Transit Unplugged

“In transit, we sometimes err on the side of the known rather than on the side of the innovative.”

On the second anniversary of Transit Unplugged, Paul sits down with Phil Verster, President and CEO of Metrolinx. Metrolinx is a Crown corporation (state-owned enterprise) of the Ontario government, in Canada, and is the planning organization for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

Metrolinx operates commuter bus and rail, and the Union Pearson Express (an airport express running between Union Station in Toronto and Toronto Pearson International Airport). Metrolinx is also in charge of major construction projects that will expand service in the GTHA worth ~$30 billion.

With so much investment, one of Phil’s main priorities is to run Metrolinx like a business to lessen the burden on the taxpayer. His goal is to, at a minimum, generate enough revenue to break-even. Some of the ways Phil plans to do this is by generating revenue from corporations to name a station, reducing the standard fare by one dollar to help increase ridership, or offering off-peak service to gain additional riders.

Finally, Phil discusses the importance of customer satisfaction and why safety is his number one focus. It’s a great episode to celebrate Transit Unplugged turning two. Thank you for listening and for being with us on this ride.

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

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay up to date to catch all the latest episodes.

“The best thing that probably happened to the transit industry was some healthy competition.”

Debbie Dalle Vedove started her transit career as an operator. She moved up the ladder and transitioned to a few different agencies before finally landing the top spot at Hamilton Street Railway (HSR). Debbie, now the Director of Transit for HSR, uses her experience as a frontline worker to transform HSR into a customer-centric organization.

The transit world is changing quickly, and competition means that people now have a choice other than personal vehicles or public transit. The focus HSR has on the customer will help redevelop their network, one that includes a new light rail system (in conjunction with Metrolinx), and give them a chance to stand out from the competition. Debbie talks about their customer survey (with ~6000 participants) and how they are going to use that to figure out how to provide service to where people want to go.

Finally, she shares a story of celebrating Maurice Powell, who has been an HSR bus driver for 50 years (and counting). Maurice fits perfectly into Debbie’s customer-centric vision as he is “excellent with the customers, and it is really, really amazing that he's able to do that [every day].”

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

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay up to date to catch all the latest episodes.

“We're all here for one reason, to provide service to a customer.” 

TransLink is the recipient of APTA’s 2019 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award. TransLink’s CEO, Kevin Desmond, discusses their impressive 18% growth in ridership from 2016-2018, and how their customer-centric mindset was paramount in winning this prestigious award.  

Desmond also talks about their open innovation call and some recent innovations they’ve introduced. He shares his thoughts on the foundation for a successful transit agency (land use and transit hubs). Finally, he suggests that “the decade of the 2020s is liable to see massive disruptive change in our industry,” and how that plays into the three primary focuses for TransLink’s future – expansion, partnering with disrupters, and electrification of their fleet.   

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

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay up to date to catch all the latest episodes. 

“Our motto is, ‘We’ll do whatever it takes to get it done.’”

BC Transit has a service area of 944,000 square kilometers (360,000 square miles – which is about 40% larger than Texas) and encompasses 130 communities with ~1200 buses and 81 different transit systems. It’s quite the job, and Erinn Pinkerton, President and CEO at BC Transit, is up to the challenge.

Pinkerton discusses BC Transit’s unique structure and how they leverage their partnerships (purchasing power, building and contract expertise, rolling out pilots after deemed successful). She also talks about their funding structure and how that works between the provincial and local governments or transit agencies. Finally, she explores her customer-centric focus (including things like travel training), considerations for clean energy, and thoughts on rideshare.

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

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay up to date to catch all the latest episodes.

“I like to hear what we do well, but I really want to hear what we can do better.”

Rocky Donahue started his career at Pace Suburban Bus (Pace) as a financial analyst. Thirty-seven years later, he is still at Pace and is now the Executive Director. Pace operates suburban bus, ADA paratransit, on-demand services, and vanpool in one of the largest service areas in the US.

As ridership and congestion issues plague North America, Donahue does a deep dive into their new arterial rapid transit (ART) system. Unlike bus rapid transit, ART doesn’t have a dedicated lane but uses technology to reduce travel times and gain riders’ trust. Counter to the declining ridership trend, their bus on the shoulder program has seen incredible increases in ridership over the past few years. The new ART system hopes to gain similar popularity.

Find out about that and more on this episode of Transit Unplugged. 

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

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay up to date to catch all the latest episodes.