Andrew Wyly has served as the maintenance manager at Unitrans since May 2011. As maintenance manager, he is responsible for the unique bus fleet that Unitrans operates as the public transportation provider for the city of Davis and the University of California, Davis. The fleet includes 49 buses, most of which are standard CNG buses, similar to other transit systems, as well as two modern Alexander-Dennis doubl-deckers. However, what makes Unitrans fleet unique is the presence of four vintage London double-decker buses, originally built in post-WWII years (1948-1954).
Wyly has overseen the most recent re-building of these buses, including installing modern diesel engines in two of them and converting the other two to CNG. This has made it possible to allow the 60-year-old buses to continue in service today.
In addition to the special challenges of maintaining a diverse vehicle fleet, another notable aspect of Unitrans and Wyly’s role as maintenance manager is the use of student employees as shop assistant mechanics. The Unitrans maintenance department includes just four full-time mechanics to maintain the fleet, and all of its maintenance work is performed in house. To make this possible, the career mechanics oversee 12 to 15 student mechanics who work part-time while pursuing their undergraduate degree at UC Davis. Wyly leads this effort and takes great pride in teaching these students how to perform various maintenance functions safely and correctly. While most of the students pursue careers in non-transit fields, they have all gained skills that serve them in their future, along with a strong appreciation of bus technology. Several do continue in the transit industry, often in engineering positions, having benefitted greatly from their maintenance work experience.
Wyly has led several innovative efforts at the shop to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship. This has included reaching out to the lighting center to replace all of the lighting fixtures within the shop. He is also overseeing the replacement of two vehicle lifts with units with improved protection of hydraulic fluids, in addition to working closely with the water quality management districts on all issues related to protecting the storm-water runoff from our facility.
Wyly began his career in transit at Unitrans as a bus driver and shop assistant in the 1990s. He has been very active in the industry, including participation in regional, state and national conferences, workshops, and information sharing.
“Working in maintenance always presents new challenges every day. Our shop at UC Davis has many students working alongside our mechanics. This mentor-ship is what makes it a special place to work.”
