Frankly, I don’t think it’s catchy, and I don’t think it will do anything to help brand it. From my previous post, I think that it’s actually bad.
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I’m not that familiar with Toronto but I’ll bet that people just say that they are taking the train.
Interesting… I’ve heard people in Durham switch over to “GoDurham” (which used to be “DATA”) pretty thoroughly, and here in Chapel Hill, we’ve been using “GoTriangle” and “Triangle Transit” interchangeably (but I heard “GoTriangle” a bit more just before the pandemic hit).
Sure, it may not be catchy. But who’s to say it won’t catch on if you give it a bit more time? Maybe people in Raleigh are just a bit more stubborn and used to “CAT” than the rest of us?
My take is that streetcars in mixed traffic are a nice amenity but they don’t really provide enough transportation value over buses to be worth the enormous added expense.
Give it a dedicated, protected lane and we’ll talk.
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Yeah it would have to be run in the media or along the side. If it’s in traffic it will just be stuck like all the cars & buses.
Haha I’m actually in Atlanta this weekend.
But you are correct. Nobody who says Marta ever means anything but the train.
Honestly and unfortunately, nobody ever says (or in Atlanta perspective admits) that they ride the bus.
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I’ve ridden the bus in Atlanta before! When I went to Clemson, I would occasionally fly into Atlanta, then take the Gold/Red line from the airport to Arts Center and then the 110 bus to the Amtrak station 
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One could argue though that in terms of downtown vehicles on streets though, that even mixed traffic streetcars would have the biggest net vehicle decrease.
Thinking of the NCSU-downtown-DTS arc from let’s say a state student perspective.
Grabbing lunch downtown, let me hop on the streetcar
Going to a game in their new downtown arena (wishful thinking haha) let me hop on the street car
Ready for a night out on Glenwood, let me hop on the streetcar
Heading down to DTS, let me hop on the street car
Price it right ($1 per ride is what it is in Atlanta) and it’s cheaper / easier than an Uber ride
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Don’t you just love our amazing Amtrak station 
I’ve admittedly never have ridden a bus in Atlanta. I’ve ridden the train 100s of times though.
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Is anyone at RUS right now? Gov cooper and Pete Buttigieg are speaking at 2 about the infrastructure plan
I’ll have to catch that on replay on WRAL or YouTube. Pretty cool though. Glad we can host in one of the best mid-sized city train stations in the nation. RUS is a huge win for Raleigh.
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Yes. As in all things, we are clearly inferior people to our brethren to the west. 
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Yea there was some pretty good Raleigh / NC hype up. But in terms of actual plans, I didn’t get anything from the live stream
I never said it’s a bad thing? I think this is just a side effect of Raleigh’s buses being a bigger, more visible part of some people’s lives than out west.
Point taken. That’s why I used the to lessen the sarcasm tone.
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Seems like there’s some overthinking here.
You either drive your car, catch a Lyft/Uber, ride some type of bus vehicle (regardless of what you call it), or ride some other type of train vehicle (regardless of what you call it).
If someone can be shown there’s a CONVENIENT better alternative that gets them where they want to go without having to drive, I really don’t think it matters what you brand it / call it, or what mode of transportation it is.
Bus rapid transit only means something to transit people. BRT is still a bus to 99% of people. The general public.
I really don’t think many people who WOULD hop on a train would think about a bus and be “ewww…a bus, that’s for poor people” or some idiotic elitist way of thinking.
If people think like that, they aren’t the kind of people who’d be very likely to ride a train either. They’re just going to drive regardless of convenience, unless it was the ONLY way to get somewhere.
Honestly don’t think branding and modes of transportation won’t matter.
Marketing and messaging that whatever transit options that get offered as being a better alternative than driving is all that matters, I think.
And it can’t be “save the planet” BS. That’s not going to get anyone on transit that isn’t already a transit enthusiast. You’re trying to recruit new riders, not convince the “faculty lounge.” Something eco-friendly may be a side benefit, but if it’s a hassle, it won’t matter.
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I agree with this, ultimately it’s going to come down to convenience/travel time/cost - not anything to do with branding or what not.
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I’m with you 99% of the way except for the train vs bus part. But that’s probably my Atlanta showing lol
I guarantee a lot of people who ride the Marta train here would say that about the Marta bus
Any links? I don’t see anything anywhere.
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