Transit Unplugged

“We see the future in transportation systems like this.”

We take a break from our regularly scheduled program to talk to a few different people about a topic that has the industry buzzing with anticipation… Autonomous Vehicles. In this episode, Paul chats with Alexander Schulze (AmoTech), Marcel Seelhofer (the COO of VBSH in Schaffhausen), and Peter Schneck the man who started the project to get the first autonomous shuttle running in regular transit service. They discuss the challenge of licensing an autonomous vehicle so it can actually run on the road, how they project autonomous vehicles to be the solution to the first- and last-mile challenges the industry faces, and how technology providers, transit operators, and local authorities need to work together to make autonomous vehicles successful. We hope you enjoy this special episode. 

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

“At the end of the day, public transportation can still carry more people from point A to point B, in the peak periods of travel, than any other option that is out there.”

Dorval Carter started his career in the legal field and got his first job out of school with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). He bounced between the FTA, CTA, and the DTO before being asked by Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, to come back to the agency and become the President of CTA. In this episode, Carter goes into the challenges of operating the 2nd largest agency in the U.S., which also happens to be one of the oldest – their rail system is over 125 years old. He discusses the red and purple modernization, working on a multimodal app, alternative fuels, and, as always, the future of transit.

If you want to know more about CTA, you can 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 run the service, but the community owns it.”

Our guest today took her first job right out of graduate school and has been part of five different transit agencies. Katharine Kelleman started her transit career as a transit planner for the City of San Angelo before moving to DART (Dallas), then MTA (Maryland), HART (Tampa), and most recently became the CEO of the Port Authority of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh.

On this episode of Transit Unplugged, Katherine Kelleman talks about the unique properties of running a legacy system that has served transit riders, in some shape or form, since the 1870s. She then elaborates on the Port Authority’s five-part tactical plan, focusing on delivering excellent customer experiences, employee engagement, safety, codifying a financial plan, and creating a comprehensive communication plan. Finally, Kelleman dives into their connected vehicle pilot program and how working with local universities (Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh) allows them to use technology to make transit safer and use resources better – building the foundations for a (potential) smart and connected city movement. 

If you want to know more about Port Authority, you can 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.

“This is that job where you can affect more people’s lives in a day than most people get to do in a lifetime.”

The passion in this week’s Transit Unplugged guest is second to none. Robbie Makinen came from a social work background and brought that mentality into the public transportation picture. He also served on the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) Board of Commissioners and has been its chairman before transitioning to CEO of KCATA. 

Makinen lost his vision six years ago, but that hasn’t stopped him trying to change public transit with innovative ideas. He talks about the transition to using a paratransit system he wasn’t used to and how the lack of connections is terrifying to people with diverse-abilities. One of Makinen’s main focuses is the RideKC Freedom program. He notes that the reason for its success is because the program was built by focusing on the most vulnerable first, instead of thinking about them second as is often the case.

His passion runs strong throughout the entire episode as he explains that public transit ‘isn’t about inanimate objects that just go from point A to point B. [It’s] about people.’ Some of the ways Makinen and KCATA are doing this is with other programs like RideKC Job Access and figuring out ways to diversify their funding streams so that public transit can positively affect as many people as possible.

This episode dives deep into the items mentioned and so much more. You won’t want to miss it or Robbie Makinen’s passion – it’s contagious.  

If you want to know more about KCATA, you can 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.

“How do we make sure that public transportation connects people to opportunity and that that transportation connection is not a barrier, but an enabler?”

Congratulations to King County Metro for being named the best large transit system in North America by APTA. According to their General Manager and this episode’s guest, Rob Gannon, it’s vital to advance the importance of public transit and the services that fall under that umbrella. The challenge is to ‘broaden that umbrella and make sure customers understand it’s not just a bus or light rail vehicle’ that they are jumping on.’ To do that agencies need to present a legitimate set of services, continue to deliver high-capacity fixed route transit well, and build more capacity to bring more service to your customers. He discusses this, and more, on this episode of Transit Unplugged.

If you want to know more about King County Metro, you can 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.