The Chautauqua Area Rural Transport System will now be known as CHQ Transit complete with new branding. P-J file photo

With fewer people riding public transportation locally, county officials are hoping to infuse new life into the Chautauqua Area Rural Transport System by marketing it with a new name.

County Executive PJ Wendel has announced that CARTS will now be known as CHQ Transit and it will have a new logo. The logo has not yet been revealed.

Along with the new name and logo, there will be construction of a transportation hub in downtown Jamestown, a rider’s app and cashless fare system, and the addition of three trolleys to the fleet.

CARTS talked about rebranding itself about a year and a half ago. The goal was in part to increase ridership and awareness of the transportation system.

According to Michelle Westphal, senior project coordinator with CARTS, ridership has dropped over the last four years. In 2019, CARTS made 199,477 trips. That number dropped slightly in 2019 to 195,936 trips. In 2020 when the pandemic hit, CARTS was severely impacted, making only 123,184 trips. In 2021 they began to increase ridership with 130,398 trips, but still well below the trips made in 2018 and 2019.

Wendel announced CARTS’ new name during his State of the County address last week.

“Under the direction of Michele Westphal, senior project coordinator of the Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System, Chautauqua County began the process of rebranding and expanding our public transportation services,” he said during his speech. “This process will not only expand our services, but will also provide riders a way to optimize their riding experience with the following: a new logo and new name, CHQ Transit; the construction of a transportation hub in downtown Jamestown; the addition of new technology including a rider’s app and cashless fare system; and the addition of three trolleys to our fleet.”

After making the announcement, The Post-Journal/OBSERVER reached out to Wendel for specifics. In an email, he said the details are still being worked out. “We will announce to the media when the new reveal will take place. We are still working with the firms and making sure we are prepared for this transition. As soon as we have a timeline we will make it public,” he said.

The CARTS hub is likely to be built at 215 E. Third St., Jamestown where it has been renting property since 2018. At the end of 2020, the county Legislature accepted a $160,000 from the state Department of Transportation for the purchase of that location. GPatti Third LLC was selling the property to the county for $152,000. The county also had to do a state Environmental Quality Review of the facility for the purchase.