Cache Valley Transit District announced it would be rebranding itself as Connect Public Transit on Aug. 5 after dropping hints on social media for a week that a big change was coming.
While there have been many positive comments about the transit district's new look and name, there have also been many comments questioning if the change was needed, the removal of Cache Valley from the name and the use of tax revenue on the rebrand.
Connect's CEO/General Manager Todd Beutler told the Herald Journal the change to Connect has been coming for a few years.
"We really feel like this helps communicate our mission better to the public that we really are about connecting people, whether that's to employment or education, medical services or going to visit family and friends."
Connect hired Rumor Advertising, a Salt Lake-based company, to create its new brand, website, outreach campaign and SWAG. The change included new bus stop signs, driver uniforms and bus wraps.
According to Beutler, the district has/will spend $200,000 over two years on the rebranding.
"This was tax funding that was budgeted, that our board approved, for this purpose," said Beutler.
The two main sources of funding for CPT are a local option sales tax, which accounts for about a quarter of their funding, and an additional Cache County tax that goes to roads and transit.
Beutler said they receive federal funding through grants, which mostly goes to capital purchases like buses and facilities, and a small amount from advertising on the buses.
Beutler said when spending taxpayer money, they want to be very judicious.
"We very much believe these tax dollars are sacred," said Beutler. "As a citizen, I pay taxes too, I want to make sure that we're spending them in the best possible way."
He said they already had a regular marketing outreach budget for the district that was used to get the word out about the rebrand, so they weren't creating a lot of extra budget.
The district's state budget report for 2022, 2023 and 2024 did not include a specific marketing or rebranding budget.
A records request will be made for the full budget, but according to the state budget report available, the 2023 estimated expenditures were about $30 million, an increase of almost $15 million from the actual expenses in 2022.
The 2024 budget included about $39 million for expenses. The main increase in 2023 and 2024 was for planned capital projects.
Budget priorities for 2024 discussed in board meetings included offering competitive wages, capital projects such as the construction of the new maintenance and storage facility, safety programs, public outreach, an electric vehicle plan and an economic impact study.
No immediate changes have been made to how the district is run or its routes, and it remains zero-fare since the rebranding.
Why Connect
Many online commenters seemed let down the district's announcement in August wasn't a connection to Brigham City or Ogden, but Beutler said the rebrand is part of looking forward to the future and possible connections to areas outside of Cache Valley.
Beutler and representatives from Rumor presented on the rebranding or "brand revolution," during the September 2023 board meeting.
According to the minutes, the presenters said a lot of the community didn't know what CVTD stood for. The minutes state, "The name (Connect) doesn't anchor it to one specific location -- more flexible for service expansion in the future."
In October 2023, further reasons for the rebrand discussed included the fact the district has never done a true rebrand.
"A rebranding helps the district continue to broaden the services offered and to potentially expand outside of Cache Valley," stated the meeting minutes. "A rebranding also helps the longevity of an organization, as well as helping an organization to match a strategic plan as it moves forward. A rebranding would also cost more down the road."
Beutler told the Herald Journal there may also be other ways to Connect in the future, like with scooters or bicycles.
"We really believe that people should have many choices on how they are mobile."
CPT riders like Daisy Amador and Amber House are just glad the service is there and is still zero-fare.
Amador has lived in Logan for four years and rides the city buses about three times a week.
She said she hasn't noticed much of a change since they rebranded.
House has lived in Logan her whole life and rides the buses often.
"I feel like (the rebrand) was a good idea," said House. "The new buses and logo look nice."
Neither expressed concerns about the cost.
Connect Public Transit is the name the district is doing business as, but the legal name of the organization is still Cache Valley Transit District.
Cache Valley Transit District was started in 2000 and served Richmond, Smithfield, Hyde Park, North Logan, River Heights, Providence, Millville, Nibley, Hyrum and later Lewiston.
In 2007, CVTD merged with the Logan Transit District which started in 1992 as a zero-fare transit service for citizens and visitors of Logan.