Transit Unplugged

Miami is making big moves in public transportation. From a groundbreaking all-electric bus rapid transit corridor to the largest bus network redesign in four decades, Miami-Dade County is rethinking how millions of residents and visitors move through one of America's most dynamic metropolitan regions.

This week on Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort welcomes Stacy Miller, Director and CEO of the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works, for a look inside the projects transforming mobility across South Florida.

At the center of that transformation is MetroExpress, a 20-mile, fully electric bus rapid transit corridor...

What does it take to move 70,000 riders a day while keeping innovation, reliability, and customer experience at the center of every decision?

This week on Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort sits down with Jack Khzouz, CEO of Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE Bus) and Senior Vice President at Transdev North America, to explore one of the largest contracted public transportation operations in the United States.

Serving Nassau County, Long Island, and parts of Queens, NICE operates a fleet of approximately 550 vehicles, delivers 23 million fixed-route rides annually, and provides another 350,000 paratransit trips. But what...

What does the future of public transportation leadership look like? And who are the emerging professionals already making a difference?

On this special episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort is joined by Megan Perrero, Editor-in-Chief of @MassTransitMagazine , to celebrate the publication's 2026 40 Under 40 honorees. Now in its 18th year, the program recognizes 40 outstanding transit professionals under the age of 40 for their commitment, innovation, involvement, and contributions to the public transit industry.

Paul and Megan sit down with four honorees whose career paths demonstrate just how many ways there are...

What will define the next year of mobility—and which technologies are actually ready to move from hype to reality?

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort sits down with John Rossant, CEO of CoMotion, for a wide-ranging look at the technologies, policies, and partnerships shaping transportation as 2027 approaches. Rossant explains why he believes autonomy will become a defining feature across urban mobility, from robotaxis and autonomous transit to artificial intelligence making transportation systems more efficient. He also explores the growing relationship between autonomous vehicles and public transit—and why the future may depend on making thos...

Nashville asked for more public transportation. WeGo is delivering.

In this episode, Paul Comfort talks with Andy Burke, Chief Operating Officer of WeGo Public Transit, about how Nashville is preparing for one of the largest transit expansions in the agency’s history.

Following voter approval of the Choose How You Move transportation program and its half-cent sales tax, WeGo is adding approximately 7% more bus service hours each year as part of a long-term expansion that could dramatically increase transit service across the region. That means more buses—but also more operators, mech...

What does a great transit leader leave behind?

For Ken McDonald, President and CEO of Long Beach Transit and the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) 2025 Outstanding Public Transportation CEO of the Year, leadership isn’t just about running a successful agency. It’s about making the people around you better—and giving them the knowledge and opportunities to become leaders themselves.

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort talks with Ken about the lessons he’s learned across four decades in public transportation and 13 years leading Long Beach Transit. Ken explai...

Does commuter rail still describe what the service is becoming in many cities?

Across the industry, the traditional model of carrying workers downtown in the morning and home again in the evening is evolving. At Metra in Chicago, that change is showing up in a fascinating way: total ridership remains below 2019 levels, but CEO and Executive Director Jim Derwinski says Metra now serves more unique passengers than it did before the pandemic.

People are still riding. They're just riding differently.

This week on Transit...

What if the work you're meant to do isn't something you find—but something you build?

In Part II of Transit Unplugged's special Find Your X Factor series, Paul Comfort talks with two transportation leaders whose very different careers reveal how our experiences, abilities, and passions can eventually come together into something bigger.

Mike Heidkamp spent his career working his way through nearly every level of public transportation. As a teenager on his own after losing his mother, the 41B bus in Pittsburgh was his lifeline to a job. Years later, he would go...

What happens when the bus can actually beat the car?

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort sits down with Melinda Metzger, Executive Director of Pace Suburban Bus, for a conversation recorded at Pace’s ADA headquarters in downtown Chicago.

Melinda has spent 42 years at Pace, beginning as a summer intern and eventually working her way through planning, operations, procurement, and executive leadership. She takes Paul inside an agency that now serves 274 communities across a six-county region with fixed-route buses, express service, Pulse rapid transit, vanpools, on-demand transportation, an...

What happens when the things you’re naturally good at intersect with the things that give you energy?

In this special episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort brings his new book, Find Your X Factor, to life through conversations with two leaders who found very different ways to turn their interests, abilities, and experiences into meaningful careers.

First, Paul talks with Noah Berger, CEO of Merrimack Valley Transit, about the unlikely intersection of public transportation and the arts. Noah shares how his background as both a transit professional and an artist helped him rethink the ri...

How can transit agencies give riders more options while still strengthening the core network?

In this special episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort returns to St. Pete/Clearwater for extended conversations originally filmed for Transit Unplugged TV, exploring how transit leaders across Pinellas County, FL are approaching everything from Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and microtransit to ferries, paratransit, and first- and last-mile connections.

Paul talks with Brad Miller, CEO of Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), about an increasingly multimodal system and the investments shaping its future. He also meets Leon Smiley, PSTA’s...

San Antonio is growing fast—and VIA Metropolitan Transit is growing right along with it.

For this special episode of Transit Unplugged, we’re going back to our Transit Unplugged TV visit to San Antonio and bringing you three extended, uncut conversations with the VIA leaders shaping the future of mobility in the city.

VIA President and CEO Jon Gary Herrera talks about what makes San Antonio unique, VIA’s role in connecting people to opportunity, and the rapid growth of VIA Link microtransit.

Then, Deputy CEO Tremell Brown takes Paul i...

In this episode, Frank joins Paul Comfort to discuss what it's really like to move from leading bus operations at one of the world's largest transit agencies to running an entire organization. He shares how Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is building on a legacy of innovation while tackling today's biggest challenges—from the post-pandemic fiscal cliff to workforce development, transit-oriented development, and expanding mobility options beyond traditional bus service.

Frank also explains why the best solutions often come from the people closest to the work, and how his team balanced the budget while im...

https://youtu.be/M1PeM6D1ciw

The future of passenger rail is being built right now—and Transit Unplugged takes you inside one of the industry's biggest events to see it firsthand.

Recorded on location at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Rail Conference in Baltimore, this special video episode features exclusive conversations with the leaders driving some of North America's most ambitious rail projects. From the Purple Line in Maryland and MARC Train's growing commuter network to Honolulu's fully automated Skyline system and California High-Speed Rail, this is a front-row seat to the id...

https://youtu.be/ZDsPkG_ruQc

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) General Manager Scott Sauer joins Paul Comfort to discuss leading one of North America's most complex transit agencies through a period of transformation. After beginning his career as a trolley operator at just 19 years old, Sauer now oversees the nation's sixth-largest transit system as it modernizes aging infrastructure, grows ridership, prepares for major international events, and works toward becoming a best-in-class transit agency.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- How SEPTA is rebuilding ridership and customer confidence

...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv39AxBZFMY

Leadership transitions are inevitable, but successful ones are far from guaranteed. In this special on-location episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort visits Delaware Transit Corporation (DART First State) to explore a rare example of intentional succession in action.

Outgoing CEO John Sisson reflects on a 32-year career and the legacy he leaves after more than a decade leading one of America's most unique statewide transit systems. Joining him is incoming CEO Lilia Montoya, who arrives from California for her first CEO role and benefits from something few...

https://youtu.be/32WxfrlanJw

Access to healthcare doesn't start at the doctor's office—it starts with transportation.

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort sits down with Steven Feist, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Coordinated Transportation Solutions (CTS), to explore the world of Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) and its growing role in healthcare access. Steven explains how transportation brokers connect Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries with the rides they need to reach appointments, treatments, pharmacies, and other critical services.

The conversation examines how NEMT has evolved over the past two decades, fr...

https://youtu.be/4nmn0hLJHbQ

Former Federal Transit Administration Administrator Marc Molinaro joins Paul Comfort for an in-depth conversation about federal transit policy, funding, and the future of public transportation.

Drawing on his experience as both a member of Congress and the leader of the FTA, Molinaro offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the agency operates, what transit agencies should understand about federal grants, and why building consensus in Washington is often more complicated than it appears.

The discussion explores the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee's recently approved surface transportation reauthorization proposal, evolving federal...

What does public transit look like when you're serving 20 counties across Central and East Texas?

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort continues his series featuring new transit CEOs with a conversation with Wendy Weedon, CEO of the Brazos Transit District. After spending 17 years with the organization, Wendy stepped into the top leadership role in September and now oversees one of Texas' most diverse transit systems.

Wendy discusses the unique challenges of balancing urban, rural, paratransit, demand response, microtransit, and non-emergency medical transportation services across a vast service area. She explains...

What does success look like for transit agencies in a post-pandemic world? According to Christie Wegener, it may be time to stop measuring against 2019 altogether.

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort speaks with Christie Wegener, Executive Director of the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), about the changing realities of suburban transit, evolving commuter behavior, and why reliability may matter more than ridership.

Christie explains how LAVTA serves as a critical feeder to BART while navigating the unique challenges of Bay Area travel patterns, remote work, and car-oriented suburban development. She also...

When Steve Fuentes arrived as the new President & CEO of Milwaukee County Transit System, he stepped directly into a perfect storm: major service cuts, labor tensions, budget deficits, and the looming transit fiscal cliff.

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Steve joins Paul Comfort to discuss how his 30-year journey at the Chicago Transit Authority — from part-time bus operator to senior leadership — prepared him for one of the toughest leadership transitions in public transportation today.

Steve shares how Milwaukee is confronting post-pandemic ridership realities, redesigning service for modern travel patt...

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to North America—and for public transportation agencies across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the countdown is already underway.

In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort speaks with transportation journalist Dan Zukowski of Smart Cities Dive about the enormous mobility challenge behind one of the world’s biggest sporting events. From Los Angeles and Boston to New York-New Jersey and Atlanta, transit agencies are preparing to move hundreds of thousands of visitors safely, efficiently, and seamlessly through their cities.

Dan breaks down how agencies are expanding service, coor...

Commuter rail is being reinvented—and at Virginia Railway Express (VRE), that shift starts with one big idea: becoming a true regional rail system.

Katie Choe, CEO of VRE, joins Paul Comfort to explain how the agency is moving beyond its traditional peak-hour, commuter-focused model toward a more flexible, all-day, bi-directional network designed for today’s travel patterns.

At the center of that transformation is VRE’s System Plan 2050, a roadmap to expand service, increase frequency, and serve a broader mix of riders—from daily commuters to evening, weekend, and recreational travelers.

In this epi...

In this quarterly Transit Unplugged Insider, Paul Comfort and Julie Gates break down the most important developments shaping public transportation right now—from Washington leadership changes to emerging mobility technology.

They cover the five biggest stories transit leaders need to know, including:

FTA Leadership Shakeup – With no administrator or deputy currently in place, what does this leadership gap mean for the Federal Transit Administration and the industry at large?

Federal Funding Uncertainty – Proposed budget changes with potential cuts exceeding 20% year-over-year . What’s at risk—and how is the industry responding...

Tiffany Gunter, GM + CEO of Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, joins Paul Comfort to explain how SMART saw a 40% ridership increase on key high-volume corridors including Gratiot and Woodward. She shares the operational changes behind the gains—from stronger on-time performance and improved frequencies to cleaner shelters, onboard Wi-Fi, and a renewed focus on customer experience.

Tiffany also shares her journey from transportation planner to CEO, and why hands-on leadership matters—including 3:30 AM terminal visits, riding with frontline teams, and tackling operational issues firsthand. She explains how SMART improved on-time performance from 65% to 76% in just...

How Transit CEOs Are Tackling Safety, Growth, and Leadership — Live from ThinkTransit

This week on Transit Unplugged, we take you live to Boston for a special CEO Roundtable recorded at the ThinkTransit Conference—featuring four of the most influential leaders in public transportation today.

Host Paul Comfort sits down with:

Recorded in front of a live audience of transit professionals, this candid conversation...

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 services—all coordinated under a $1.3 billion operation.

As part of our “The Doers” series, this conversation focuses on the leaders responsible for turning strategy into service—and Patrick offers a rare, inside look at wh...

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 than 12%.

Shofi shares a tactical, inside look at how his team is turning planning, innovation, and partnerships into measurable growth—and what other agencies can learn from their approach.

W...

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 private-sector consultant—where she helped design Nashville’s “Choose How You Move” ballot initiative—to becoming the executive responsible for implementing it inside the agency.

With a newly approved funding stream, a growing system, and risi...

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 Transit, eventually rising through the ranks of the MTA, serving in senior leadership roles across multiple agencies, and later helping lead operations at Valley Metro in Phoenix before re...

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 region’s light rail network.

Scott explains how St. Louis developed its Secure Platform Plan, a comprehensive strategy that combines infrastructure upgrades, technology, and partnerships with law en...

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 behind creating a platform for industry dialogue, and why connecting transit leaders across agencies and continents continues to matter.

The episode also features a 10-year retrospective on the growth of Transit Unplugged, including a...

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 Administration, delivers no-cost training for transit professionals across the United States, helping agencies upskill their teams, strengthen succession planning, and prepare for a rapidly changing mobility landscape.

Geisha shares:

H...

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, WSP

Michael Walk, Research Scientist, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Together they break down how the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) moves ideas from problem statements to implementation — and why agencies th...

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 systems, networks, and intentional choices that help leaders thrive at every stage of their careers. From WTS’s nearly 50-year history to its current global footprint of more than 10,000 members, Bridgette explains how the organization attracts, advances, and retain...

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 a great railroad.

Paul and Roger explore how Amtrak operates as both a passenger rail provider and a critical infrastructure partner—especially in the complex Northeast Corridor ecosystem where commuter agencies and intercity rail depend on shared ne...

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 shaping transit right now — from automation and AI to Amtrak expansion, station revitalization, and the growing push for better rider information and wayfinding. In this episode, we cover: Why transit automation is gaining momentum — and why new lines should be designed for it...

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, workforce challenges, and the evolving role of technology and innovation.

Dave also reflects on Halifax’s unique transit story (including its historic harbor ferries) and explains why Canada’s post-pandemic demand pattern...

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 Oregon Transportation Commission.

Julie pulls back the curtain on the real, day-to-day pressures facing agencies like hers—from funding uncertainty at the state level to escalating labor and vehicle costs, rising insurance rates, and...

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 from Washington, DC. Bennett brings deep experience from Capitol Hill to break down what transit leaders should be paying attention to right now — and what’s coming next.

In this episode, we explore: