Council approves ION logo

Waterloo Region – Regional Council unanimously approved the logo for ION, the Region of Waterloo’s rapid transit service. The approved logo registered strong first impressions and word associations with all three research groups and participants said it connected most with the Region’s family of brands, including Grand River Transit (GRT) and iXpress.

“This is another great milestone for ION,” said Regional Councillor Sean Strickland. “The logo will help us with education and assist in building public awareness for the new service. I think the logo is simple, memorable and builds on the brand equity of iXpress. This is important as it will help us unite the two transit services and create a seamless and cohesive public transit network for residents with GRT.”

On April 30, Council approved ION as the brand name of the rapid transit service. Following that decision, the Region, with Quarry Integrated Communications, began the process of developing a logo for ION.

A logo is the visual identity of a product or service. It represents the brand in the minds of customers and includes all graphics, colours and typeface.

“Initially the ION logo will serve as a first impression for the service,” said Darshpreet Bhatti, Director of Rapid Transit. “Ultimately though, ION will be defined by the rapid transit system we deliver to residents. We are working hard to ensure it will be reliable, convenient and efficient for all users.”

ION will fundamentally shape Waterloo Region for the future. It will help move people, limit sprawl, encourage intensification and protect the environment. Implemented in two stages, ION features a 19 kilometre light rail transit (LRT) route from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener. Stage 1 also includes a 17 kilometre route of adapted Bus Rapid Transit (aBRT) from Fairview Park Mall to the Ainslie Street Terminal in Cambridge. The aBRT service is expected to begin operating in late-2014 or early-2015, while LRT will start in 2017. Stage 2 will convert the aBRT line to LRT, creating a seamless 37 kilometre ION system between Cambridge and Waterloo.

All three levels of government have announced funding commitments for Stage 1 of ION.

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For more information please contact:

Kimberly Moser, Manager, Rapid Transit Community Relations, Phone: 519-575-4757, ext. 3461

kmoser@regionofwaterloo.ca