Cars and roads
Why does a bus have two floors?
Davis's London double-decker buses. A true how-it-works story for kids 4–7.
The Unitrans story, read aloud
Here in California, in a town called Davis, some buses have two floors! A double-decker bus has an upstairs and a downstairs. Why would a bus need two floors? Let's follow one big red bus. This bus first lived far away, in a city called London, across the ocean. Then it came all the way to Davis.
And who drives it? College students! They go to school at the big college there, and they drive the buses too. So many people want to ride. But a really long bus can't turn tight corners. So this bus stacks people up, like bunk beds!
Count with me: one floor, two floors! Bunk beds on wheels, but nobody takes a nap. That big red bus from London still rolls around Davis today. It carries students to class, upstairs and downstairs.
Quiz the back seat
Who drives the big red buses in Davis?
Show the answer
College students. College students! They go to class, and they drive buses in their free time too.
Unitrans facts for kids
- Unitrans in Davis is run almost entirely by UC Davis students who work part-time.
- It uses double-decker buses that once ran in London.
- It is one of only a few US transit systems using double-deckers for everyday rides, not sightseeing.
Questions kids ask about Unitrans
Why do double-decker buses have two floors?
Two floors stack more riders on one bus without making it too long to turn corners.
Where did the Davis double-decker buses come from?
They once carried riders in London, far away across the ocean.
Who drives the buses in Davis?
College students at UC Davis drive them while they go to school.
For grown-ups
Written with AI from public sources, then checked claim by claim against the sources below before it was published; stories that don't pass stay off the app and this site. Narration is pre-recorded, and nothing you do on this page is tied to your kids.
Sources
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Between stories: 25 road trip games for kids · Road trip bingo cards · Road trip trivia · Christmas light scavenger hunt · Christmas trivia
Town and county names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).