Transit Unplugged

Paul Comfort talks with Patrick Preusser, Chief Operating Officer of Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD), to unpack the reality of delivering transit service across one of the largest and most complex systems in the U.S. Serving over 3 million people across 2,000+ square miles, RTD operates a multimodal network of bus, light rail, commuter rail, paratransit, and emerging microtransit s...

This week on Transit Unplugged, we continue our “The Doers” series—highlighting the transit leaders who are not just setting strategy, but delivering results on the ground. Paul Comfort sits down with Shofi Ull Azum, Chief Planning and Development Officer at Cherriots in Salem, Oregon—a mid-size agency achieving something few systems have managed: ridership that exceeds pre-pandemic levels by more...

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort sits down with Amanda Vandegrift, Deputy CEO of Finance & Administration and Chief Financial Officer at WeGo Public Transit in Nashville. This conversation is part of our “The Doers” series—highlighting transit leaders who are not just setting vision, but actively delivering results on the ground. Amanda shares her unique journey from pri...

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort explores a question many transit agencies are asking today: Do operators make the best transit leaders? Paul’s guest, Michael Dylan Pal, Director of Public Transit for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) in Buffalo, has lived that journey firsthand. Pal began his career behind the wheel as a bus operator for New York City Tra...

Welcome to the first part of a series we're calling "The Doers"! Public safety is one of the most urgent issues facing transit systems today. In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort sits down with Kevin Scott, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Security at Bi-State Development / St. Louis Metro Transit, to discuss a bold initiative that is reshaping safety across the re...

In this special milestone episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort celebrates Episode 400 and nearly a decade of conversations with the leaders shaping public transportation around the world. To kick off the episode, Paul sits down with Mark Miller, President of Constellation Software and Executive Chairman of the Volaris Group. Mark reflects on the early days of the podcast, the thinking b...

Transit’s future is all about people. In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort talks with Geisha Ester, Executive Director of the National Transit Institute (NTI) at Rutgers University, about why workforce development has become the industry’s most important investment — and how agencies and professionals can take advantage of it right now. NTI, funded by the Federal Transit Adminis...

Recorded live at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, this special episode of Transit Unplugged tackles a big question: Does research actually improve public transportation? Host Paul Comfort is joined by three leaders who are turning studies into real-world results: Art Guzzetti, Vice President, Policy, American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Kate Ko, PhD, Vice President, W...

Recorded live at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, this episode of Transit Unplugged features a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation with Bridgette Beato, Chair of WTS (Women’s Transportation Seminar) and Founder and CEO of Lumenor Consulting Group. Bridgette joins host Paul Comfort to unpack the evolving role of women in public transportation—and the sys...

On this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort is joined by Roger Harris, President of Amtrak, for an in-depth look at what’s driving momentum at America’s national railroad. Roger breaks down a remarkable 2025 for Amtrak—highlighting record ridership, revenue growth, and historic capital investment—and shares what’s ahead in 2026 as the organization stays focused on one core priority: running...

Transit Unplugged wraps a six-part “State of Transit” series to kick off 2026, Paul Comfort is joined by Hayden Clarkin — transportation engineer, mobility consultant, Mass Transit Magazine Top 40 Under 40 honoree, and one of the industry’s most-followed voices online, known as “The Transit Guy.” In a wide-ranging conversation from New York City, Paul and Hayden break down the biggest forces shapi...

What’s the state of transit in Canada right now—and what’s next? In this episode of Transit Unplugged , Paul Comfort sits down with Dave Reage, Chair of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) and a longtime transit leader with deep experience in Halifax Transit. Dave shares a national view of Canada’s biggest transit priorities—from funding and financial stability to ridership shifts, workf...

What does 2026 look like for small urban and rural transit agencies across America—and what happens when costs rise faster than funding can keep up? In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort is joined by Julie Brown, General Manager of Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD) in southern Oregon, President of the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), and Chair of the O...

As Transit Unplugged kicks off 2026, host Paul Comfort sits down with Bennett Resnik, Senior Vice President in the Critical Infrastructure Group at Venn Strategies, for a wide-ranging conversation on the federal forces shaping public transportation in the year ahead. This episode marks the first installment in a multi-part State of Transit series, offering listeners a clear, insider perspective fr...

As Transit Unplugged closes out 2025, host Paul Comfort sits down with David Zipper for a wide-ranging, end-of-year conversation on where public transportation has been — and where it’s headed next. A senior fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative and one of the most influential transportation voices writing today, David brings a rare perspective shaped by public service, venture capital, academia,...

In this Transit Unplugged Insider episode, Paul Comfort sits down with Executive Producer Julie Gates for a wide-ranging, behind-the-scenes conversation on what transit leaders should be paying attention to right now — and what’s coming next. This quarterly Insider edition slows the pace and zooms out, offering context from Washington, conference halls, boardrooms, and agency leadership conversati...

Canada is investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new transit and passenger rail projects—but until now, there’s been no unified national standards framework to guide how those systems are designed and built. In this episode of Transit Unplugged , host Paul Comfort sits down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic and Cross-Sector Programs at CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association)...

In this week’s episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort sits down with Jay Fox, Executive Director of the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) — one of the fastest-growing, highest-performing transit agencies in the United States and APTA’s 2025 Transit System of the Year. Jay brings a remarkable background across FAA, FTA, Amtrak, and SEPTA — and now leads the agency serving one of the most dynamic, yo...

This Week on Transit Unplugged Paul Comfort sits down with Martin Ritter, CEO of Stadler U.S., one of the most innovative and fastest-growing train manufacturers in North America. From a modest foothold in the early 2000s to a nearly 600,000 sq. ft. factory in Utah, Stadler is reshaping how America thinks about rolling stock — and redefining what’s possible in U.S.-based manufacturing. In this con...

On this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort sits down with Nancy Purser, Acting Director of the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR). After 15 years with the agency, Nancy now leads one of Ontario’s most historic and ambitious transit systems — one that’s preparing for transformative growth. Nancy shares how HSR is executing HSR Next: Moving Hamilton Forward, a seven-year network redesign that wil...

On this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort sits down with Maureen Cosyn Heath, Director of Transit for the City of Mississauga and the leader of MiWay, the third-largest municipal transit agency in Ontario. Mississauga has grown rapidly to more than 775,000 residents, and MiWay is evolving right alongside the city—operating 500 buses, supporting 1,700+ employees, and preparing for major sy...

On this episode of Transit Unplugged , Paul Comfort sits down with Ginny Smith, Executive Director of the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority. Ginny shares how rural transit systems provide essential access to jobs, healthcare, education, and independence for the people they serve. From vanpools that connect workers to regional employers, to a new university transit partnership, to technology...

In this special live episode of Transit Unplugged , recorded at TCRP Day in Washington, DC, Paul Comfort sits down with a powerhouse panel of transit leaders: Sarah Meyer — EVP, Chief Customer Officer at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)  Jamaal Schoby — Senior Program Manager at Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)  Art Guzzetti — Vice President, Policy...

This week on Transit Unplugged, we’re bringing you an international perspective. Paul Comfort sits down with Laurence Broseta, International CEO of Keolis Group, for a front-row look at how one of the world’s largest operators is reimagining public transit. With operations in 13 countries, Keolis is doing more than running trains and buses—they’re building tools like visualization rooms to improve...

Passing the Torch at GRITS: In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort speaks live from the Kentucky Transit Association Trade Show with Dan Lanham and Michael Hughes of GRITS transit service. As Dan prepares to retire after nearly two decades and Michael steps up from Assistant Director to take over, they discuss the smooth leadership transition process. Dan reflects on his tenure and pla...