Southern and Western Chester County residents will now see a bright green bus traveling in their communities. The ChescoBus is the newly rebranded public transportation network managed by the Transportation Management Association of Chester County’s (TMACC). The service includes TMACC’s two routes: SCCOOT, serving Oxford to West Chester, and Coatesville Link, connecting Parkesburg to Coatesville.
With the new colorful bus designs and a simple new bus logo will be incorporated with coordinating bus stop signs along the two routes and a new bus tickets look. The new colors for ChescoBus are a brilliant green with blue lettering for better visibility. The choice in design and color was a simple decision for TMACC; choose vibrant colors that represent “sustainability” and the “environment”. TMACC’s Manager of Transportation Operations and Planning, John Meisel, noted that when the new signs are installed they will make a statement: “The new signs are the same color as the new bus designs. They’re bright and easy to spot. And most importantly, they will be located at all stops listed on the route. The installation of these signs is a huge upgrade to the service that will help riders.”
The idea to rebrand the two major bus services in Chester County came from the importance of developing a “transit culture” in Chester County. Executive Director of TMACC, P. Timothy Phelps, believes a new brand will increase awareness of the service, “We want Chester County to know there are other travel options than using a car. Whether it’s for medical appointments, shopping, entertainment, or work, we want people to be aware that they can use public transportation to get there. We chose the bright color and simple name to let people know that we’re here, we’re Chester County’s public transportation network.”
TMACC is partnering with the Chester County Planning Commission (CCPC) to promote a transit culture. Earlier in 2014, the CCPC published their 80 page public transportation plan for the county. The purpose was to develop a plan to redefine commuter preferences and facilities of public transit in Chester County. Randy Waltermyer, director of transportation planning at CCPC, said TMACC’s steps in rebranding are exactly the direction the county wants to head towards, “The proactive approach TMACC is taking to alter the transit culture is the start we need to redefine commuter preferences. Around 245,000 daily commuters are using single occupancy vehicles (SOV) to travel. Chester County is continuing to grow and our infrastructure will not handle more SOVs on the road. We need more agencies like TMACC promoting public transportation to fix this growing problem.”
If rebranding is successful, TMACC hopes to gain the stability in funding to open doors for more improvements to the service. “We hope the new ChescoBus brand will attract new riders, and give us opportunities to improve service. Long term, it could give TMACC the opportunity to expand connectivity in Chester County by adding more bus routes.” said Phelps.
The SCCOOT bus line operates in Southern Chester County. The route runs from Oxford to Kennett Square, with limited service to West Chester. What is unique about SCCOOT is that it is the only public transportation service available in Southern Chester County, which is why TMACC created the service in 1997.
The Coatesville Link bus line travels from Coatesville to Parkesburg. The Coatesville link serves many large areas like the Chester County Airport and the Brandywine Hospital. It also takes patients of the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center to and from their appointments.
TMACC thanks the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Chester County Board of Commissioners, the city of Coatesville, Penn Township, and the Avon Grove Lion’s Club for providing the continued support to operate ChescoBus.
The new green buses made their debut on the routes at the end of January. The bus stop signs will be installed throughout the winter months and finish by Spring.
