Central Arkansas Transit Authority voted Tuesday to change its name to Rock Region Metro and overhaul the look of its fleet in moves that proponents say will reflect other planned changes, including acquiring more eco-friendly buses and developing a real-time passenger information system.
The agency said the changes could include new routes and other improvements, depending on whether voters support new funding proposals to pay for them.
The agency's board of directors took the first step Tuesday in voting for the new name and paint design after a presentation from a consultant who said focus groups saw the CATA brand as a "government program for poor people."
"This was the 'ah-ha' moment," Lisa Van Hook, a principal and executive vice president for the Communications Group, a Little Rock marketing, advertising and public relations firm, told the directors at their monthly meeting.
Members of a dozen focus groups overwhelmingly preferred Rock Region Metro to Central Arkansas Transit Authority, she said.
The existing name was said to prompt descriptions such as "old," "efficient but boring" or "not going anywhere," and it had a "stigma of being only for low-income groups or people whose cars have broken down."
Members of the groups said the new name, by contrast, was seen as a "source of civic pride," would allow people to refer to taking the "Metro" rather than the "bus" and made them feel like they were in a bigger city.
At the same time, the board voted to adopt a chevron design that uses light green, blue and pewter colors that the consultants said was "strongly embraced by the staff and the public" and "would make a bold statement in the streets."
Jimmy Moses, a member of the board, welcomed the strong preference from the focus groups for the new brand.
"I'm really excited to hear the public say CATA isn't going to carry on into the future," he said.
Another board member, Little Rock City Manager Bruce Moore, said he loved the new name and new design but thought that it contained too much pewter. He later was mollified by assertions that much of that would be covered by advertising that typically adorns the sides of the buses.
Darrell Brown of Sherwood said he had been reluctant to embrace a name change, especially earlier suggestions such as Rock City or Big Rock, which he said didn't reflect his city's participation in the transit system.
Rock Region Metro sounds a "bit gimmicky, but it is bold and fresh," he said.
Of the 11 board members, eight attended Tuesday's meeting, and only one of them, John Todd of Maumelle, voted against the new branding.
"I have a problem having 68 people deciding what CATA will be," he said, referring to the focus groups. "I don't have enough information to vote yes."
Lawrence Finn of North Little Rock embraced the new name and design, which he said will tell the agency's ridership and the community that "we're a progressive agency" but that he wanted a "cautious" rollout because he wanted real change to take place. He said he didn't want a name change and new design as "all we actually produce at the end of the day."
The formal name change, which won't take place for several months, is the first since 1986 when the agency became a countywide authority. Before that, it was operated by Metroplan, the long-range transportation planning agency for the region, as Central Arkansas Transit.
The agency also has been known as Capital Transportation Co., Citizens Coach Co. and Twin City Transit, according to Jason Smedley, the agency spokesman.
Jarod Varner, the agency's executive director, told the board that staff members had to fast-track the new name and design because the paint scheme for its next order of 15 buses is due by Friday to keep the buses on schedule to be delivered by Sept. 1.
The formal name of the agency likely will be Rock Region Metropolitan Authority. The name must be modified in agreements with the cities and county that provide much of the agency's funding.
The name change comes as Varner and the board move to reshape the agency to position itself to attract "choice riders," people who have other options to travel, as well as its traditional ridership -- people who have no other means to get around.
The changes include the acquisition of the 15 buses, which will run on more environmentally friendly compressed natural gas. The $9.3 million project also includes the construction of a station to fuel the new buses.
Agency officials expect the buses to arrive in August, about two months after the fueling station is built.
The new buses will replace eight 2001 models and seven 2003 buses in the agency's fleet of 59 in regular passenger service. Three 2003 models will remain.
Also Tuesday, the commission approved Syncromatics of Los Angeles as the contractor to install a real-time passenger information system on all CATA buses as well as free onboard Wi-Fi. The arrival information will be available to any passenger with a smartphone.
The system also will provide the agency's staff with ridership and performance data. The system is being paid for with a $600,000 grant from Metroplan.
Meanwhile, an ongoing strategic initiative called Move Central Arkansas is expected to produce a range of potential funding options and new routes that backers hope will help build broader public support for the agency.
"We have to put the meat on the bone in terms of new services," Finn said after the meeting. "We needed to do this because we have 15 buses rolling out," he added. "What's more exciting, what's really in front of the agency, what's still to come, substantively, are the new routes.
"The heavy lifting isn't the new name or the new paint. What you're going to get is a new, vibrant agency."
Metro on 01/21/2015