Austin’s regional public transportation agency is spending money like it’s going out of style. And at least some of it appears wholly unnecessary.
Earlier this week, KUT revealed CapMetro’s unofficial logo redesign, which arrives just ahead of a “$7.1 billion expansion of public transit known as Project Connect.” The agency, working in partnership with an expensive group of consultants, appears poised to move away from its existing logo (top) to an all-text version (bottom). Here is what’s being considered:
The change may not look like much, but that doesn’t mean it was cheap. In fact, according to KUT, the cost of coming up with new logo, somehow, totaled $182,675. The agency also has an additional $225,000 available to spend next year too. Of course, none of this includes “the expenses associated with replacing the logo on Capital Metro’s vehicles, uniforms, bus stops, signs and even trash cans.” Those costs will find taxpayers sometime in the future.
Needless to say, CapMetro’s logo redesign is simultaneously gratuitous and underwhelming. It’s disturbing for both how much was spent and how little was returned. Austinites deserve better.