This capstone project seeks to meet an industry gap by creating a resource guide and knowledge hub for transit agencies around the country to access when developing their customer experience (CX) strategy, procedures, and initiatives. The presenters will share their findings on how to enhance the CX and engage the local community based on surveys and interviews of transit agencies around the country.

This project highlights demonstrated employee engagement strategies and best practices to support prioritizing employee engagement at transit organizations, including how to measure the success of employee engagement programs.

The research team surveyed college students and alumni to understand the impact of fare programs and rider trends on student and post-graduation transit use. The presenters will provide recommendations for improving communication with current students and targeting alumni to build ridership.

In 2018, the California Air Resources Board adopted the Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) Regulation, amending the California Code of Regulations to include requirements for evolving California transit bus fleets to zero-emission technologies by 2040. The presenters will share their findings from seven case studies that explored the impacts of the ICT Regulation on ZEB manufacturers, their output capacities, and production challenges.

This research delves into recent implementations of transit-oriented development (TOD) and explores the factors that influenced their outcomes. The goal is to gain a better understanding of how the transit industry can facilitate TOD success, defined as ridership growth and improved access to social and economic opportunities.

Case studies and interviews with both rural and urban transit agencies provide insights on the successes and limitations of microtransit as a solution to address post-COVID ridership recovery, staff shortages, and new technology.

This project moves beyond the focus on frontline workers to also examine data from the C-Suite, operational managers, and other administrative employees to identify strategies to retain and recruit the transit workforce.

This research involves a review of Zero-Emissions Transition plans and interviews with zero-emissions bus (ZEB) transition leads at transit agencies to gather insights in three phases of the transition: New to ZEB, ZEB transition has begun, and on-track for all ZEB between 2030-2040. The goal is to better understand what is working well and where agencies are facing roadblocks within the Zero-Emissions Transition planning and implementation process.