Transit Unplugged

“We’ve got to be willing to take some risk in order to make this system the most effective that we can.” John Lewis is no stranger to the ins and outs of the transit industry, having worked for MTA, GRTC, and LYNX. Lewis, now the CEO at Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), joins Transit Unplugged to discuss the importance of folding the transit plans into the city’s development plans, CATS’ expanding rail system, first-last mile challenges, and why CATS needs to rethink the delivery of their bus

“When you know what you want to do, and you understand how to have fun while you are doing it, you can accomplish anything that you want.” Edward Johnson, CEO of LYNX, talks about why transit systems need to be mobility managers. Using this philosophy, LYNX has been able to improve their paratransit service. He also discusses LYNX FORWARD (a study to define the transportation needs of the region), the importance of partnering with entities within the community, and why agencies need to be creative.

“I think public transit operators can also become these dynamic, changing organizations if we are given that latitude to do it.” Having been part of small, medium, and large agencies, Lauren Skiver knows the rewards and challenges each face. Now CEO at SunLine Transit, she talks about the importance of making her staff part of creating SunLine’s future, the common need for all agencies, and dives deep into the work SunLine is doing around zero emissions and alternative fuels.

“How do we – in a disruptive world – adapt so that we actually succeed?” Peter Varga, an industry legend, started as a bus driver and worked his way through the industry to be CEO at The Rapid in Grand Rapid Michigan. In this episode, Varga discusses The Rapid’s new Bus Rapid Transit line and working with new payment options. He also goes into detail on his work as a past APTA Chair, and how transit has to be part of the larger mobility paradigm by serving the high-capacity corridors in urban a

“If [your employees] are not proud of what they’re doing and what they’re delivering and how they’re delivering it, then why would anyone else feel that way?” Michael Terry, President & CEO at IndyGo, discusses increasing the frequency of their bus service in high-density areas, the plan for three new Bus Rapid Transit lines, and what it means to be a good steward of public money. He also shares the importance of establishing a path for an organization to be prepared for scalable growth.

“It’s innovative because we are using data to [ask], ‘What does that do? How can we improve the system?’” Paul Wiedefeld, CEO of WMATA returns to Transit Unplugged. In part 2 (of 2), Wiedefeld goes into the importance of using big data and analytics to make better business decisions. He also discusses the unique finance structure of WMATA, the innovations WMATA is bringing online, and gives updates on the purple and silver lines. Enjoy the conclusion of this fantastic conversation.

“What we’re about is safety. And safety trumps service.” One of the most famous names in the public transit industry, Paul Wiedefeld, joins Transit Unplugged. Having spent time in the public and private sector, Wiedefeld is currently the CEO of WMATA. The first in a two-part episode, Wiedefeld discusses the cultural shift from service first to safety first, the challenges of shutting down, WMATA’s SafeTrack plan, and WMATA’s Back2Good campaign. It’s an exciting one, so sit back and enjoy.

“Cities are the engines of this nation. To have healthy and thriving cities, you need a good public transportation system. You need good mobility.” Michael Allegra is the former CEO of the UTA. His public transit career is a bit of an oddity because he spent his entire 37-year career with a single agency. In this episode, Allegra discusses the big victories during his time at UTA (hosting the Winter Olympics and building 200km of transit in 14 years) and how partnerships were essential to their success

“You have to understand the state of your assets, what is the lifecycle and what is your replacement cycle, and how are you going to prioritize [your assets].” Industry legend Carolyn Flowers has held prominent roles in the industry, including COO of LA Metro, CEO of Charlotte Area Transit System, and Acting Administrator of the FTA. Now leading AECOM’s transit business in North America, Flowers gives an in-depth look at the FTA and discusses how women can be more successful in the transit industry.

“I think, when we talk public transit, we are limiting ourselves. We are mobility managers.” Nat Ford started his public transit career as a train conductor for New York MTA. He went on to work for BART, MARTA, and SFMTA. He is the current CEO of JTA and Chair of APTA. In this episode, Ford discusses JTA’s U2C project and his five priorities as the Chair of APTA: Leadership and Advocacy, New Mobility Paradigm, Workforce Development, Leveraging Big Data, and Enterprise Risk Management.

“Anything that gets people out of the single occupant vehicle…is good for transit. It’s good for everybody. It’s good for the communities.” Paul Ballard, CEO of Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA), goes in-depth on FWTA’s new commuter service, TEXRail. Using the new Fast Light Innovative Regional Train (FLIRT), the service spans 27 miles. Ballard also talks about the T Master Plan, how bus service is like the limbs of a tree, and how they plan to expand bus service.

“We were going to do this in a way where it was multimodal, multijurisdictional, [and] multiproduct.” Are disruptive and displacement technologies an opportunity? Or an existential threat? Does public transit need to start acting more like the private sector – getting speed to market, while seeking cheaper options? Is the future really mobility as a service (MaaS)? David Leininger, CFO at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), looks to answer all this (and more) on this episode of Transit Unplugged.

“Don’t think our customers don’t have answers.” Dr. Robert Schneider, Executive Director of Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC), joins this episode of Transit Unplugged to share the history of PRTC and how he got into the transportation industry. Additionally, he discusses how without PRTC there would be ~4000 cars added to Interstate 95. Finally, Dr. Schneider talks about four things to make transit relevant (plan it, track your vehicle, pay for it, and play).

“The future is bright. There is a transportation revolution going on in LA and the country.” Phil Washington, CEO of LA Metro, spent 24 years in the U.S. Army before joining the transit industry. LA Metro oversees the transit, highway, and regional planning for all of LA County (the largest U.S. county). Washington discusses the “financial lasagna” funding LA Metro’s major projects and what’s next for transit (autonomous, working with private sector, and disruptions to mobility and technology)

“Empower people to have the freedom to move.” Mark Joseph, Global Chief Development Officer for Transdev, believes that “there’s never been a more exciting time to be in the transportation business.” This episode's discussion consists of Transdev’s three primary business operations (large transit, rail, and on-demand), the problems of cities (congestion, pollution, and navigation), and how the future of transit revolves around being a personalized, autonomous, connected, and electric experien