**Show Notes for Transition to Zero Podcast Episode with Jared Schnader and Mike Hynes**

**Episode Summary:** In this episode of *Transition to Zero*, Jared Schnader, CalSTART Bus Team Lead, and recurring guest Mike Hynes discuss challenges and solutions related to bus customization in the transit industry. They explore issues stemming from excessive vehicle customization, its impact on costs, and the need for streamlined, performance-based specifications to better serve transit agencies, reduce costs, and improve fleet efficiency.

**Topics Covered:**

1. **Celebrating Recent Wins** (0:21)    - Jared congratulates Mike on CalSTART’s recent TIRCP grant win in California, which will support UCLA’s campus electrification with partners including LA Metro and Electreon.

2. **Current Industry Challenges** (1:39)    - Discussing a crisis in the transit industry, exacerbated by recent challenges with bus OEMs and the impact of extensive customization on costs and efficiency.

3. **The Issue of Bus Customization** (2:34)    - Excessive customization costs agencies billions yearly without adding vehicle performance benefits.    - Custom specs like unique paint colors, seating arrangements, and window placements drive up procurement and manufacturing costs without enhancing rider experience.

4. **Debunking the Regional Specification Myth** (8:08)    - CalSTART's research indicates minimal variation in bus specifications across different U.S. regions.    - Mike explains that while agencies cite local conditions as a reason for customization, most regional specs are not as unique as presumed.

5. **Transition to Performance-Based Specifications** (11:19)    - Mike defines performance-based specifications: focusing on core vehicle performance and safety metrics instead of highly customized parts or designs.    - This approach could reduce costs, streamline manufacturing, and standardize procurement.

6. **Challenges of Spec Overload and Unwieldy Documents** (13:41)    - Jared and Mike discuss the burden of maintaining extensive, often outdated specification documents.    - Shifting to performance-based standards can reduce the administrative load for transit agencies and simplify OEM responses.

7. **Industry Reactions to Streamlined Specifications** (17:49)    - Positive reception from transit agencies and OEMs at industry events like the APTA conference.    - Agencies acknowledge the need for simpler procurement processes to improve efficiency, though some express caution over potential limitations.

8. **APTA’s Role and Alignment with CalSTART** (16:17)    - Jared and Mike highlight the complementary work CalSTART is doing to strengthen APTA’s “white book” of standards rather than replacing it.    - CalSTART’s focus is on enhancing core specs to better serve transit needs.

9. **Managing Parts Inventory in the New Era** (20:03)    - With reduced customization, transit agencies may need to rethink their parts inventories.    - Streamlined specs will help standardize parts, which could lead to more manageable and efficient inventories over time.

**Key Takeaways:** - Excessive bus customization, while historically common, costs transit agencies billions annually with limited performance benefits. - Performance-based specifications can standardize core requirements, save taxpayer dollars, and make procurement and maintenance more efficient. - Collaborative efforts with APTA and transit agencies nationwide show promising support for this shift towards simpler, effective standards.