Recorded live at ThinkTransit in Nashville, this CEO Roundtable brings together four of North America's brightest transit leaders for an in-depth discussion about their lives, careers, and the future of transit in North America. Join Paul in conversation with: Doran Barnes, CEO of Foothill Transit Monica Backmon, CEO of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Erinn Pinkerton, CEO of BC Transit Billy Terry, Executive Director of the National Transit Institute In the episode, you'll hear Do...
Apr 19, 2023•57 min•Season 6Ep. 25
Singapore is one of the most densely packed cities in the world. Designed to be a "car-light" city, most people rely on public transport to get around. Learn about this fully-integrated and accessible system from Andy Thompson, Managing Director of Go-Ahead Singapore. Paul Comfort and Andy Thompson discuss how Go-Ahead Singapore helps people in Singapore get from place to place with buses, subways, and more. Because so many people rely on public transport, it's essential the entire system be acc...
Apr 12, 2023•35 min•Season 6Ep. 24
This week Paul is in conversation with Craig Cipriano and talking about how he put together the plan for New York MTA to transition to zero emissions. We talk a lot about the technology side of the problem. Hydrogen vs battery electric. How to charge batteries. Where is your hydrogen coming from. But what we don't talk about is how agencies need to adapt and change processes, workflows, and even the structure of their organizations to make it happen. The first thing Craig did to attack the probl...
Apr 05, 2023•35 min•Season 6Ep. 23
We often highlight large transit systems on Transit Unplugged, but there are hundreds of smaller transit systems that are just as--maybe even more so--innovative who also provide those critical links in their community. Kendra McGeady, Director of Pelivan Transit , is one of those innovators. Her coverage area is thousands of square miles in Oklahoma, supporting the Cherokee Nation, other tribes in the area, and the wider community as well. Like many rural transit services, Pelivan provides an e...
Mar 29, 2023•27 min•Season 6Ep. 22
We have an info-packed show for you this week. We lead off with Paul in conversation with David Leininger of Leininger Analytics , talking about the current banking crisis and what agencies need to think about. Where David says you have to check for risk isn't where many of you would think! We then move on to Kirt Conrad talking about SARTA and its fleet of hydrogen fuel cell-powered buses--the third largest in the country! Finally, learn about building your emotional intelligence (EQ) from Shai...
Mar 22, 2023•55 min•Season 6Ep. 21
Noah Berger of the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA or MEVA) has done two amazing things at his agency: he's increased ridership 122% and gone zero fare--even going so far as removing the fareboxes from the buses. And the amazing thing about it is the why. Noah believes if take care of all your riders in general, you'll get more riders overall. He gives the example of accessible buses. They are great for people with disabilities, but they are also great for parents with strolle...
Mar 15, 2023•36 min•Season 6Ep. 20
This week we have the companion interview to the Transit Unplugged TV episode from Hawaii , with Jon Nouchi, Deputy Director of the Honolulu Department of Transportation Services . For the first time, Paul doesn't just sit down with our guest; he walks and rides with Jon on the Number 8 electric bus. Jon tells Paul about his department's commitment to preserving the Hawaiian language and culture right down to having bus announcements in English and Hawaiian. While the conversation wanders into p...
Mar 08, 2023•31 min•Season 6Ep. 19
We are excited to bring you this special episode of Transit Unplugged with world-renowned speaker and leadership expert Stephen M. R. Covey. In this riveting conversation, Paul and Stephen talk about what it means to lead people, organizations, and ourselves, today. Stephen Covey, already an expert on leadership and leadership development, faced a challenge while merging Franklin Quest and the Covey Leadership Center to form FranklinCovey . People who had been rivals and competitors were now wor...
Mar 01, 2023•32 min•Season 6Ep. 18
This week we bring you two fantastic and thoughtful interviews on Transit Unplugged News and Views. First, transit consultant Christian Kent of Transit Management Consulting, LLC , talks with Paul about two essential topics: Delivering paratransit services Ensuring our hiring practices are inclusive and welcoming for disabled applicants. Christian talks about how the world of delivering paratransit has changed in the 30-odd years since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) first enacted the ...
Feb 22, 2023•51 min•Season 6Ep. 17
This week we give you the first of three podcast episodes from Paul's recent Pacific tour that took him from Hawaii to Malaysia to Singapore. We kick things off with the CEO of Sarawak Metro , Ts Mazli Mustaffa. Sarawak Metro is in a unique position where they are tasked with building and expanding public transit in their region--a challenge that always fosters innovation. As you'll hear in Paul's conversation with Mr. Mustaffa, they have a tremendous innovation running in Sarawak: an autonomous...
Feb 15, 2023•27 min•Season 6Ep. 16
One of the hardest things about transit is getting new technology into production. Something that sounds great, but is just a little on the cutting edge is hard for agencies to practically test and trial. This is where The Partnership for New York City and The Transit Tech Lab come in. Stacey Matlen, VP of Innovation at the Partnership for NYC, talks with Paul about how she's helping technology companies and the region's transit agencies test out new ideas and bring the best into production. Rig...
Feb 08, 2023•30 min•Season 6Ep. 15
This week Paul chats with Kate Mattice, Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Transit Commission , about managing and advising transit agencies and the Virginia Rail Express in one of the most complex and connected regions in the United States. From zero emissions to zero fare, Kate Mattice is tackling the big issues facing transit in Northern Virginia and the U.S. Capitol Region. It's not enough to get people from A to B; you need to plan for C, D, and E as well. In today's new transit en...
Feb 01, 2023•29 min•Season 6Ep. 14
Great leaders foster great innovation. Rikesh Shah is driving innovation at Transport for London (TfL) , and Larnzell Harper helps level up transit leaders. Learn about both sides of the equation in two dynamic interviews. People think innovation is all about new shiny things, but it's really about finding new ways to solve problems. Rikesh Shah, Head of Open Innovation at TfL dives into some of the innovations he's led--and some of them have less to do with moving people than understanding ever...
Jan 25, 2023•40 min•Season 6Ep. 13
Join Paul in conversation with Catherine Rinaldi, President of Metro-North Railroad and Interim President of Long Island Rail Road in New York. As Catherine says in her chat with Paul, New York wouldn't be New York without transit. Getting from A to B efficiently makes buses, subways, and trains. These two critical rail lines provide commuters with critical connections throughout the New York Metropolitan Area, and the new stations--like Grand Central Madison--will make connections even smoother...
Jan 18, 2023•31 min•Season 6Ep. 12
This week we kick off something new on Transit Unplugged. Every other week, in addition to our newsmaker interview, Paul will talk with a leadership expert on developing and improving your leadership skills. No matter what level you're at in your organization, these segments are essential to your career. As this week's guest Dale Walls, founder of Lions Guide , says: "You're always the leader of yourself." Paul kicks off the show with Matthew Daus, Partner and Chair of Transportation Practice Gr...
Jan 11, 2023•35 min•Season 6Ep. 11
Paul kicks off 2023 talking with Jim Derwinski CEO of Metra Commuter Rail in Chicago. The changing face and role of commuter rail in connecting suburbs to cities was a big topic in 2022 and will certainly continue throughout 2023. As we see Tuesday-Thursday cities and flattening the peak across North America and the world, we're seeing commuter rail becoming less about "get me to work on time" and more "get me into the city for fun without my car." But what does this mean for the future of rail ...
Jan 04, 2023•27 min•Season 6Ep. 10
Join Paul for a very special Transit Unplugged episode. This look back at 2022 and ahead to 2023 features four amazing transportation leaders: Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General, UITP Jeremy Yap, Deputy Chief Executive, LTA , Vice President, UITP Executive Board Julie Timm, CEO, Sound Transit Rod Jones, Portfolio Leader, Head of Americas, Modaxo In this wide-ranging, three-part conversation, you'll hear what each of these leaders thinks about the current state and future of transportation aroun...
Dec 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 9
This week we bring you something a little different. Usually, when we talk about rail we're talking about commuters or inter-city rail, but in this episode, we're talking about rail tourism. Dave McKenna, CEO of the Rocky Mountaineer talks with Paul about delivering an unparalleled rail experience traveling through some of the most amazing scenery in North America. With routes in British Columbia, Alberta, and now Colorado-Utah, the Rocky Mountaineer, traveling at "the speed of Kodak" lets peopl...
Dec 21, 2022•33 min•Season 6Ep. 8
We're winding down the year with another trip across the pond to London. Paul talks with Mike Bagshaw, COO MTR UK, about running the Elizabeth Line (and completing all the remaining connections), the technology needed to run it on time, and how MTR uses property development to fund transit operations in cities like Hong Kong. Mike talks about how MTR UK used digital twin tech to test, refine, and configure the Elizabeth Line schedules to be reliable even when things don't always go to plan. Also...
Dec 14, 2022•30 min•Season 6Ep. 7
We wrap up our Mass Transit Magazine 40 Under 40 series with interviews with three more amazing transit leaders: Carlos Cruz-Casas, Chief Innovation Officer, Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works Roman Steichen, Director of Transit Services, Frederick County, MD Sophia Maletz Franklyn, Director of Fare Revenue & Administrative Services, TriMet In conversation with Paul and Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor in Chief of Mass Transit Magazine we learn how each of them apply ...
Dec 07, 2022•48 min•Season 6Ep. 6
This week we have the first of two special Mass Transit 40 Under 40 shows. This week Paul Comfort and Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor in Chief of Mass Transit Magazine talk with two of the honorees: Kayleigh Cleek, Transit Planning Manager, Greenville Transit Authority, and Sapna Shah, Superintendent, NY MTA talk about their careers, what they do at their agencies, and their visions for the future of transit. These are two extraordinary women who are already making their mark on the transit world. A...
Nov 30, 2022•34 min•Season 6Ep. 5
This week we head out east to Halifax, Nova Scotia and hear from Dave Reage, Executive Director of Halifax Transit about his uniquely Canadian transit system. In conversation with Paul, Dave talks about the balance of being a center of government, the Atlantic home of the Canadian Navy, serving rural communities, and running a commuter ferry service across Halifax Harbor. As a trivia note, Halifax and Vancouver are the only transit systems in Canada that integrate ferries into the transit system...
Nov 23, 2022•22 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Welcome to part two of Paul's interview with Jarrett Walker of Jarret Walker & Associates . In this part of the interview, Paul and Jarrett talk about two of the hottest topics in public transport: equity and the demise of rush hour. Jarrett discusses the tension and balance between focusing on ridership versus coverage when looking at transit equality. As he talked about in part one, too far to one side or another leads to very different transit systems. He gives an example from his homebas...
Nov 16, 2022•32 min•Season 6Ep. 3
We continue our special kick-off to Season 6 with a special two-part Transit Unplugged News and Views with Jarrett Walker of Jarrett Walker & Associates talking about what it takes to rebuild and replan a transit network. Jarrett and his team are the minds behind the Houston Model transit system. The Houston Model brought focus on providing fast, efficient, frequent service with minimal transfers and away from ridership as the main driver, or indicator, of success. In part one we set the sta...
Nov 09, 2022•30 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Welcome to a very special episode of Transit Unplugged In-Depth! This episode marks our fifth anniversary, the start of Season 6, and it also happens to be our 225th show! To celebrate these milestones we have an interview with Rich Davey, President New York City Transit, NY MTA as our guest. Paul interviewed Rich live from the APTATRANSform show in the Vontas booth in October after Paul's very successful book signing event. Rich and Paul dive into what it's like to run North America's largest p...
Nov 02, 2022•31 min•Season 6Ep. 1
With decades of transportation experience in Virginia, Jennifer DeBruhl knows the value of connecting people with reliable transit. From successful rural microtransit projects to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to invigorated North-South and East-West rail connections, Jennifer is creating the infrastructure for growth in the Commonwealth. In this week's Transit Unplugged In-Depth, Paul talks with Jennifer about her career journey, her plans across the state to connect Virginia to neighboring regions, a...
Oct 26, 2022•27 min•Season 5Ep. 53
The Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) in North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing areas in the U.S. Already at 2 million people, they are expecting another million people by 2050. So, how do you keep the area moving without relying on more cars and more roads? Better regional transit, of course! This week Paul chats with Charles Lattuca, President and CEO of GoTriangle , which works with partner agencies GoRaleigh, GoDurham, and Chapel Hill Transit to create a unified transit sy...
Oct 19, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 52
Greater Manchester is about the size of London with a population of roughly 3 million people. Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, wants to help his region have safe, convenient, affordable, and green public transport options. Transport for Greater Manchester already has one of the largest tram networks in Europe and now they are in the process of following the Transport for London model of central oversight over buses under a franchise model. All with the goal of getti...
Oct 12, 2022•31 min•Season 5Ep. 51
Lisa Walton is the CTO of SFMTA, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (aka Muni) , and is responsible for one of the largest and most complex transit regions in North America. She needs to interact with over 20 different agencies and services around the Bay Area, not to mention all the people within the city and county of San Francisco. And the biggest challenges are seamless travel and getting the right information to people at the right time. One of Lisa's biggest projects recently ha...
Oct 05, 2022•35 min•Season 5Ep. 50
Stretching from San Francisco to Gilroy (the garlic capital of the U.S.), Caltrain follows the spine of the Bay Area peninsula and straight through Silicon Valley. Having been around since the 1860s, Silicon Valley grew up around Caltrain. And unlike most commuter rail lines, Caltrain doesn't serve a single city center with traffic going one way in the morning and back in the afternoon; people travel up and down the peninsula in both directions getting to work. This is, as Michelle says, a bless...
Sep 28, 2022•34 min•Season 5Ep. 49
