North Central RTD Introduces New Branding for Blue Bus

The North Central RTD introduced a new look for its RTD Blue Buses, which are known as the Blue Bus.

The newly branded buses will begin rolling out throughout the District over the coming months and over the next couple of years, according to North Central RTD's news release.

As part of the rebranding, the District said it will modify referencing to itself as North Central RTD rather than North Central Regional Transit District. Over the years, users of the service have commonly referred to it as the Blue Bus or RTD Blue Bus. The new branding will make use of that naming with the brand as the Blue Bus.

The new logo and vehicle branding was created by Studio Six Branding after a series of Discovery sessions with area stakeholders. It incorporates elements of the land and presents a celebration of cultural diversity and inclusivity that has been inspired by the northern New Mexico landscape and symbols of the communities it serves.

The new bus design incorporates mountains, mesas, and blue skies featured in the northern New Mexico landscapes. It also incorporates elements of eagle feathers, symbols that were raised by area Pueblos during a Discovery session with the North Central RTD Tribal subcommittee and members of their Pueblos.

Along the top of the bus are translations of the word Blue in various languages commonly spoken in the region with Spanish, Tewa, and Tiwa, as well as French and German. The Tewa translations were provided by Nambè Pueblo and Ohkay Owingeh, and the Tiwa translation was by Picuris Pueblo.

North Central RTD is in the process of purchasing 19 new buses including 10 electric vehicles. All of the buses will feature the new branding.