red double decker unitrans bus

Invisible Upgrade: Unitrans Speeds Ahead With Tech Tune-Up

Quick Summary

  • The UC Davis Unitrans Route Finder was upgraded with a new, more robust back-end API (Application Programming Interface) launched by Information and Educational Technology (IET) in September 2025.
  • This significantly improves user experience by providing quicker load times for the most popular features, like Routes and the Live Route Map.
  • The new system includes automated testing that allows Unitrans to proactively identify and fix bugs in special schedules months in advance, ensuring more reliable service.

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The Unitrans Route Finder is now faster and more reliable, thanks to a back-end boost from Information and Educational Technology (IET). At the beginning of September 2025, IET partnered with Unitrans to launch a new API or Application Programming Interface on the UC Davis bus website (https://unitrans.ucdavis.edu/). The technical upgrade improved several important functions, but at first glance many Aggies may not notice a difference.

Unitrans Route Scheduler Website Screenshot

New API: Backend Boost for Unitrans

“If you visited the Unitrans site recently, you probably didn’t notice any changes. That’s by design,” admitted Shawn DeArmond, IET Web Architect. “We wanted to keep user experience consistent, meaning the bus route and schedule features work and look the same, but the system behind it is far more robust.”

Improvements Aggies will likely notice and appreciate are quicker load times for Routes and the Live Route Map—the most heavily used features on the Unitrans website. Thomas Amsler, IET Applications Programmer, designed the new API and made sure it used data more efficiently.

“Unitrans data is complex. There are lots of big files and an intricate data model. The old API processed and downloaded all that data every time you went to the Routes page. The new API solution only processes necessary files which creates a faster, agile, and more reliable experience,” explained Amsler.

screenshot of Unitrans website

Better Testing = More Reliable Service

While Amsler designed the API, he collaborated with Mark Miller, IET Senior Web Developer, to make sure it would work for the Unitrans website. Miller was very familiar with the site. He helped modernize it about a year ago. Once the new API was available, he updated the Unitrans Routes page to use the new API and developed automated testing to ensure the site could handle special occasions when bus routes are altered or added.

Jeff Flynn, Unitrans General Manager, said; “Before the update, there was really no way for us to know if a unique schedule was going to cause problems. Now we can run automatic tests and fix unknown bugs months in advance, better preparing us to serve the campus community during big campus events like orientation or Picnic Day.” 

From idea and creation to testing and go live, the API took just a couple of months to complete. While it is currently working behind the scenes of the Unitrans website to populate routes, it will also be added to the UC Davis mobile app in a future release.

Learn More About Unitrans

To learn more about Unitrans, which operates buses (including the iconic red double-deckers) across campus, head to https://unitrans.ucdavis.edu/.