Sedona Shuttle

In the midst of Spring Break 2022, the Sedona Shuttle became the City of Sedona’s first foray into public transportation when it launched its trailhead shuttle routes, serving four popular trailheads from two park and ride lots. Since that time, the Sedona Shuttle has been used by well over a quarter million passengers and has grown to provide service to five trailheads from three park and ride locations.

THINK Graphic Design, in partnership with Selena Barlow of Transit Marketing, LLC, designed a complete identity for this new transit system, with special emphasis put on the design of the vehicles and bus stop signs, which would be the most visibly aspects of the brand. A bold vehicle design was needed to make the small buses stand apart from other vehicles such as hotel shuttles, and to clearly communicate that these were transit vehicles available to everyone – local residents and tourists. A color palette reflecting the landscape stands out on the road while feeling natural and appropriate for the area.

The trailhead service is the first phase in creation of a multi-faceted transit system which will enhance mobility for residents and visitors throughout Sedona. It was implemented with several immediate objectives:
• Make it easier for residents and visitors to get to popular trailheads in a safe and sustainable way.
• Protect the fragile environment around trailheads by reducing the number of vehicles.
• Reduce parking in neighborhoods near trailheads.
• Reduce danger to pedestrians and traffic safety around key trailheads – Cathedral Rock, Soldiers Pass Trail, Dry Creek, Mescal, Little Horse.

While the service is operated with just four buses and has run only 222 days during the past year, it has carried 283,952 passengers, representing 35.5 passenger boardings for each hour of bus service provided.

Transit Administrator Robert Weber notes, “While ridership has fluctuated with the seasons and the number of people hiking, it continues to grow and to exceed our projections.”

“The Sedona Shuttle is an incredible success story. In its first year of service, it has already provided as many passenger trips as 18 other rural Arizona transit system collectively. We need to take a moment to recognize that.”–Tod Morris, NACOG