Trolleys to boast new look in bid to improve ridership

Scottsdale’s trolleys are undergoing an overhaul, but there’s been no need for motor oil or tires.

Instead, the city is on the verge of launching a fresh look for its free public transportation system. There’s a new name, a new logo and, hopefully, a new way residents and visitors alike will consider using to get around town.

Perhaps the biggest change is the simplest. Where the old system was called Scottsdale Trolley — leading to the mistaken impression there was only one vehicle or route — passengers will soon be boarding Scottsdale Trolleylines.

“When you look at it, the recommendation is pretty simple,” said Dan Corredor, lead marketing strategist with the consulting firm hired to make these changes. “There’s not a whole lot there, but the solution works.”

These developments will be unveiled at Thursday night’s meeting of the Scottsdale Transportation Commission. Public comment will be taken at the commission’s Dec. 21 meeting.

Changing the identity is, said city spokesman Pat Dodds, a “symptom of success.” As the system recently grew to four routes — two year-round (Downtown and Neighborhood Connector) and two seasonal (San Francisco Giants and Resorts Shuttle) — transit officials realized there was no connecting theme in how they were identified.

Neill Fox, a graphic artist with the consulting firm, noted an “obvious disconnect” in the routes’ marketing: Differing typefaces and colors, and disparate elements such as baseball bats on the Giants Shuttle.

So, earlier this year, the city hired Scottsdale-based Asylum-Pipeline to design the new scheme. The contract was not to exceed $33,750; about $20,000 has been incurred, city transportation general manager Mary O’Connor said.

Asylum-Pipeline’s first task was to determine what image Scottsdale Trolley projected. After weeks of research, the consultants determined people either didn’t know this transit alternative existed in a car-crazy city or didn’t realize the trolley system’s extent.

Then, the consultants looked at the old logo. City officials had said they wanted the trolley image out, as so the logo wouldn’t be dated by changes in technology.

Eventually, the logo’s design took the shape of a circle.

“It stands out in a landscape of a lot rectangular signs, which is a good thing,” Fox said. “It implies wheels and suns and themes that might be inherent to Scottsdale.”

Another change was to differentiate the routes through assigned colors. In the transit world this is common, as seen on the subway systems of Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

While city officials are happy with their consultants’ proposal, the real seal of approval will come from where the rubber meets the road.

Said Corredor: “The true test is usability and how the passengers respond to what we’ve provided here.”

Trolley session

What: Scottsdale Transportation Commission

When: Thursday, about 7:30 p.m. (after a 6 p.m. joint meeting with the Phoenix Citizens Transit Commission)

Where: City Hall, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.