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Across North America there are four fundamental issues facing transit agencies:
Getting enough busesGetting enough people to fix and drive the busesGetting enough funding to keep running the busesGetting (cyber)secure
The bus manufacturing crisis is forcing many transit agencies to get creative at keeping buses running longer. Workforce shortages mean agencies are getting creative at finding and hiring enough people. With a fiscal cliff looming for many agencies, finding ways to save money and still offer the same level of service means finding some new ways to connect people on something other than a 40 foot bus. And every week someone makes the news for getting hacked, so keeping systems secure is a lot harder than it used to be.
Joining Paul on stage for a transit leaders roundtable at TripSpark Ignite are:
Pam Shepherd, Executive Director, Federated Transportation Services of the Blue GrassRyan Landers, General Manager Lawton Area TransitRandy Anderson, Operations IT Systems Administrator CityBus – Greater Lafayette Public TransitMatt Maier, Director of Operations Lake Tran
What makes this roundtable unique isn't that they are talking about these issues, but that they've found creative and innovative ways to address them. Learn how:
Simple ads on buses are getting more applicationsCreating flexible schedules has brought in a whole new group of driversMaking sure every usable part of a bus at the end of its life is used to extend the service life of the rest of the fleetAuditing your system is the first step to actively preventing hacks on your systems
Sit back and enjoy a fun, interesting, and informative discussion about the top issues facing our industry and how four agencies are meeting them head on.
Next week on the show we have an interview with Faye DiMassimo. When Paul interviewed her, she was leading Chatham Area Transit in Savannah, Georgia, but since then she has a new job with the City of Savannah. Her job still involves connecting people, but has a much bigger and more interesting mandate than transit alone. It's not often we have an interview where we get to talk with someone before and after a career transition. Make sure you tune in for this one!
Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo https://www.modaxo.com
Host: Paul ComfortProducer: Paul ComfortEditor and Writer: Tris HusseyExecutive Producer: Julie Gates
Special thanks to:
Brand design: Tina OlagundoyeSocial Media: Tatyana MechkarovaMarketing content, Transit Unplugged Newsletter, & transit puns: Tris Hussey
If you have a question or comment, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.
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00:04 Introduction from Tris Hussey, Editor Transit Unplugged
01:11 Transit Leader Roundtable at TripSpark Ignite
01:51...

Transport for London (TfL) covers every transport means possible from the iconic red double-deck buses to The Tube to trains and even ferries. Which means the person in charge of it all has a lot going on at any given moment. Andy Lord, Commissioner for TfL spent over 25 years in aviation before coming to transit in 2019 to run The Tube with then Commissioner Andy Byford. Sitting down with Paul, Andy about his career and the enormity of the job of managing nearly 30,000 people moving millions of people a day.
Andy tells Paul how the mix of contracting, direct operation, and concessions keeps everything moving across the entirety of London and beyond.
But most of all Andy sees himself as a steward for the future of TfL. You'll hear about his plans to hit zero emissions and keep a system that still has Victorian-era infrastructure up-to-date, safe, and efficient.
Next week on the show we have a transit leaders roundtable recorded live at TripSpark Ignite. This episode hits on the biggest issues facing transit today: budgets, the bus manufacturing crisis, hiring enough people, and cyber security.
Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo https://www.modaxo.com
Host: Paul ComfortProducer: Paul ComfortEditor and Writer: Tris HusseyExecutive Producer: Julie Gates
Special thanks to:
Brand Design: Tina OlagundoyeSocial Media: Tatyana MechkarovaMarketing Content, Transit Unplugged Newsletter, & transit puns: Tris Hussey
If you have a question or comment, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.
Follow us on social media: LinkedIn - Twitter - Threads- Instagram - Facebook
Sign up for the Transit Unplugged Newsletter
00:00 Transit Unplugged Featuring Andy Lord, Commissioner of Transport for London
00:11 Introducing Andy Lord: London's Top Transport Official
00:27 A Year of Leadership: Andy Lord's Journey and Achievements
03:02 Inside TfL's Successes: From Surplus to the Superloop
05:16 The Scale of TfL: Operations, Fleet, and Staff
07:06 Funding and Structure: How TfL Operates Within London's Government
08:38 From Airlines to Underground: Andy Lord's Career Path
16:07 Innovations and Challenges: Moving Towards a Zero Emission Fleet
18:35 Congestion Charging and ULEZ: London's Approach to Traffic and Emissions
23:44 Looking Ahead: Technology, Accessibility, and Learning from Others
29:12 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Modaxo Inc., its affiliates or subsidiaries, or any entities they represent (“Modaxo”). This production belongs to Modaxo, and may contain information that may be subject to trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights and restrictions. This production provides general information, and should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. Modaxo specifically disclaims all warranties, express or implied, and will not be liable for any losses, claims, or damages arising from the use of this presentation, from any material contained in it, or from any action or decision taken in response to it.

This week we're celebrating the release of Paul's newest book, The New Future of Public Transportation, which is the sequel to The Future of Public Transportation published early in 2020. To say public transport faced an crisis or inflection point in the past four years is an understatement.
In this updated edition, Paul collected essays by 30 transit leaders from around the world covering every major topic facing transit today from workforce to safety, infrastructure to faring. On the show today Paul chats with two of the contributors, Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute, and Paige Malott, high speed rail researcher with the International Union of Railways about their chapters and their ideas on the future of public transit.
We conclude the episode with Paul talking about what's covered in each of the chapters of the book and the people who wrote them. Make sure you listen right to the end of the show so you don't miss it!
You can order the book on Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1468607618?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_1B7E4H4QFZVKHANFW7DS
Next week we have Andy Lord Commissioner for Transport for London (TfL). TfL is the largest public transport network in the world covering nearly every transport mode possible. It's a huge job and you get to hear not only about this massive system, but how Andy's experience in the aviation industry prepared him for the job.
If you have a question for Paul about anything related to public transit, zap him an email at paul.comfort@transitunplugged.com. Paul might even read and answer your question on a future episode of the podcast.
If you have a question or comment, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.
Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo and these fine folks:
Paul Comfort, host and producerJulie Gates, executive producerTris Hussey, editor and writerTatyana Mechkarova, social media
Follow us on social media: LinkedIn - Twitter - Threads- Instagram - Facebook
Sign up for the Transit Unplugged Newsletter
00:05 Introducing The New Future of Public Transportation
02:29 Diving into Hot Topics with Dr. Karen Philbrick
17:38 Exploring High Speed Rail with Paige Malott
27:49 About the Book and Contributors
27:56 A Comprehensive Overview of Book Contributors
29:52 The Future of Public Transportation: A Global Perspective
33:31 Zero Emission Vehicles and the Future
34:35 Data, AI, and Cybersecurity in Transit
35:00 Funding, Faring, and the Fiscal Cliff
35:35 Geographic Futures and Global Insights
36:12 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged

In a previous episode we talked about SEPTA's innovative SCOPE (Safety, Cleaning, Ownership, Partnership, and Engagement) program -- https://transitunplugged.com/transit-unplugged-podcast/how-septa-is-making-a-difference-in-the-lives-of-vulnerable-people/ -- and how it was helping the city's most vulnerable people. This week we get the big picture from the woman at the head of it all.
Emily Yates reports right to CEO Leslie Richards and leads a team that's willing to take a risk on something new and if it doesn't pan out, learn from it and move on. Her recent pilot on using AI-powered cameras to detect weapons didn't turn out like people expected. But, Emily and her team have distilled what they've learned and are looking at new ways to accomplish the same goal--keep weapons off the system.
Emily's approach to innovation is very human-focused. She thinks about things like; "How do we make transit more welcoming for women and moms? Is there more we can do help our drivers feel physically and emotionally safe? Are we doing the right things to make it easier to take transit instead of a private car?"
In the interview Emily talks about programs like:
Letting moms keep kids in strollers and not having to unpack shopping carts on busesSolar-powered, e-ink displays at stops to show route updates and next bus informationPrograms to help operator safety and mental healthSEPTA's transition to a zero-emission fleet
Plus how she navigates the process of getting buy in for these initiatives inside and outside the agency.
Coming up next week we're celebrating the release of Paul's newest book The New Future of Public Transportation with two of the contributors Dr. Karen Philbrick and Paige Malott. You can pick up a copy on Amazon https://a.co/d/dqp2red
If you have a question or comment, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.
Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo and these fine folks:
Paul Comfort, host and producerJulie Gates, executive producerTris Hussey, editor and writerTatyana Mechkarova, social media
Follow us on social media: LinkedIn - Twitter - Threads- Instagram - Facebook
Sign up for the Transit Unplugged Newsletter
00:00 Introduction to Emily Yates and SEPTA Innovations
00:22 Driving Innovation at SEPTA: A Deep Dive
05:19 Enhancing Rider Experience with Real-Time Data and Accessibility
10:35 Navigating the Approval Process for New Initiatives
13:21 Focusing on Operator Safety and Well-being
17:49 The Future of Transit: Zero Emission Buses and Workforce Development
24:10 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged

Transit Unplugged, the world's leading podcast for transit professionals, is hosted and produced by Modaxo SVP and transit evangelist Paul Comfort. Each week, Paul sits down with public transit leaders from around the world to talk about their agencies, how they're facing current challenges, their thoughts on the future of public transit, plus insights into their careers and their approaches to leadership.
You'll learn exactly what it's like to lead a transit agency, big or small, urban or rural, from the people who are in the chairs doing the job. Tune in to hear these unfiltered, unscripted, and unplugged conversations with the people who are shaping public transit today and tomorrow. Find us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Welcome to episode 300 of Transit Unplugged! When Paul started the podcast in November 2017, I don't think anyone would have thought that seven seasons later we'd be at our 300th episode.
Paul started this podcast to shine a light on the impact of transit on society and give transit leaders a chance to talk about their agencies and their careers, unfiltered and unplugged. Throughout the pandemic Paul interviewed leaders about what it all meant to transit. How were agencies dealing with health restrictions. How agencies were keeping front line workers safe.
Since the pandemic, the issues have changed. Now it's getting enough drivers, changing ridership patterns, the bus manufacturing crisis, and the looming fiscal cliff.
Paul continues to meet these issues head on with frank discussion about how agencies are addressing the challenges and how it's shaping them as leaders.
We're celebrating this milestone with a CEO Roundtable with four leading transit CEOs talking about their agencies, what it's like to be a CEO, and the challenges they face today.
Recorded live on stage with Paul are:
Frank White, III (Kansas City Area Transportation Authority)Tiffani Scott (Paratransit, Inc.)David Scorey (Keolis North America)Jameson Auten (Lane Transit District)
Next week on the show, we have the Chief Innovation Officer from SEPTA (South East Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) Emily Yates talking about not just the innovations she's leading, but the entire process of innovating in public transit overall.
0:00 Transit Unplugged Episode 300!
00:05 Introduction by host and producer, Paul Comfort
01:35 Welcome to Transit Unplugged Live: CEO Roundtable
02:04 The State of Public Transit: Challenges and Changes
03:42 Innovative Solutions in Transit: Sacramento's Story
06:19 Addressing Transit's Relevance and Financial Sustainability
06:45 Operational Efficiency and Service Adaptation in Boston
09:47 Redefining Transit's Role in the Community
13:52 The CEO Experience: Leading in Transit
23:39 Lightning Round: Future Directions and Innovations
29:14 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged