Articles / Davis, (Yolo) California

With its flat topography, sunny weather, and bike-mad college students, Davis is a bicycle mecca. Seventeen percent of all city trips are by bike, and the city has more bikes than it has cars. During UC Davis class changes, a campus-wide car lockdown goes into effect: So many students are on bikes that it would be unsafe for cars to share the streets.

Davis began incorporating bike routes into its transportation infrastructure as early as the 1960s.

Yolobus, Davis' primary transit provider, balances the needs of avid bikers, commuters, and regional transit partners—and also happens to be an alternative-fuel pioneer. 

Yolobus began converting its fleet to low-emission, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles back in 1993. At the time, nobody knew for sure whether CNG could compete—in price, quality, or reliability—with diesel fuel, but smog-spewing diesel vehicles were recognized as a public health threat. The Yolobus fleet now consists of 44 CNG buses and 6 low-emission buses, chosen for their larger size. 

All Yolobus buses can also carry between one and three bikes, and the regional provider plans to establish a series of bike lockers. Through a partnership with the university, Davis undergraduates ride for free; they comprise roughly 10 percent of total ridership.