Now Arriving: “Pasadena Transit,” a New Name and Look for Former ARTS Buses

Now arriving at a local Pasadena bus stop near you: Pasadena Transit. The City’s busline has new name and a new logo, but step aboard and you’ll find the same reliable service and drivers and convenient routes of the former Pasadena Area Rapid Transit System (ARTS).

The new brand, introduced Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 by City officials and representatives from ArtCenter College of Design, is intended to reflect the important growth of Pasadena Transit since it began in 1994.

Also on hand for the official introduction was ArtCenter graduate Julie Yeow, who developed the clean, bold logo and branding materials for the City’s Department of Transportation. Yeow described the theme as retaining a “friendly energy” that communicates Pasadena Transit’s primary goal of connecting people and places in Pasadena. To convey the theme of making connections, Yeow integrated iconic images of Pasadena including the Colorado Street Bridge, the national historical landmark Pasadena City Hall, the Civic Auditorium and ArtCenter.

From its humble beginnings 21 years ago as a one-line, free, local “shopper shuttle” to one of the largest, locally funded public bus systems in Los Angeles County, Pasadena Transit now offers six distinct routes that connect more than 1.5 million passengers each year to local destinations in Pasadena as well as to regional public bus systems and light rail stations.

In addition to the new look and name, City officials announced that Pasadena Transit’s 25-bus fleet is now equipped with data transmission technology that provides customers with real-time arrival info via the web, smart phones or tablet devices. Passengers can access the real-time arrival data from Pasadena Transit buses by calling 511 or going online to www.Go511.com, www.pasadenatransit.net, or Google Maps. The real-time bus arrival technology was made possible by grants from the U.S. government and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The Pasadena Transit fleet includes 19 of the 32-foot-long, 27-seat buses and six 25-foot-long, 20-seat buses. All buses use CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) fuel; can accommodate wheelchairs and have bicycle racks at the front of the buses.

The branding campaign was a collaborative, multi-year effort by the City with ArtCenter College of Design, a global leader in art and design education. Year after year in similar collaborations, major companies from around the world in the technology, fashion, sports apparel, automotive and manufacturing industries work with ArtCenter students and faculty on their marketing, branding and logo campaigns.

Stay connected to the City of Pasadena! Visit the City of Pasadena online at  www.cityofpasadena.net; follow the city on Twitter @PasadenaGov, www.twitter.com/pasadenagov, and like the City on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofpasadena. Or call the Citizen Service Center, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at (626) 744-7311.

For more information about Pasadena Transit, visit www.pasadenatransit.net or call (626) 744-4055. Follow Pasadena Transit on Twitter @PasadenaDOT, www.twitter.com/PasadenaDOT.