“I think we are best prepared and situated to be holistic transportation service providers, and we should not limit ourselves and stay in one lane.” 

 Joining the Transit Unplugged podcast for this episode is Nat Ford, CEO of Jacksonville Transportation Authority. Nat chats with Paul Comfort about the latest and greatest innovations at the JTA, from vaccine buses to microtransit, and shares more about JTA’s unique autonomous vehicle Test and Learn track.  

 If you want to know more about the JTA, check out their website.  

“We're fortunate enough to work in a community that is supportive of our efforts.” 

On this episode of Comfort's Corner, part of the Transit Unplugged podcast, Brian Litchfield, Transit Director for the Town of Chapel Hill, joins Paul Comfort to discuss how COVID-19 has helped to bring his agency closer to the local community. Brian also chats about Chapel Hill Transit’s investments in clean energy and their unique fare-free model. 

If you want to know more about CHT, check out their website.  

“These people who take care of us every day, we need to take care of them, and make sure that we're ensuring that our services are for everyone.”  

Joining the Transit Unplugged podcast for this episode is Tilly Chang, Executive Director for the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. Tilly chats with Paul Comfort about autonomous vehicles, the impact of TNC’s such as Uber and Lyft in San Francisco, and her thoughts on how public transit will recover from COVID-19.  

Tilly also joins Paul’s new lightning round to share her favorite books, musicians, and her unusual family pet.  

If you want to know more about SFCTA, check out their website.  

“When we're challenged in transit, that's often sometimes where the greatest innovation comes.” 

On this episode of Comfort's Corner, part of the Transit Unplugged podcast, Christian Kent, Transit Management Consultant and former Assistant GM at WMATA, joins Paul Comfort to discuss how he believes paratransit services will change after COVID-19. Christian also chats about his career in the transit industry, and shares industry trends he’s seeing in transit recruitment. 

If you want to know more about Christian, check out his website.  

“We need transit to not only survive the pandemic, but to thrive.”  

Joining the Transit Unplugged podcast for this episode is David Kim, Secretary of Transportation for the State of California. David chats with Paul Comfort about CalSTA’s new high-speed rail project, the future of zero-emission buses, and his thoughts on autonomous vehicles. 

David also joins Paul’s new lightning round to share his favorite books, musicians, and predictions for the future of public transportation.  

If you want to know more about the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), check out their website.  

“We have two projects that were always on our books and our capital improvement program, however with the Amazon decision, it did provide us with the ability to actually put those projects forward even quicker.” 

On this episode of Comfort's Corner, part of the Transit Unplugged podcast, Pierre Holloman, Assistant Transit Bureau Chief at the Arlington Department of Environmental Services Division of Transportation, joins Paul Comfort to discuss what Amazon’s new Arlington office means for their transit agency. Pierre also chats about ART’s new maintenance and operations facility, and how they are continuing to implement their capital projects during COVID-19. 

If you want to know more about ART, check out their website.  

“In times of crisis, you tend to come up with more creative solutions when you want to deliver them quite quickly.” 

Joining the Transit Unplugged podcast for this episode is Anne Graham, Chief Executive Officer of the National Transport Authority of Ireland. Anne chats with Paul Comfort about three major projects that the NTA is currently working on, including creating the first underground metro in Ireland and electrifying their rail network.  

Anne also provides an in-depth look into the Irish government’s response to COVID-19, and the unique restrictions they put into place to keep transit operators safe. 

If you want to know more about the NTA, check out their website.  

“We’re trying to remind Congress that the pandemic’s everywhere. And transit is a national program. It's not a program in 15 largest cities in the country. It's a national program, and if we're going to be able to get votes in Congress to the numbers we need, members need to have a reason to vote for the transit in their communities.” 

On this episode of Comfort's Corner, part of the Transit Unplugged podcast, Scott Bogren, Executive Director at Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), joins Paul Comfort to discuss the impact of federal funding on small and rural transit agencies. Scott also chats about the next round of transit funding coming out of Washington D.C. and how transit agencies can help their local communities with vaccine distribution. 

If you want to know more about CTAA, check out their website.  

“It's not transport for the sake of it … it's got a purpose, and it's worth investing in for that purpose. And as habits change, we should adapt what transit is there for to address the issues.” 

Joining the Transit Unplugged podcast for this episode is Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Chair of Network Rail. Sir Peter shares the story of his long and illustrious career in the transit industry and talks about the long and short-term implications of COVID-19 on the United Kingdom’s transit systems. 

Sir Peter also provides an in-depth look into the future of Network Rail and discusses why he’s unashamedly a self-proclaimed transit enthusiast. 

If you want to know more about Network Rail, check out their website.  

“Some of those agencies where we've brought microtransit in, they’ve heard about it, but they weren't really looking into how to implement it. We get it up and running within 30-60 days ... I think private contracting can bring that value and that innovation and flexibility to put new services and products in at a faster pace.” 

On this episode of Comfort's Corner, part of the Transit Unplugged podcast, Matthew Wood, Chief Operating Officer at National Express Transit, joins Paul Comfort to discuss the role of private contractors in the transit industry. Matthew also chats about his commitment to employee growth and development and the future of the North American Transit Alliance.  

If you want to know more about National Express Transit, check out their website.