Raleigh and Durham buses to be renamed
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Get ready for a new look on Raleigh and Durham roads. "CAT", "DATA", and Triangle Transit bus services are being renamed.
At a news conference Wednesday, North Carolina Department of Transportation boss Tony Tata was joined by the mayors of Raleigh and Durham to announce a marketing campaign where all the regional buses will share a similar name: "Go" as in "Go Raleigh", "Go Durham" and "Go Triangle."
"The message we're sending here is, they're all well-coordinated so you can get on a bus in Zebulon, for example, and go all the way to Hillsborough," explained David King with Go Triangle.
Officials said they're hoping the name game will get more people on the bus - and off the road - especially with the construction kicking into high gear on I-40/440.
"A lot of commuting is about behavior and if people understand the brand, they understand that they can get on a bus and actually be here quicker than if they drove down US 1. That's a good message for them to receive," offered NC DOT Secretary Tony Tata.
Officials stress this is just a name change. Actual bus service will remain the same.
The rebranding campaign cost about $160,000 - with about half coming as a grant from the state DOT.
Add in another five to seven thousand for new bus logos for only part of the fleet - and some are questioning the spending given recent bus fare hikes.
"The design in Raleigh was 50 years old. It's tired. Those same people might find it easier how to get around now so this is an evolutionary thing that we were due for," said King.
Officials say the new logos on the buses will be phased in over the next few years at an additional cost, but they're hoping their efforts will pay off.
Bus service in Cary and Chapel Hill could be renamed too, but those decisions have yet to be made.
