Transit Unplugged

This week we kick off the first of two episodes focused on Canadian transportation tech and innovation. In this episode, Margaret Cullen, Trade Commissioner for the Canadian Consulate in Florida, joins Paul with Niklas Kviselius, Sr. Manager Innovation Management and New Mobility at TransLink , and Colin Lavery, Chief Growth Officer at Asset Market . On the show, the guests about the planning need...

Listen to this sneak peek at part one of our two-part series on Canadian Tech Innovations in Transit. This segment features Paul Comfort with Niklas Kviselius of TransLink and Colin Lavery of Asset Market talking about the role of AI in transit.

After spending the bulk of her 20 year career in public transport in Montreal at STM , Renée Amilcar has been at the helm of OC Transpo in Ottawa for almost two years and leading the effort to move OC Transpo to zero emissions by 2036. But that's only the tip of the iceberg for this dynamic transit leader. Join Paul in conversation with Renée in an interview recorded at the UITP Global Summit in B...

We have two very complementary episodes this week on Transit Unplugged. We start off with Alex Esposito, Co-founder and CEO of Circuit , who took a passion for solving traffic problems and turned it into a business. In our leadership segment Paul talks with Marinma Dorado , Founder and Passion Catalyst of Mindset Results , about connecting the things you're passionate about with your work. On dema...

This week we continue our series focusing on LA Metro with Paul talking with LA Metro COO Conan Cheung. Conan was originally a transit planner and this focus on details and connecting with people gives him a unique approach to managing his agency. In his discussion with Paul, Conan gets into three issues facing all agencies right now: the transition to zero emissions, improving safety on the syste...

Plus how to match your strengths to your job with Josh Cohen Welcome to the first of two special episodes featuring leaders from the second largest transit system in the U.S.-- LA Metro ! In this first interview, Paul chats with Seleta Reynolds, Chief Innovation Officer and interim Chief People Officer at LA Metro, about planning for the future of LA Metro including the upcoming 2026 World Cup and...

This week we're continuing our tour of Western Canada with Martin Bean, CEO of Roam Transit in Banff, AB. Roam Transit, like many transit agencies in tourist destinations, has a dual role. One is to get the residents of the Bow Valley from Canmore to Banff (who all ride for free by the way) where they need to go, the other is helping the over four million visitors who come to Banff National Park a...

This week, we have two intersecting interviews covering customer experience and innovation in transit. We start off with Paul talking with Aaron Weinstein of Transit CX about creating customer experience (CX) programs within transit agencies. We continue with Brandon Bartneck, GM of Edison Manufacturing and Engineering and the host of the Future of Mobility podcast, talking about transit innovatio...

Tom Hingson knows transit inside and out. Learn how the City of Everett, WA tackling battery-electric range issues with inductive charging. And announcing Paul's newest book--Comfort Food. We return to Snohomish County this week to the City of Everett (and county seat) to learn about this network within a network from  Everett Transit Director Tom Hingson. With a transit career spanning 40 ye...

We continue our discussion on the transition to zero emissions with Doran Barnes, CEO of Foothill Transit, and Karl Gnadt, Managing Director of the Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District, talking with Paul about their hydrogen fuel cell-powered bus fleets. Doran currently has the largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell electric buses in North America with 20 and growing to over thirty in the futu...

Welcome to the 250th episode of Transit Unplugged! What a tremendous milestone and we're only just getting started! We have big plans for the show--the podcast and TV--and we know you'll like what we have up our sleeves. This week Paul is in conversation with Community Transit CEO, Ric Ilgenfritz from Snohomish County, WA. Listen as Ric and Paul talk about not only serving the diverse ne...

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 Tran...

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...

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 processe...

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 i...

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-powe...

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 access...

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 preserv...

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 a...

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 paratransi...

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...

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 co...

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...

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 t...

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 Metr...