The November 5 elections will have significant implications for public transportation. The outcome will directly affect the public transportation agenda in the critical years ahead. Now that the results of the election have become clear, join APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas and APTA Vice President of Government Affairs and Advocacy Ward McCarragher in an overview of the federal election results and how public transportation industry stakeholders can position themselves going forward.

Panelists:

• Paul Skoutelas, President and CEO, APTA
• Ward McCarragher, Vice President of Government Affairs, APTA
• T.J. Doyle, Vice President - Communications & Marketing, APTA

The zero-emissions bus (ZEB) transitions are complex, requiring strategic planning, funding, training, frequent board and decision-maker communication to ensure success. Numerous resources are available to guide the transition, but they are disaggregated and often dependent on “word of mouth” awareness.

The Capstone team conducted 10 C-suite interviews and surveyed a broad spectrum of fixed route bus operators at varying stages of zero emissions bus deployment to understand the resources agencies use to implement their ZEB programs, and what additional resources are desired. This project highlights the key resources already available to mitigate the known funding, training and technology readiness challenges to ensure the successful implementation of ZEBs by providing CEOs with the tools to educate and inform their governing boards and staff.

Project Team:

• Michelle Stewart, Coordinator (SCRRA)
• Chen Zhou, Coordinator, (Jacobs)
• Mike Roth (IndyGo)
• Dustin Strandberg (Victor Valley Transit Authority)
• Jairo Naranjo (CTA)
• Koffi Afko (MTA – Metro North) 
  

From the White House’s Justice40 initiative to the Equity in Infrastructure Project and beyond, the national focus on equity in infrastructure has never been stronger. Coupled with today’s exceptional investment in transit, the transportation industry has an unprecedented opportunity to uplift historically underutilized businesses (HUBs) and support local economies.

While there have been impressive gains in creating harmony for doing business with HUBs, and despite the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program having been in place since the 1980s, friction still exists in the transit procurement process that makes HUB participation difficult and sometimes impossible—especially outside of federally funded projects. This project articulates those friction points, identifies best practices, and serves as a resource and guide for individuals seeking to create more harmony in the procurement process to increase and ease HUB participation. Whether one is a CEO, board member, agency staff, or business employee, we all have a role to play. Only through collective awareness, commitment, action, and accountability can we move towards more inclusive and diverse participation in transit contracting.

Project Team:

• Katie Roth, Coordinator (Metro Transit)
• Rachel Maloney, Coordinator (NFTA)
• Bill Amarosa (NYCT)
• Steven King (OCTA)
• Veronica Siranosian (AECOM)
• Derek Donnell (Norwalk Transit)   

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have the potential to revolutionize public transit security by enabling proactive, efficient, and adaptive solutions to address challenges faced by transit authorities and passengers.

This project focuses on how AI can integrate data from various transit systems, including video feeds, access controls, and communication networks, to create a comprehensive security infrastructure. These technologies enable capabilities for using behavioral recognition to identify potential threats, reducing/managing incidents, controlling unauthorized access, optimizing crowd management for events, and improving real-time passenger communication.

Ultimately, AI has the ability to deploy scalable advanced surveillance tactics to enhance transit security using ethical practices to monitor and detect threats from people or objects while improving the transit experience for everyone.

Project Team:

• Sabrina Glenn, Coordinator (RTC of Southern Nevada)
• Mehul Kumar, Coordinator (SamTrans)
• Jasmine Charles (SFMTA)
• Daria van Engelen (Luminator)

Retention challenges are exacerbating operator shortages across the continent. Various research has gone into understanding why people stay or leave jobs across many industries, including in public transit. Through our research, we found key factors for retention include things such as wages and benefits, transparent communication, and creating opportunities for growth and advancement.

One of the other key factors identified, and more unique to public transit, is work schedules – especially for operators. Conventional scheduling methods, a long-term overemphasis on efficiencies, and well-meaning labor agreements have resulted in crewing / run cutting solutions full of "good" and "bad" work. Although “good” and “bad” can be very subjective based on who you are and your lifestyle, research shows that the work operators select is crucial to their satisfaction and retention. We argue, as an industry, we have lost connection with the human factor and disregarded the impact on quality of life. For operators, this means if the work does not suit their lifestyle, personal needs, and they are continually stuck with the least desirable choices, they will leave.

This project explored work schedules from the operators’ points of view, the desires and needs of planning and management teams, how technology is adapting, and maybe more importantly, why we all should care. What makes a good schedule? Why should we regularly engage with our operators? How can we do better? The answers to these questions re-frame scheduling to be human-centric, meet people’s needs, and transcend seniority, all of which help us to drive greater operator satisfaction and retention.

Project Team:

• Alesia Cain, Co-coordinator (Clever Devices)
• Inessa M. Vitko, Co-coordinator (TriMet)
• Emmanuella Myrthil (SEPTA)
• Hitham Hamdon (Golden Gate)
• Laurence Lui (TTC)
• Tamika White (PSTA)  

As the fastest-growing population cohort, older adults are expected to become an increasing segment of transit riders for many years to come. By 2050, nearly a quarter of the country’s population will be over the age of 65. This raises important questions about how older adults will use transit services and what steps agencies can take to accommodate their unique needs beyond default to paratransit services.

Designing our transit systems to be age-friendly and helping make them more easily navigable for older riders will be key to boosting ridership among this group, enhancing their mobility, and improving their quality of life and independence. Increased ridership among older adults within our fixed route systems can also help reduce the demand for costly ADA paratransit services, support economic strategies by retaining aging residents in our communities, enhance access to health care and other essential services, and establish public transit as a valuable community resource for people of all ages.

This capstone project aims to embrace this demographic shift by identifying best practices and innovations in human-centric, simplistic transit design and community education that will make transit services more inclusive and welcoming for older riders.

Project Team:

• Grant Sparks, Coordinator, (VA Dept. Rail and Public Transportation)
• Anna Lan, Coordinator, (CapMetro)
• Sergio Callen (Atkins)
• Julius Smith (DART)
• Zach Hernandez (AlphaVu)
• Shangeeta Snape (Arcadis)

In recent years interactions with unhoused populations and people in mental health crisis, as well as instances of violence and substance abuse on transit property have increased, challenging the notion that our transit systems are safe and secure. As a result, transit ambassador programs are on the rise.

We believe we can reframe the narrative by focusing on the good and measurable work coming out of ambassador programs. How do we ensure the story is told about our positive impacts? We believe positive interactions are occurring but are not necessarily measured and communicated in a systematic way.

Our project goal is to highlight the often-unheralded aspects of the service we provide, beyond moving people from one place to another. The report not only highlights effective practices but aims to advance the conversation in the industry about these programs’ value. Through careful structuring, defining key performance indicators and capturing benefits, and through effective communication, a transit agency can build a sustainable ambassador program that makes a difference for its employees, riders, and the broader community. 

Project Team:

• Melissa Chrisman, Coordinator (Trinity Metro)
• Jason Lawrence, Coordinator (CATS)
• Shawn Metcalf (Metro RTA)
• Jenny Kane (Metra)
• David Hancock (UTA)

This webinar explores how transit leaders can strategically harness Generative AI for operational improvements and enhanced passenger experiences, while addressing key challenges such as cost, security, and governance.

Moderators:

• Tas Jalali, Chair, APTA AI Subcommittee, CISO & Head of AI, AC Transit, Oakland, CA
• Ethan Benatan, Vice-Chair, APTA AI Subcommittee, CIO, TriMet, Portland, OR

Panelists:

• Satyam Sinha, CEO & Founder, Acuvity, Sunnyvale, CA
• David Bissainthe, CEO & Founder, Analytics Intell, New York, NY

Apprenticeship programs often pave the way to successful careers in the public transportation industry. These programs and related opportunities attribute their success to local, regional, and national partnerships. This webinar features leaders from a number of successful apprenticeship programs representing the public and private sectors whose partnerships with local academic, community and labor organizations have built highly sought after industry apprenticeship programs.

Presiding:

• LaShanda Dawkins, Chair, Workforce Development Committee, Interim Chief Administrative Officer, MARTA

Moderators:

• Geisha Ester, Chair, Education and Career Awareness Subcommittee, Vice President, Training and Workforce Development, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago, IL
• Steve Jovel, Vice Chair, Education and Career Awareness Subcommittee; Operations Manager, Workforce Development, Joint Workforce Investment and Apprenticeship Programs, OPS Training and Development, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA

Panelists:

• Dan Stoffer, Manager – Instruction, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, MN
  
• Lisa Vickery, Deputy Director, Ops Training and Development, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA
• John Pospishek, Recording and Financial Secretary, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, San Jose, CA
  
• Jeff Pallin, Dean, Workforce Innovation, Mission College, Santa Clara, CA
• Jamaine Gibson, Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development, Amalgamated Transit Union International, Silver Spring, MD
• Lucy Andre, General Counsel, Chief of Staff and Corporate Secretary, Stadler US Inc. Salt Lake City, UT

Voters around the country will decide 25 transit ballot measures in the November 5 elections. Upwards of $59 billion in dedicated, long-term funding for community investments will be determined on that day alone. The webinar will provide up-to-the minute reports from federal state, and local levels. Champions for several prominent local transit elections will speak to the campaign messages that were most impactful, and the implications going forward.

Presiding:

• MJ Maynard, Chair, APTA, and Chief Executive Officer, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
• Paul Skoutelas, President and CEO, APTA

Summary of 2024 Local Transit Ballot Measure Campaigns and Outcomes:

• Jessica Grennan, Executive Director, APTA's Center for Transportation Excellence, Washington, DC

Panel Conversation:

• The Honorable Kate Gallego, Mayor, City of Phoenix, AZ
  
• The Honorable Eileen Higgins, County Commissioner, Miami-Dade, FL
• Steve Bland, CEO, WeGo Public Transit, Nashville, TN
• Monica Tellez-Fowler, President & CEO, Central Ohio Transit Authority, Columbus, OH