schedule; i.e., the departure time from Berkeley would be two hours after the bus left Davis.

“Once we saw the responses, we decided to see if we could zero in on the preferred departure time, in a range from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.,” Battersby said. “We are aiming to serve as many people as we can, and hopefully pick up some new riders.”

He said the follow-up survey will be open until Dec. 8.

Fleet Services is not making any changes to the morning schedule. The morning bus leaves Davis at 7:30, arrives in Berkeley at about 9, makes the side trip to Richmond and back, then starts back to Davis at 11:30 a.m., arriving at approximately 1 p.m.

Reservations are required. More information, including the complete schedule.