Transit Unplugged

“I think it is incredibly important that staff at all levels get regular exposure to their [transit] system. Doing so, gives you a greater perspective and will help you be more effective in your job.”

This week on Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort hosts three of Mass Transit magazine’s 40 Under 40 honorees who have been recognized as outstanding young individuals actively making a difference in the public transit industry. Guests include Alice Grossman, an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Jerome Horne, a Ridership Experience Specialist at IndyGo; and Tyler Means, the Manager of Solutions Engineering at TransLoc. Together with Paul Comfort, each guest shares their journey in the public transit industry thus far, projects they are working on or are most proud of, and their vision for the future.

If you want to know more about the remaining 38 honorees on this year’s 40 Under 40 list, check out the Mass Transit website here.

“I think great data and analytics, joining up the various data pools in the organization, will challenge our thinking and will open up new opportunities we have not thought of and help our customers in ways we did not think we could.”

Joining this episode of “Transit Unplugged” from Australia is Rodd Staples, Secretary of Transport for New South Wales. In this role, Rodd leads 25,000 employees and oversees an expansive public transport ecosystem that serves a state population of over 8 million people. This unique experience leads to an engaging discussion between Rodd Staples and host, Paul Comfort, during which they discuss careers, COVID-19 impacts, a new Australian TV show, and a vision for the future of public transportation that is data-driven.

If you want to know more about Transport for New South Wales, check out their website.

“Many people in our industry get up every day to make sure that Canadians, Americans, and commuters around the world get to where they need to be. To do that, it creates an environment where you continuously need to be improving, figuring out the next trend, and in the meanwhile, operating a business and transit operations effectively. All of which requires a great deal of self-motivation.”

On this week’s episode of Transit Unplugged – Comfort’s Corner, your host Paul Comfort, kicks off a series of lively discussions with some of Mass Transit’s 40 Under 40 outstanding young individuals actively making a difference in the public transit industry.

As the Editor of Mass Transit magazine, Mischa Wanek-Libman,­­ kicks of the episode by discussing the rising popularity of the 40 Under 40 list since its launch and how she, along with her fellow evaluation committee members, hand-selected this year’s honorees from over 250 submissions.

Paul Comfort then dives into a discussion with two honorees: Marco D'Angelo, President and CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Association and Ivan Rodriguez, the Director of Government and Industry Affairs, and Policy Advisor to the CEO at Jacksonville Transportation Authority. The honorees dive into their journeys in the public transit industry, the important work they are doing today, and their ideas regarding the future of public transportation.

If you want to know more about the remaining 38 honorees on this year’s 40 Under 40 list, check out the Mass Transit website here. Also, if you are not already subscribed, do so now to ensure you get notified when part two of the 40 Under 40 discussions hit the airwaves!

“We need to think about...how we harness social media…new technology…messaging in vehicles...how we give the attending customers as much information as we can, so they can make good transportation choices.”

Neil Scales, Director-General of Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, joins Transit Unplugged to discuss his career, the transit industry, and the exciting ecosystem of operations that his department oversees. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads is working towards a single, integrated transport network that is accessible to everyone in Queensland. The department is responsible for bus, rail, ferries, school transit, cycling, walking, and roads. Neil shares his excitement for the future of MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) – and a strong industry continuously pushing boundaries forward for future generations. If you want to know more about the Queensland Dept of Transport and Main Roads, check out their website. 

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay updated on all the latest industry trends.

“We did a lot of user research to understand what kinds of information did people need? What did they want? How should it best be presented so that it would be as useful as possible? That user-based research is really a cornerstone of the way that we try to attack problems here.” In today’s Comfort’s Corner episode, we hear from David Gerstle, Chief Digital Officer at MBTA, a messaging minute from Elea Carey on focusing your transit service as a mobility utility, and a new Mike’s Minute on the great leadership showcased in the transit industry. Plus, Paul Comfort provides an inside look of his new children’s book!  David Gerstle, Chief Digital Officer at MBTA, provides an overview of his career, what brought him to MBTA (the T), and the projects his team is working on to help empower their transit riders and enhance the customer experience. As a team they have a product mindset and a focus on data-driven decisions to find the best way to serve the community. This is exemplified in the recent launch of their bus-crowding initiative.

“I had huge empathy for front line employees. I always have. But it also really influenced my management philosophy because very occasionally when the top brass visited Regents Park and…or on occasion they’d stop and say hello to you. And then you’d feel 10 foot tall. That always resonated with me. It’s seared into my psyche. So now if you ever follow me around in transport on any of the jobs I’ve done or watch me walk through a subway station or out on the streets I will not walk past one of my colleagues without stopping to acknowledge them. “

Andy Byford, Commissioner of Transport for London, joins Transit Unplugged from his home base in London, where he originally began his transit career as a graduate trainee. A lot has happened since then. Andy has worked around the world and dedicated his professional life to being a public servant improving the lives of transit riders and employees.

Returning home thirty-one years after he embarked on his transit industry journey, Andy Byford is the Head of Transport for London, taking on perhaps his biggest role to date. After recent tenures in New York and Toronto, where he accomplished a number of things he speaks of with pride, like the Toronto Transit Commission being named APTA’s Transit System of the Year in 2017 and progressing Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize New York City Transit which captured the imagination of New Yorkers. He joins Transit Unplugged to talk about the highlights, his management philosophies, and his outlook on Covid-19 and the recovery process.

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay updated on all the latest industry trends.

“Never a dull moment, which is what I’ve always loved about this industry ‘cause it changes, the opportunities change and you know it’s infectious….I think what’s fun about it now what’s exciting about it now is technology now plays such a huge role in transit that we’re getting all of these just young and smart bright people in the industry “ 

Dick Alexander, CEO of TransDev, the largest privately owned transportation company in the world, and Chairman of the North American Transit Alliance (NATA), joins Transit Unplugged to discuss his passion for transit scheduling, and his fascinating career (he was appointed CEO of TransDev two days before Covid-19 officially rocked the transit world). He shares his views on the evolving nature of transit, the importance of NATA, and the role that private contractors play. 

This episode features an inside look at some of the innovative programs and developments spearheaded by TransDev (like the operation of TransDev Alternative Services, Google’s WAMO operation for autonomous vehicles, operated by 1,000 employees in multiple centers) and how Dick has led the company through the Covid crisis. He discusses his views on the future of public transportation, including how patterns, delivery systems, and the measurement of the value of transit will continue to change, and the role technology plays in all of it. 

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

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay updated on all the latest industry trends. 

“Transport is not only one solution. It’s a combination of different solutions...Integration of the different modes of transport [to provide] mobility.” In today’s Comfort’s Corner episode, we hear from Arnaud Legrand, CEO of RATP Dev USA, a messaging minute from Elea Carey on focusing your messaging on the outcomes of transit, and a new Mike’s Minute on the value of mentorship. Plus, Paul Comfort shares a reading from his book the Future of Public Transportation.  Arnaud Legrand, CEO of RATP Dev USA, provides an outlook on his transit career, and an overview of RATP Dev, and details the difference between management contracts and traditional contracts. Arnaud also shares the impact that COVID-19 has had on RATP Dev and the cities and countries in which they operate. Arnaud and Paul discuss new technologies and the future of public transportation.

“We could see these technology improvements coming, and the changes in the industry… we felt that…our fastrak would be the perfect opportunity…to start implementing automated technologies.”

Dennis Solensky, Public Transit Administrator, Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), joins Transit Unplugged to discuss the transit industry, his career, and an exciting autonomous bus project that will be launching at the end of 2020. Dennis has a strong passion for the public transit industry, with 30 years of experience and various leadership roles before his current tenure at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, where he oversees bus operations.

This episode provides an inside look at the Connecticut Department of Transportation (which operates 80% of fixed-route services in the State), specifically on an exciting project that they have underway – leading the first full-sized service autonomous vehicle in North America. Dennis discusses how their BRT Line, CTfastrak, provided an opportunity for full-sized autonomous buses. He shares a few key focus areas they will be studying while the autonomous vehicles are in operation, and the steps that they took to get to where they are today. The information they gather in this project will not only help improve transit services in the Connecticut region but also provide leading insights for the industry at large.

If you want to know more about the Connecticut Department of Transportation, check out their website. 

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay updated on all the latest industry trends.

In today’s Comfort’s Corner episode, we hear from Sam Sargent, Deputy Chief of Staff at Capital Metro, a messaging minute from Elea Carey on the importance of internal messaging, and a new Mike’s Minute on the power of kindness. Plus, learn Paul’s top ten ways to future proof your transit agency! Sam Sargent, Deputy Chief of Staff at Capital Metro, shares the impact that COVID-19 has had on transit ridership in Austin, Texas. Capital Metro has approached COVID in 3 phases: responding, recovering, and long-term plans for resiliency. Sam shares more about the agency’s approach in these phases, and what the agency is focused on looking beyond COVID-19.