Noah Berger of the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA or MEVA) has done two amazing things at his agency: he's increased ridership 122% and gone zero fare--even going so far as removing the fareboxes from the buses. And the amazing thing about it is the why. Noah believes if take care of all your riders in general, you'll get more riders overall. He gives the example of accessible buses. They are great for people with disabilities, but they are also great for parents with strollers, people with groceries, and that person who doesn't need a lift, but appreciates having only one step to get on the bus.

Noah believes transit needs to be a part of the community, really a part of it. MEVA embraces the people and cultures of his region. He's creating hubs for people to gather and small businesses get attention. He's worked with arts groups to give homes to custom-painted pianos and benches. He's ensuring everything about MEVA is made to get people where they need to go. From route numbers that make sense to route planning that get people to and from the places efficiently Noah is always thinking about his customers.

Noah will be part of a first-of-its-kind debate at the Executive Summit during ThinkTransit on zero fares vs fare enforcement. Given his experience and results, it's going to be a good debate. It's not too late to register for the Executive Summit or ThinkTransit. We have all the registration information on the ThinkTransit website.

Next week we have Kirt Conrad of STARK talking about hydrogen fuel buses and Shari Burgess in our leadership segment.

If you have a question or comment, email us at [email protected].

Visit the episode page on TransitUnplugged.com to see the pianos, bench, and minibus.

Enriched by Vizzy

(00:00) Noah Berger Administrator, Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (00:18) Interview with Noah Berger, Administrator of the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority Link to MVRTA below https://vzyfm.co/3kRfqdx (01:10) Preventing Driver Assaults from CTAA Preventing Driver Assaults podcast with Paul Comfort, Noah Berger, Niorka Mendez, and Kristen Joiner https://vzyfm.co/3JCSMPs (13:01) MeVa Paratransit bus (14:25) Mike's Minute with Mike Bismeyer Connect with Mike on LinkedIn! https://vzyfm.co/3tAj8Zy (16:05) Interview with Noah Berger Continues (16:53) Piano 1 (16:59) Piano 2 (17:13) Piano 3 (17:30) Custom bench (34:28) Coming up next week Kirt Conrad and Shari Burgess (35:31) Subscribe to Transit Unplugged TV on YouTube https://vzyfm.co/3SB9Bx3

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