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PODCAST

Transit Unplugged

Paul Comfort, SVP Modaxo

We share the stories, challenges, and successes of the top transit professionals from around the world. Learn how top transit leaders got to where they are with stories and insights from their careers. Get the inside story about public transit and transit trends from the people who run it. Transit Unplugged is hosted and produced by Paul Comfort and brought to you by Modaxo Learn more at https://transitunplugged.com/

business careers

All Episodes

41:10

Stephen Bland – WeGo Public Transit

Transit Unplugged ·

2020/02/28

“I don’t look at anything as a failure. I look at it as a learning experience.”When the best-laid plans go a bit awry, what do you do? Stephen Bland, CEO of WeGo Public Transit, learns, reassesses, and keeps moving forward.Stephen has spent his career in public transit. He’s run small agencies that have as few as eight buses. And now he is running the show in Nashville, Tennessee, where they carry 35,000 passengers each weekday. Nashville’s infrastructure was built around the personal automobile

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31:21

Jeffrey Parker – Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit...

Transit Unplugged ·

2020/02/14

“While we have to think about the future, we also have to think about the here and now and making sure that we’re improving the customer experience.”Atlanta and the surrounding area is the third fastest-growing region in the U.S. That means more people and more traffic, so public transit is essential to help boost the economic vitality and development of the region along with reducing congestion.Jeffrey Parker, GM and CEO of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), joins Transit

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34:32

Shelby County, Tennessee

Transit Unplugged ·

2020/01/31

“We've got to move people around our region and get them more access to jobs.” – Lee Harris, Mayor of Shelby CountyFunding for public transportation is a concern for every transit executive. Gary Rosenfeld, CEO of the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), and Lee Harris, Mayor of Shelby County, are working hard to secure a $10 million increase in funding for MATA and the Shelby County area. For this to work, they need the county to invest in public transit for the first time.MATA is in an

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34:23

Butch McDuffie and Ron Kilcoyne – Athens Transit and...

Transit Unplugged ·

2020/01/15

“No one is going to use transit unless they feel it meets their needs” – Ron KilcoyneThere are two guests this week on Transit Unplugged – Butch McDuffie, Director of Athens Transit, and Ron Kilcoyne, Senior Manager at Transportation Management & Design Inc. (TMD Inc.).Butch discusses Athens’ bus art shelter program, what it was like building a transit facility with zero federal dollars, and the unique qualities of running transit in a major college town. Ron shares his three-legged stool

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32:22

David Franks – Keolis Downer

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/12/31

“Passenger railway does a good job [in Australia] moving big numbers of people into city centers.”Bidding 2019 goodbye, Paul Comfort breaks down the top three trends from interviewing transit’s top leaders over the past year. He highlights autonomous vehicles, mobility as a service, and strategies to increase ridership.Additionally, we end 2019 with an interview from David Franks, CEO of Keolis Downer. Having spent time in UK, Irish, and Australian rail systems, Franks shares some of the differences

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32:37

Dinero Washington – SporTran

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/12/16

“Anything we can do to make the people’s vision, the people’s goal, and the people’s plan is part of what we’re trying to produce.”Culture is a big proponent of how Dinero Washington tries to run SporTran. As CEO, Dinero understands that culture facilitates a good working environment and is a way for employees to buy-in to your transit agency. “Sometimes, you forget your employees are who truly make the agency successful.”But it isn’t just the agency staff that helps drive the direction of SporTran

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01:20:39

CUTA Live

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/11/29

“We measure economic, environmental, and social benefits and try to drive to that bottom line.” – Doug Morgan, Director at Calgary Transit“As transit people, we have to figure out how we add value to people's lives.” – Phil Verster, President and CEO at Metrolinx“I did it really wrong before I learned how to do it right.” – Eddie Robar, Branch Manager at Edmonton Transit Service“What is the role of all transit agencies? And how is our role changing in the entire industry?” – Erinn Pinkerton,

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31:51

Mobility Innovations – Robert Puentes

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/11/22

“You can choose what you want the future to look like.”One-hundred years ago, Mr. William P. Eno started a transportation specific think tank. The Eno Center of Transportation (Eno) provides government and industry leaders with timely research and pragmatic fact-based voices on policy issues. It publishes rigorous, objective analysis of critical and emergent issues facing the transportation arena.Today, Robert Puentes, President and CEO of Eno, joins Transit Unplugged and shares with us the three

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41:48

Phil Verster – Metrolinx

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/11/15

“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

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30:53

Debbie Dalle Vedove – Hamilton Street Railway

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/10/31

“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

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35:50

Kevin Desmond – TransLink

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/10/15

“We're all herefor one reason, to provide service to a customer.”TransLink is the recipient of APTA’s2019 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award. TransLink’s CEO,Kevin Desmond, discussestheir impressive 18% growth in ridership from 2016-2018, and how their customer-centric mindsetwas paramount in winning this prestigious award.Desmond also talks about their open innovation calland somerecentinnovations they’ve introduced.He shares his thoughts on the foundation forasuccessful

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35:55

Erinn Pinkerton – BC Transit

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/09/30

“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

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34:06

Rocky Donahue – Pace Suburban Bus

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/09/16

“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

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35:46

Simon Reed – Transport for London

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/09/12

“We’re responsible for keeping London moving.”Transport for London (TfL) hauls six million passengers every day on their buses alone. That’s intense. And it makes Simon Reed’s job crucial to the mobility of Londoners.Reed, Head of Technology and Data, Surface Transport at TfL, does a deep dive into congestion charging – its history, how it works in London, and how it helps fund TfL. He gives Paul an update on their contactless card system and lets us in on how and why TfL has gone completely

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31:00

Lewis Brencher – Transport for Wales

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/09/05

“Our opportunity in Transport for Wales is to sync up all of these different modes and pull them together into a way that makes it as seamless and as easy to access for consumers as possible.”Transport for Wales (TfW) is a non-profit agency that was created by the Welsh government three years ago to help deliver customer-focused services, expert advice to government, and infrastructure investment. It’s exciting to have Lewis Brencher, Communications Director of TfW, join Transit Unplugged and talk

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30:40

Mobility Innovations – Leila Frances

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/09/03

“What I love about transport [is] you’re changing people’s lives. You’re changing cities.”What do India, Qatar, and Australia have in common? It’s where our next guest of Transit Unplugged oversees some of the most innovative public transport operations in the world. Transit Unplugged is lucky to have Leila Frances, President Middle East and Hyderabad of Keolis and Chairman of Keolis Downer, as our guest this week.Frances discusses the automated metro services in India and Qatar, which makes Keolis

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32:57

Gordon Maclennan – Strathclyde Partnership for Transport

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/08/29

“If we don’t need to do it, dump it. If we do need to do it, we’ll make it a lot better.”Transit Unplugged continues its journey through the United Kingdom. On this episode, Paul is in Glasgow, Scotland to visit the third oldest subway system in the world, dating back to 1896. While there he chats with Gordon Maclennan, Chief Executive of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT). Having the third oldest subway in the world means major modernizations are taking place. Maclennan dives into the

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34:06

Giles Fearnley – First Bus

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/08/22

“Anywhere in the world, running quality, high-frequency service draws people in, giving people great service at a value that they cannot beat.”Giles Fearnley, Managing Director for First Bus, is a great ambassador and evangelist for the transportation industry. First Bus runs about 19% of buses operating within the UK, but like many places, bus ridership is on the decline at ~2% per year.Fearnley discusses how congestion issues and the economy are predominant factors in declining ridership. His

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29:40

Paul Cox – Tower Transit

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/08/15

“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

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33:35

Dave Pearson – West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/08/08

“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

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391 results

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