What: Unitrans, the student-run bus system serving UC Davis and the city of Davis, will introduce 10 new, low-emissions buses to replace 1960s-era diesel buses. Of the 10, nine will run on natural gas, and one will run on an experimental mixture of natural gas and hydrogen. Unitrans is among the first in the nation to test the natural gas-hydrogen mixture in actual transit conditions. Who: Matt Huerta, president of Associated Students of UC Davis; Jim McElroy, director of Unitrans; U.S. Rep. Doug Ose, R-Sacramento; California Assembly Member Helen Thomson, D-Davis; UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef; and other officials. Many enthusiastic Unitrans student drivers will also attend. When: 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29 Where: North patio of Freeborn Hall, along North Quad Avenue, UC Davis campus Visuals: The 10 new, bright-red Unitrans buses will be parked at the event site and will convoy away after the speakers' remarks and a ribbon-cutting. One bus will remain at the site for tours and on-board interviews. Background: Unitrans is believed to be the largest public transit service run by students in the United States. About 175 student employees and 15 career employees run the system, which carries up to 18,000 passengers each weekday (over 2.4 million annually) in 30 buses over 15 routes. With the new buses, 85 percent of Unitrans' mileage will be driven by clean-fuel buses; it had been 70 percent. Federal regulators have determined that the Sacramento metropolitan area has unhealthy levels of air pollution. To contribute to clean-up efforts, regional transit systems (Unitrans, Yolo County Transportation District, Sacramento Regional Transit) have worked together for eight years to use cleaner bus fuels. Their efforts have served as a model for the bus industry and other transit fleets. However, in 2007 new state emission standards take effect, and even cleaner technologies will be needed. One of the new buses introduced at this event will test one such technology -- a combination of natural gas and hydrogen. Unitrans will collaborate with the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) and private industry to be among the first to test the combined fuel in a real-world situation. U.S. Rep. Doug Ose and California Assembly member Helen Thomson have been instrumental in securing federal and state funds for these continuing air-quality projects. Directions: Take Highway 113 north to Russell Boulevard. Travel east on Russell to Howard Way. Turn right on Howard Way and drive to the parking structure on the left. Look for reserved Unitrans event parking in the parking structure. Because the event site is very congested, media vehicles will not be allowed to park at the site. If access is necessary to drop off equipment or to accommodate a live report, contact Sylvia Wright, below.