Transit Unplugged

On today's episode, hear from Peter Varga, APTA Board Member and former CEO of The Rapid transit system. Plus, learn more about how transit agencies across the country are using this downtime productively and listen to a reading from the bestselling new book, "The Future of Public Transportation."

On today's episode, hear from Jeff Zarr, Senior Demand Response Consultant at Trapeze Group. Plus, learn more about what transit agencies across the country are doing to manage COVID-19, and listen to a reading from guest author David Pickeral from the bestselling new book "The Future of Public Transportation."

In today's episode, hear from Julie Timm, CEO of the Greater Richmond Transit Company. Plus, learn more about what the U.S. release of federal funds means for your agency, and listen to a reading from guest author Paola Realpozo from the bestselling new book "The Future of Public Transportation."

On today's episode, hear from John Walsh, Senior VP of Sales at Proterra, plus learn more about the new stimulus package request submitted by CUTA and listen to an exclusive reading from the bestselling new book "The Future of Public Transportation."

“My goal is to make every operator the best operator they can be.” Wade Coombs started his transit career washing buses for Saskatoon Transit. Now he’s Director of Transit for Strathcona County Transit. Coombs discusses regionalization & what it’s like working with seven other transit operators within the Edmonton Metro area, and how they are working on a single fare system. He also shares the importance of creating good relationships with employees and advises on how to grow your transit career.

“Our ridership is way down, revenues aren’t coming in, but transit operators are still continuing to provide lifeline services.” In this episode, we discuss how Washington D.C.’s stimulus package will affect the transit industry, and then have Mike’s Monday Minute. We then have a Newsmaker interview with Marco D’Angelo, CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Association, plus a reading from the bestselling new book, “The Future of Public Transportation.”

“It’s easier to manage the hecticness when you have a plan in place.” Community safety is a paramount concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s your riders or employees, it’s essential to understand what you can do to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. Hear from transit leaders from the U.S.A., Canada, and Australia as they develop plans for different scenarios and increase cleaning and sanitation measures.

“Don’t ever lose sight of the importance of the people in your organization.” Non-emergency medical transportation is a fundamental transportation option for those going to see a healthcare professional. Carter Pate, Interim CEO of LogistiCare, discusses the nuances of this part of the transportation world and the importance of efficiency in Medicare and Medicaid scenarios. He also shares leadership advice for those interested in becoming our future leaders.

There’s a great emphasis to lower emissions and use clean energy, and new fuels and propulsion systems are entering the market, pushing transit toward zero-emission buses. In this episode, you’ll learn from some of the leading experts of alternative fuel options. Discover the jumps Proterra has made in electric vehicle technology over the years. Learn about hydrogen and the amazing work SunLine is doing – going so far as creating hydrogen fuel. Finally, you’ll hear about DART’s progression into us

“I don’t look at anything as a failure. I look at it as a learning experience.” In 2018, there was a referendum to provide $8-9 Billion towards transit investment for the Nashville area. Unfortunately, it failed. That didn’t stop Stephen Bland, CEO of WeGo Public Transit. Bland talks about why the referendum failed and shares their plans for new transit centers, and their account-based faring and transit signal priority projects. Finally, he dives into their Better Bus program to eliminate redund

“While we have to think about the future, we also have to think about the here and now and making sure that we’re improving the customer experience.” Jeffrey Parker, GM and CEO of MARTA, discusses the importance of becoming a more customer-centric organization – improving the reliability of the bus service, implementing new bus stops, and renovating rail stations. Additionally, he highlights MARTA’s plans for new bus rapid transit and light rail services.

“We've got to move people around our region and get them more access to jobs.” – Lee Harris Funding for public transportation is a concern for every transit executive. Gary Rosenfeld, CEO of MATA, and Lee Harris, Mayor of Shelby County, are trying to secure a $10 million increase in funding for MATA and the Shelby County area. The plan is to get the county to invest in public transit for the first time. The additional funds will go directly to increasing route frequency throughout the county.

“No one is going to use transit unless they feel it meets their needs” – Ron Kilcoyne Butch McDuffie (Director at Athens Transit) discusses Athens’ bus art shelter program, what it was like building a transit facility with zero federal dollars, and the unique qualities of running transit in a major college town. Ron Kilcoyne (Senior Manager at TMD Inc.) shares his three-legged stool strategy for growing and sustaining ridership. He also talks about rebooting networks and when to add microtransit.

“Passenger railway does a good job [in Australia] moving big numbers of people into city centers.” We bid 2019 goodbye with Paul Comfort breaking down the top three trends from interviewing transit’s top leaders over the past year. Additionally, David Franks, CEO of Keolis Downer, discusses public transit investment happening in Australia, how one of their light rail systems has 100% OTP (against its contractual commitments), and their new light rail line that doesn’t have catenary wires.

“Anything we can do to make the people’s vision, the people’s goal, and the people’s plan is part of what we’re trying to produce.” Dinero Washington, CEO at SporTran, set out to revitalize public transit in the Shreveport area by leveraging the community and his employees to create a strategic action plan. Dinero shares his step-by-step process, which includes over 200 community meetings, cutting the number of bus stops in half, and significantly increased headway frequency.