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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

25:58

Kevin Jones – MV Transportation

Transit Unplugged ·

2019/01/15

“Our culture at MV Transportation is: Do whatever it takes for the passenger.”Happy New Year! Transit Unplugged kicks off 2019 with the CEO of MV Transportation, Kevin Jones. Kevin Jones spent his first 30 in technology services (EDS, HP, and Dell) before arriving at MV. In this episode, Jones discusses the potential reasons a public transit agency would contract out their service, MV’s three areas of focus, and the future of MV and public transit.If you want to know more about MV, you can check out

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27:41

Gary Rosenfeld – Memphis Area Transit Authority

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/12/31

“The mindset of the transit manager really has to balance the past with the present, with one eye looking toward the future.”Gary Rosenfeld, CEO at Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), started his career as a bus driver. Now, he oversees a multimodal agency that has heritage trolley, fixed route, and demand response systems. In this episode, Rosenfeld elaborates on aligning MATA’s transit vision plan with the city’s new land-use area plan and why ‘a good transit authority must embrace mobility as

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28:19

Jeff Knueppel – Southeastern Pennsylvania...

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/12/14

“You’re caught between trying to do things for the public good – trying to create economic development – but you’re also trying to be a private business.”Jeff Knueppel is a structural engineer by trade. He worked at the frontlines of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) tackling aging infrastructure before working his way up the ranks at SEPTA before finally becoming General Manager. In this episode, Knueppel discusses the exciting nature of running a transit system with many

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24:28

Autonomous Vehicles

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/11/30

“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

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31:39

Dorval Carter – Chicago Transit Authority

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/11/15

“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

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29:54

Katharine Kelleman – Port Authority of Allegheny County

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/10/31

“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

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27:38

Robbie Makinen – Kansas City Area Transportation...

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/10/15

“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

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30:56

Rob Gannon – King County Metro

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/09/28

“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

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30:19

Brad Miller – Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/09/14

“We were very proud to be the first transit system in the U.S. to have a contract with Uber on a first-mile, last-mile program.”Genetically born into the transit industry (his words, not ours), Brad Miller has a long history within public transit. Starting at Virginia Railway Express, Miller also was part of Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, Charlotte Area Transit System, and Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority. Now, CEO of PSTA, Miller joins Transit Unplugged to elaborate

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30:42

Dave Genova – Regional Transportation District

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/08/31

“We’re on the cusp of a transportation transformation, and if we don’t lead it, we’re going to get left behind.”Dave Genova started in the oil and gas, and environmental industries before making it into public transit. What is a bit of a rarity, Genova has spent his entire transit career with a single agency. Now the General Manager and CEO of the Regional Transportation District (RTD), Genova joins Transit Unplugged to discuss RTD’s FasTracks program, how they use drones for maintenance, and the

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25:03

Blaine Rigler – RATP Dev USA

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/08/15

“How do you utilize the collection of data to turn it into something positive?”RATP Dev was founded in Paris almost 120 years ago and now operates in 14 countries. On this episode of Transit Unplugged, Blaine Rigler, President of RATP Dev USA, shares his thoughts about learning from other industries, the importance of data to improve safety and maintenance, and how increasing ridership is all about ease. He also discusses how transit agencies or providers need to think about the interoperability of

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27:54

John Lewis – Charlotte Area Transit System

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/07/31

“We’ve got to be willing to take some risk in order to make this system the most effective that we can.”John Lewis is no stranger to the ins and outs of the transit industry, having worked for MTA, GRTC, and LYNX. Lewis, now the CEO at Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), joins Transit Unplugged to discuss the importance of folding the transit plans into the city’s development plans, CATS’ expanding rail system, first-last mile challenges, and why CATS needs to rethink the delivery of their bus

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32:56

Edward Johnson – LYNX

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/07/16

“When you know what you want to do, and you understand how to have fun while you are doing it, you can accomplish anything that you want.”Edward Johnson, CEO of LYNX, joins Transit Unplugged to talk about why transit systems need to be mobility managers. Using this philosophy, LYNX has been able to increase their OTP and decrease costs for their paratransit service. He also discusses LYNX FORWARD (a study to define the transportation needs of the region), the importance of partnering with entities

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28:50

Lauren Skiver – SunLine Transit

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/06/29

“I think public transit operators can also become these dynamic, changing organizations if we are given that latitude to do it.”Having been part of small, medium, and large agencies, Lauren Skiver knows the rewards and challenges each face. Now CEO at SunLine Transit, she talks about the importance of making her staff part of creating SunLine’s future, and the common need for all agencies: money. Skiver also dives deep into the work SunLine is doing around alternative fuels and zero emissions –

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28:32

Peter Varga – The Rapid

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/06/15

“How do we – in a disruptive world – adapt so that we actually succeed?”Peter Varga, an industry legend, started as a bus driver and worked his way through the industry to be CEO of The Rapid in Grand Rapid Michigan. In this episode, Varga discusses The Rapid’s new Bus Rapid Transit line and working with new payment options. He also goes into detail on his work as a past APTA Chair, and how transit has to be part of the larger mobility paradigm by serving the high-capacity corridors in urban

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31:29

Michael Terry – IndyGo

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/05/31

“If [your employees] are not proud of what they’re doing and what they’re delivering and how they’re delivering it, then why would anyone else feel that way?”On this episode of Transit Unplugged, Michael Terry, President & CEO at IndyGo, discusses increasing the frequency of their bus service in high-density areas, the plan for three new Bus Rapid Transit lines, and what it means to be a good steward of public money. He also questions how to embrace alternatives as partners, and shares the

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26:52

Paul Wiedefeld Part 2 (of 2) – Washington...

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/05/15

“It’s innovative because we are using data to [ask], ‘What does that do? How can we improve the system?’”Paul Wiedefeld, CEO of WMATA returns to Transit Unplugged to finish up his conversation with host Paul Comfort. In part 2 (of 2), Wiedefeld goes into the importance of using big data and analytics to make better business decisions. He also discusses the unique finance structure of WMATA, the innovations WMATA is bringing online, and gives updates on the purple and silver lines. Enjoy the

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28:34

Paul Wiedefeld Part 1 (of 2) – Washington...

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/04/30

“What we’re about is safety. And safety trumps service.”One of the most famous names in the public transit industry, Paul Wiedefeld, joins Transit Unplugged. Having spent time in the public and private sector, Wiedefeld is currently the CEO of WMATA. The first in a two-part episode, Wiedefeld discusses the cultural shift from service first to safety first, the challenges of shutting down, their SafeTrack plan, and their Back2Good campaign. It’s an exciting one, so sit back and enjoy.If you want to

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27:27

Michael Allegra – Retired Transit CEO, Utah Transit...

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/04/16

“Cities are the engines of this nation. To have healthy and thriving cities, you need a good public transportation system. You need good mobility.”Michael Allegra, now retired, is the former CEO of the UTA. His public transit career is a bit of an oddity because he spent his entire 37-year career with a single agency. In this episode, Allegra discusses the big victories during his time at UTA (hosting the Winter Olympics and building 200km of transit in 14 years) and how partnerships were essential

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35:01

Carolyn Flowers – AECOM

Transit Unplugged ·

2018/03/29

“You have to understand the state of your assets, what is the lifecycle and what is your replacement cycle, and how are you going to prioritize [your assets].”It is an absolute pleasure to have industry legend Carolyn Flowers on Transit Unplugged. She has held prominent roles in the industry, including COO of LA Metro, CEO of Charlotte Area Transit System, and Acting Administrator of the FTA. Now leading AECOM’s transit business in North America, Flowers gives an in-depth look at the FTA and

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391 results

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