Transit Unplugged

“We’re nothing without [our] people.”

The role of a public transport provider has unique challenges depending on authority, city, or region. Our guest today, Paul Cox, has been in the transport business for 25 years and experienced transport’s role in Australia, Europe, and Asia. Currently, Cox is the CFO at Tower Transit, a privately-owned operator, and he is presently focused on operations within London and Singapore.

In this episode, Cox talks about the unique aspects of how London often contracts per route, the challenges that can bring, and how that differs from their operations within Singapore. He also discusses the transition of employees after a successful tender. Finally, he shares the importance of creating a fulfilling job constructed via culture and value.

If you want to know more about Tower 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.

“We’re beginning to see … a massive change in the way in which people buy mobility.”

Transit Unplugged ventures across the pond for a six-part series that highlights public transport in the United Kingdom. In this first episode, our guest is Dave Pearson, Director, Transport Services at West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Pearson explains how public transport operates within a deregulated market. Except for London, ~80% of bus service in the UK runs on a commercial basis, while the transport authority commissions the other 20%.

There is also a great discussion on some of the challenges facing rail structures within the UK. Pearson shares that the best way to move transit forward is to give riders a personalized experience and how demand responsive transport might play into that in the future. Finally, Pearson highlights West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s multimodal, multi-operator ticketing scheme.

If you want to know more about West Yorkshire Combined Authority, 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.

“Let’s not sit still. Let’s not think what we do today is adequate for the future. Let’s find new ways to better serve our customers and better serve our communities.” – Paul Skoutelas, President and CEO of APTA

“You can’t develop your transportation system, particularly your public transit services in a vacuum from land use and vice versa.” – Kevin Desmond, CEO of TransLink

“We know what we want. We know what the end is. It’s how we get there that is the hard part.” – Brad Thomas, President of First Transit

“I think one of the barriers that people have to riding public transit in the U.S. is that we don’t make it easy.” – David Stackrow, Chairman of APTA

“What could be very innovative [is] going to the third dimension, I think public transport will also go to the air.” – Stefan Kalt, CEO of the Regional Transportation Agency in Baden-Wettingen AG, Switzerland

Recorded live at the biggest global transit event, UITP, Transit Unplugged brings you even more from the world’s top transit leaders. In this episode, our guests explore the correlation between an increase in transit ridership and customer service, land use, political climates, and urban density. They also share their thoughts on open-payment systems and mobility as a service. Additionally, they get into autonomous vehicles and the secondary benefits this technology will bring to your current transit operations.

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

“People want reliable services. And if you can’t deliver what you promise to the customer, it doesn’t matter how good the rest of the technology is.” – Ian Dobbs, Deputy President of UITP

 “I finally have figured out the solution … we should be running it all.” – Nat Ford, CEO of Jacksonville Transportation Authority

“I think assets are probably one of the most important things in our industry.” – Nicolas Gindt, CEO of Keolis Downer Victoria - Yarra Trams

 “As we continue to try and put on more services to move more people, we have to find the technology that’s going to help us do that quickly and safely.” – Alan Fedda, Deputy CEO of Public Transport Victoria

Recorded live at UITP 2019, Transit Unplugged comes to you with another roundtable discussion from some of the world’s top transit leaders. In this episode, you’ll hear from our guests about the different challenges they are facing around the globe. Plus, you’ll learn what each one thinks is the top innovation for public transportation.

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 challenge our employees to keep moving forward and keep doing good things for the community.”

Before making his way into the transit industry, Jorge Cruz-Aedo spent 27 years in local government and a little bit of time in the private sector before joining the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (CCRTA). He spent 5 years as CCRTA’s CFO and is now the CEO. On this episode, Jorge discusses the autonomous vehicle project CCRTA is working on with Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, and the unique way he was able to finance their new 90,000 square foot facility. He also goes into the importance of culture and customer service within the CCRTA.

If you want to know more about CCRTA, 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.