“The future is bright. There is a transportation revolution going on in LA and the country.”

Phil Washington spent 24 years in the United States Army before moving into the transit industry. Now CEO of LA Metro, Washington has spent 18 years between two agencies (Denver and LA Metro). LA Metro is in charge of transit, highway, and regional planning for all of LA County (the largest county in the U.S.). He discusses the “financial lasagna” funding LA Metro’s major projects and what’s next for transit (autonomous vehicles, working with the private sector, and disruptions to mobility and technology).

If you want to know more about LA Metro, you can check out their website metro.net.

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

“Helping cities achieve their vision for mobility.”

Mark Joseph, Global Chief Development Officer for Transdev, believes that “there’s never been a more exciting time to be in the transportation business.” This episode's discussion consists of Transdev’s three primary business operations (large transit, rail, and on-demand), the problems of cities (congestion, pollution, and navigation), and how the future of transit revolves around being a personalized, autonomous, connected, and electric experience.

If you want to know more about Transdev North America you can check out their website transdevna.com.

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

“There’s no substitute for being on the road…out in the operations, out in the systems, out talking to the clients, talking to the riders, [and] talking to the employees.”

Private contracting public transit is one of many options for agencies and cities. Brad Thomas, President of First Transit, elaborates on the expertise and knowledge private contractors can bring to the table. Also, find out the different waves of innovations for the American transit market and more on this episode of Transit Unplugged.

If you want to know more about First Transit you can check out their website firsttransit.com.

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

“We want to make a change in the communities we serve.”

One of the coolest guys in transit, Clément Michel, discusses how, before becoming President & CEO of Keolis NA, he knew he wanted to make a difference in the community. Whether it is social responsibility or prioritizing safety, the focus is on serving riders. In this episode, Clément talks about Keolis’ work with MBTA, running the first open road circulation of autonomous shuttles in Las Vegas, and the priorities for transit agencies in the coming future.

If you want to know more about Keolis NA, you can check out their website keolisnorthamerica.com.

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 dealing with a triple whammy…aging infrastructure, ever greater customer numbers on a finite budget.”

Andy Byford, CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), has had quite the transit journey – having held transit jobs in London, Sydney, and now Toronto. In this episode, he discusses the different governance style of the TTC and how a top-to-bottom modernization and a five-year plan led to TTC winning APTA’s Transit System of the Year award. 

If you want to know more about TTC you can check out their website www.ttc.ca.

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