County Transit Program updates brand and services

Anyone driving around the Corvallis area may have noticed new buses driving around, and thought, “what is BAT?” Benton Area Transit’s (BAT) brand launched only a few months ago, however the County’s transit program has been transporting people in and around Benton County for decades.

It’s with the hope of providing a system that works for everyone that Brad Dillingham, Benton County transit coordinator, envisioned a new brand for the transit program. “Benton County received special transportation funds since 1985,” said Dillingham. “We use that money to contract with a local provider to provide special transportation, regional transit and ADA Paratransit services. The entire time we’ve been providing this important service, we didn’t have a recognizable brand, so the community came to know the services by the name of the contractor.”

Branding the transit program as Benton Area Transit provides the community with better clarity of who is providing their transit services. “It creates better transparency. With a recognizable brand, people know who is providing their transit services and we’re better able to market those services to new riders.”

A new name and bus wraps isn’t all; since launching as BAT, the program has begun a new route between North Albany and Corvallis, known as the North Albany Service. Also BAT reduced prices and redesigned service on the Coast to Valley Express, allowing riders to bus from Corvallis to Newport for just $5.  

And hoping to better serve its riders, BAT is launching its first “Outreach October” this year.

“This month we are launching an online survey to learn more about how we can about improve efficiencies and expand awareness of our services to everyone in the community.”

During Outreach October, everyone that lives, works and plays in Benton County are invited to participate in a short survey and get entered to win one of twenty $25 Bi-Mart gift cards.