Transit Unplugged

“As transit people, we have to figure out how we add value to people's lives.” – Phil Verster Recorded live at CUTA, four of Canada’s top transit leaders discuss their leadership style, the importance of taking risks, and why diversity in the workforce matters. They also discuss unique agency structures, dealing with massive capital investment programs, bus network redesigns, the electrification of their fleets, and the use of CNG vehicles.

“You can choose what you want the future to look like.” Robert Puentes, President and CEO at Eno Center for Transportation (Eno), runs this transportation think tank to provide leaders with research and analysis for issues facing transportation. Eno supports the industry through communication and outreach, working on policy issues, and providing professional development programs. Robert also discusses congestion pricing, mobility as a service, autonomous vehicles, and infrastructure projects.

“In transit, we sometimes err on the side of the known rather than on the side of the innovative.” Phil Verster, President and CEO of Metrolinx, runs his agency as businesses to lessen the burden on the taxpayers. With major expansion and construction projects happening within the Toronto area worth ~$30 Billion, that’s a good idea. Phil discusses these expansion projects and the importance of customer satisfaction – focusing on safety, the customer experience, and capturing riders early in life.

“The best thing that probably happened to the transit industry was some healthy competition.” Debbie Dalle Vedove, Director of Transit for Hamilton Street Railway (HSR), is determined to transform HSR into a customer-centric organization. Debbie shares how HSR’s focus on the customer will help redevelop their network, one that includes a new light rail system, and how customer-centricity gives them a chance to stand out from the competition.

“We're all here for one reason, to provide service to a customer.” TransLink is the recipient of APTA’s 2019 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award. TransLink’s CEO, Kevin Desmond, discusses their impressive 18% growth in ridership from 2016-2018, and how their customer-centric mindset was paramount in winning this prestigious award. Desmond also shares his thoughts on the foundation for a successful transit agency and the three primary focuses for TransLink’s future.

“Our motto is, ‘We’ll do whatever it takes to get it done.’” BC Transit comprises 130 communities with ~1200 buses and 81 different transit systems. Erinn Pinkerton, President and CEO at BC Transit, discusses BC Transit’s unique structure and the power of partnerships. She also explores her customer-centric focus (including things like travel training), considerations for clean energy, and thoughts on rideshare.

“I like to hear what we do well, but I really want to hear what we can do better.” Rocky Donahue, Executive Director at Pace, has spent his entire 37-year career with Pace. On this episode. Donahue does a deep dive into their new arterial rapid transit (ART) system. Unlike bus rapid transit, ART doesn’t have dedicated lanes but uses technology to gain efficiencies. He also explores their bus on the shoulder program, which has seen incredible increases in ridership over the past few years.

“We’re responsible for keeping London moving.” Simon Reed, Head of Technology and Data, Surface Transport at Transport for London (TfL), does a deep dive into congestion charging – its history, how it works in London, and how it helps fund TfL. He talks about their contactless card system and the reasons for TfL going completely cashless. Finally, he discusses ridership decline, the death of single-function smartphone apps, and questions public transit’s role being the mobility aggregators.

“Our opportunity in Transport for Wales is to sync up all of these different modes and pull them together into a way that makes it as seamless and as easy to access for consumers as possible.” Lewis Brencher, Communications Director for Transport for Wales, discusses the competitive dialogue method they used during the procurement of their rail services. He also gets into the issue of declining bus ridership across Wales, intermodal ticketing, and mobility as a service.

“What I love about transport [is] you’re changing people’s lives. You’re changing cities.” This episode is chock-full of information and innovation. Leila Frances, President Middle East and Hyderabad of Keolis and Chairman of Keolis Downer, talks about the automated metro services in India and Qatar and the value of data within your operations. Frances shares the importance of individualized and customer-centric transit. She also discusses her management style, on-demand service, and Hyperloop.

“If we don’t need to do it, dump it. If we do need to do it, we’ll make it a lot better.” Glasgow, Scotland houses the third oldest subway system in the world. Gordon Maclennan, Chief Executive of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, discusses their £288-million plan to modernize the system through track and station refurbishments, tunnel upgrades, and new railcars. He also gets into the challenges of competitors running service at the same bus stop – a unique aspect of deregulated transport

“Running quality, high-frequency service draws people in, giving people great service at a value that they cannot beat.” Giles Fearnley, Managing Director for First Bus, discusses how congestion issues and the economy are factors in declining ridership. Fearnley also shares his strategy to combat these challenges by improving the customer experience by providing ticketing and real-time information through the First Bus mobile app, increasing bus frequency, and changing their bus networks.

“We’re nothing without [our] people.” Paul Cox, CFO at Tower Transit, has been in the transport business for 25 years with experience in Australia, Europe, and Asia. Cox talks about the unique aspects of how London often contracts per route and how that differs from their operations within Singapore. He also discusses the transition of employees after a successful tender. Finally, he shares the importance of creating a fulfilling job constructed via culture and value.

“We’re beginning to see … a massive change in the way in which people buy mobility.” Dave Pearson, Director, Transport Services at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, explains how public transport operates within a deregulated market and how ~80% of bus service in the UK runs on a commercial basis. Pearson also discusses the challenges facing rail within the UK, their multimodal, multi-operator ticketing scheme, and how the best way to move transit forward is through personalized experiences.

“Let’s not sit still. Let’s not think what we do today is adequate for the future. Let’s find new ways to better serve our customers and better serve our communities.” – Paul Skoutelas Transit’s top leaders explore the correlation between an increase in transit ridership and customer service, land use, political climates, and urban density. They also share their thoughts on open-payment systems, MaaS, and autonomous vehicles – all recorded live at the biggest global transit event, UITP.