February 12, 2025 • 39 mins
In this special episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort and co-host Kelly Chapman highlight the inspiring stories of four remarkable women leaders in Australian public transport. This is the third of five episodes coming from Paul’s recent 10-day tour of Australia. Don’t forget to also check out Transit Unplugged TV on YouTube for the TV episodes as well.
First, we hear from Lauren Streifer, Executive Director of the Public Transport Association of Australia and New Zealand (PTAANZ). Lauren's infectious energy and passion for public transport shine through as she discusses her ambitious goals for the industry, including her efforts to promote sustainability.
Next, Jamie-Lee Owen, Chair of PTAANZ's Emerging Mobility Leaders, shares her dedication to championing young professionals in the industry, emphasizing the importance of diversity and mentorship in shaping the future of public transport.
Katie Cooper, CEO of Metro Tasmania, brings a wealth of experience from her background in aviation to her current role, where she is leading innovative zero-emission bus trials. Katie's commitment to integrating her aviation expertise into public transport operations is truly inspiring.
Finally, Michelle Batsas, Executive Director of Government and Stakeholder Relations at Yarra Trams, discusses her new role and her lifelong passion for trams. Michelle, who was recently awarded the Women in STEM award for mentoring, continues to advocate for female representation in the industry, highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion at all levels.
Tune in to hear these powerful stories and learn about the incredible work being done to promote women in public transport in Australia.
Coming up next week we have the final episode from Australian with a special tie-in to the current episode of Transit Unplugged TV from Brisbane. Brisbane City Councillor Ryan Murphy tells Paul all about Brisbane’s ferry system, light rail, and how his role as Chair of the Transportation Committee helps promote and support transit throughout the city.
00:00 Introduction and Overview of the Episode
01:03 Highlighting Women Leaders in Australian Transport
06:15 Lauren Streifer CEO, PTAANZ
07:20 Jamie-Lee Owen, Chair, PTAANZ Emerging Mobility Leaders
10:31 Katie Cooper CEO, Metro Tasmania
14:35 Michelle Batsas, Executive Director of Government and Stakeholder Relations, Yarra Trams
36:22 Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes
38:19 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged
If you have a question or comment, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Modaxo Inc., its affiliates or subsidiaries, or any entities they represent (“Modaxo”). This production belongs to Modaxo, and may contain information that may be subject to trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights and restrictions. This production provides general information, and should not be relied on as legal advice or...
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Well, today is a very special show aswe follow up from our recent 10 day
visit to Australia on Transit Unplugged.
I'm Paul Comfort, and greatto have with me my good friend
Kelly Chapman.
Thanks, Paul.
Yeah.
Kelly and I are going toco host today's podcast.
most of you follow the show on videoand audio know that, Transit Unplugged,
myself and Jaime Cuadra, our videodirector, and Kelly and a bunch of
(00:28):
other folks from our team, visitedAustralia, in the two weeks prior to the
American holiday called Thanksgiving.
And, uh, I actually returned thenight before Thanksgiving, as did,
Jaime back to our country here.
And since then, we've beenhaving follow up TV shows.
We've had one, the first one was fromour trip to Melbourne and Tasmania.
(00:49):
And while we were there, we recordedsome interviews with, some folks
that we thought we'd bring youon the audio podcast as well.
And then we spent, some timein, in the Brisbane area, and,
uh, we have some interviews fromthat area as well on the show.
But Kelly, when, when we were there,what struck me was, and I've known
this before because I've known some ofthe ladies there, but you have a lot
(01:09):
of very strong, powerful leaders intransportation that are women, and so
we wanted to do a show about some of thegreat women in transport from Australia.
Yeah, I was really excited thatyou had that idea because it's true
when we, and we got to, you know,in that 10 days, we really got
to connect with so many of them.
And like you and I spoke about, youknow, not only are they impressive in
(01:30):
their careers, but they're also, theybring so much passion to their jobs.
And it was just really fun.
And just such a pleasure to spendtime with them and hear their
thoughts on what's happening inthe world of public transport.
Yeah, we actually had several more linedup for the video while we're there, but
various things happened while we're there.
We couldn't get them all on video, butwe wanted to at least bring you, uh,
this audio podcast with several of them.
(01:52):
And, uh, first off, I'm excitedto have with us Lauren Streifer.
Tell us about her, Kelly.
Well, Lauren's quite amazing, isn't she?
So Lauren Streifer, she's the ExecutiveDirector of the Public Transport
Association of Australia and New Zealand,which we commonly call PTANZ and she
is just, her energy is contagious andyou just wanna jump on board with her.
She talks about starting a revolutionand, she feels like the right
(02:14):
person for it, and I just lovethat, you know, along with side, the
passion she's bringing to her job.
You know, she told us that she's alsofound time to write a children's book on
the side like that woman's incredible.
She is.
I, I, I really bonded with her andclicked with her while we were there.
She brought us a copy of the bookI brought home and read it to
my grandkids and they loved it.
And, uh, I posted it and so she'sgoing to be our first guest today.
(02:36):
And then, uh, quickly we'llbe talking with, um, Jamie Lee
Owens, who is chair of that PTANZgroup's Emerging Mobility Leaders.
She was great.
And then we talked to KatieCooper, CEO of Metro Tasmania.
Kelly, you and I met her whilewe were at the BIC conference.
Yeah, and oh my goodness, we, none of uscould believe how much sunshine you were
getting as you walked around Australiain Hobart, which is often cold and windy.
(03:00):
We just had the most beautifulday there with Katie.
And I loved, Katie has areally interesting story.
Her background's in aviation and shewas talking to us about how she brings
that experience of aviation and theoperations into bus and how the worlds
share many common themes and she'sable to really, you know, benefit from
that experience in her current role.
(03:21):
Yep.
Yeah, absolutely.
And, you know, we told you that,but it seems like wherever we go
for Transit Unplugged TV, the goodweather always just precedes us.
I'll never forget the time we were inVancouver, Canada, and, you know, my
friend Kevin Quinn, who worked withme at MTA in Baltimore, now CEO there,
said, Paul, we've basically had rainfor six months, every day before you got
(03:43):
here, and then today the sun comes out.
So we're definitely blessed.
and then it's very exciting to be withMichelle Batsis, who we weren't able
to actually record while we were therebecause it was like the day before
the day of our first day on a new job.
Tell us about Michelle's new job and whatshe's doing there with Journey Makers.
So Michelle is in suchan exciting position.
Yarra Trams is one of the most iconicbusinesses in Melbourne and she is
(04:06):
the Executive Director of Governmentand Stakeholder Relations, which
means she's that real triage pointbetween all the key stakeholders
in government and the operation.
And we're really so pleased that wecould get to talk to her and hear
some of her stories and experiencesof what's happening in Yarra Trams.
It's such an excitingtime to be a part of it.
And she just brings so muchenergy into everything she does.
(04:27):
And as a lot of listeners know, she alsohas a podcast of Women Who Moved Nations.
And, but it's really excitedto follow her journey there.
Yeah.
And we're going to have all fourof those interviews for you today.
Michelle is the primary interview.
We'll bring that to you last.
Michelle and I also had a relationshipvia co contributors to my cookbook,
Comfort Food, and she has a great,story today to tell about that
(04:49):
on her interview and about, hergrandmother, who really influenced
her interest in public transportation.
That'll be on the interviewthat she brings up later.
Kelly, again, I just want to publiclythank you for helping to arrange
what's been one of the very best tripswe've ever had on Transit Unplugged.
Every detail of the 40 events that wedid during the 10 days there, you had
(05:10):
a hand in organizing and they all wentoff without a hitch, so, fantastic.
You may have a future in event planning inyour future if software doesn't work out.
No, just kidding.
Thanks, Paul.
It was an absolute pleasure.
And, you know, It was a pleasure becausethe people we were connecting to are
just so willing to give, to sharetheir stories, to connect with us.
(05:31):
So, you know, I want to also thankeveryone who said yes and got involved and
shared a little piece of their You know,a little part of their world with us.
It was so special.
Such a great time.
Thank you.
Absolutely.
And it was, it was a joy for me.
In addition to all these interviewswe did to actually meet our company
staff, our Modaxo staff there inBrisbane, where your office is and
(05:53):
where Rod Beggars is and all the team.
It was wonderful.
Thank you to them as well for helpingsponsor this whole trip, making it
possible and allowing us to share whatwe've What we're doing right today, best
practices from, from the top leaders inAustralia with the rest of the world.
Kelly, let's jump in with our firstinterview, which is with, Lauren
Streifer, Executive Director of PTANZ
(06:14):
.Fantastic.
Tell us about yourtransit association here.
So the Public Transport Associationof Australia and New Zealand actually
includes all government departments acrossthe region, and it's really led by the
government authorities to make sure thattheir vision is realized in the region.
And what is that vision?
So one part of it is that Australiahas very ambitious net zero goals,
(06:36):
30 percent of people from drivingto public and active transport,
you can actually achieve.
our net zero obligationswith that change alone.
And what would you say the state of publictransportation is here in Australia?
We're out of the pandemic now, we'reon to What's happening right now
and what do you see for the future?
Well, the really cool thing isthat we have the biggest public
(06:57):
transport investment that we'veever seen, in our history.
And so now we're seeing the finalizationof some of these major projects that
are tens of billions of dollars andthey're being realized and being
operationalized so you can use them.
So over the next few months, you'llactually be able to come out of
Sydney Metro and see how cities aretransformed by public transport.
Thanks.
Well, I know they've got the rightperson leading the association and you
with all that energy and experience.
(07:18):
I can't wait to see what youguys are going to do next.
Aw, thanks so much
What a great interview with Lauren,and you know, while we were there
in Melbourne, we went to an iconicstation called Flinders Street Station.
It's where we actually did the openingof the TV show, and while we were
there, Kelly, you introduced me toan up and coming young leader there.
Tell me about her.
(07:38):
Jamie Lee Owen.
She works for Metro Trains Melbourne,but she is also, again, another
passionate woman and she is the chairof PTAN's Emerging Mobility Leaders.
She's playing a big part inhelping encourage, you know,
lots of the public transit.
Leaders up and coming around Australiato get opportunities, get exposure,
get connected to the right people.
(07:58):
And a little, side note, if you sawthe Transit Unplugged episode, she's
wearing a shirt she made herself coveredin trams, which was just fantastic.
That's great.
Let's jump into thatquick interview right now.
Jamie, you're the president of theEmerging Mobility Leaders Program.
Tell us about that.
Yeah, I'd love to.
Thank you.
I'm the chair of the EmergingMobility Leaders Program.
(08:21):
We were formed in 2021, um, as a committeeunder the PTA ANZ, so the Public Transport
Association, Australia, New Zealand.
And our role is to champion and platformyoung and emerging professionals.
in the public transport industry.
That's great.
And what's your job currently?
Currently, I'm the chair, but I'vebeen on the committee since 2021.
(08:41):
And it's been an absolute privilegeand an honor to have been there as
a contributing member and now sortof graduate into the chair position,
leading the group and then graduate out.
That's great.
And do you all have anyprojects you're working on now?
Yeah, we do.
So we do a series of webinars and sitetours with a lot of member organizations.
The thing we're most proudof is our biannual seminar.
(09:03):
So it's a seminar that's designedby emerging professionals
for emerging professionals.
And our next one will be early 2026.
Very good.
And I'm passionate about bringingyoung people into our industry.
I really think it's the, uh, an importantpart of the function of us older folks,
let's say over the 40 crowd, uh, is to, isto cultivate younger people to coming in.
(09:24):
And do you all play a role in that?
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, we're very lucky to havegreat membership, um, and mentorship
from member organizations.
Uh, but we also have members andmentors who advocate for us and
champion for us, and that includesgiving a platform to get up and speak.
So, that's really importantas well as that mentorship.
Jamie, tell me about the diversity ofthe type of jobs that are represented.
(09:46):
Yeah, absolutely.
So our group is diverse in termsof geographic location across
Australia and New Zealand, aswell as experience and education.
So we have planners, we have engineers,we have project managers, we have people
who work in comms, and we really thinkthat diversity of experience and education
and thought is kind of the future of ourindustry, so we're happy to cultivate it.
(10:07):
Now if I'm a young person, let'ssay maybe one of my kids in their
twenties, what would be your pitch tothem why they should get involved in
the public transportation industry.
Yeah, public transport is social justice,and if a particularly if you're young,
if you're in your 20s, you, I imagine,really believe in sustainability and
lowering emissions, and we're a bigindustry that could have a big part in
(10:27):
that, so yeah, that's why I'd say geton board, because we're the future.
What a great interviewwith Jamie Lee Owens.
Now, let's listen to Katie Cooper.
After we left Melbourne, wewere on that search for the
Tasmanian Devil, right, Kelly?
And, we went down to Tasmania to findthem, and we got to meet a fantastic
leader there at the Bus IndustryConfederation Conference, which was
(10:50):
being held in Hobart, the capital.
We walked outside into the beautifulsunshine, and who did I get to meet?
You met Katie Cooper, who is theCEO of Metro Tasmania, who was kind
enough, even though she was the hostof the big conference, she was kind
enough to give us some time on abeautiful sunny morning in Hobart.
Thanks, Katie.
(11:12):
Hi, Paul.
Welcome to Hobart.
It's great to have you here.
This is beautiful, Katie.
We have turned the weather on for you downhere at the waterfront in Hobart today.
Thank you.
Well tell us about MetroTasmania, the transit system here.
Metro Tasmania is the largest Tasmanianowned public transport provider here in
the state and we operate in Hobart, Booneeand Launceston and we operate buses.
So really we are a bus state.
(11:33):
So that's why it's really excitingthat BIC is here with us because this
is what we do and what we do well.
We have about 550 staff whoservice all the community around,
the areas that we, we operate.
And it's great to be able to help peopleconnect from where they go, you know,
to go to school, to go to work, togo home, to go see friends and family
or perhaps just get their groceries.
What kind of big projectsdo you have going on here?
(11:55):
Metro Tasmania is actually running acouple of really exciting projects at the
moment, both on zero emission bus trials.
So we're in our northern depotin Launceston, we're operating a
battery electric bus trial to help usdetermine the, how the battery electric
buses operate in our environment.
And down here in Hobart, we're aboutto commence a hydrogen electric bus
trial, which we're operating down here.
So in our Mornington yard, we're goingto be starting, imminently with actually
(12:18):
running some hydrogen buses so we cancompare both technologies simultaneously.
Clearly that will help us with ourinvestment decisions going forward and
that's been supported, with the Tasmaniangovernment so really excited to see the
results of that over the coming years.
Katie, I recently, uh, got tointerview Andy Lord, Commissioner
of Transport for London.
You and he have something in common.
You both have a strongbackground in aviation.
You ran the Melbourne Airport, right?
(12:39):
yes.
So I was running operations atMelbourne Airport prior to coming
here, and I've worked in the UKand had airlines and airports,
so extensive aviation experience.
And that's interesting to me.
Tell me about kind of like, youknow, similarities, differences,
and what you bring from the aviationindustry to public transport.
There's a lot of similarities betweenaviation and, and public transport.
The concept of a route that an airlineflies is very similar to a route that
(13:02):
a bus or a train will operate through.
The catchment areas that you'reusing for your pedestrian or for
your passengers or for passengersin both forms is very, very similar.
The concepts are the same in the sensethat it's about on time efficiency, it's
about safety, it's about moving peopleand goods as quickly and as safely
as we can from point A to point B.
So those similarities are very clear.
(13:23):
and I think one of the things thataviation do incredibly well and I
think public transport do as well, butreally is that safety focus about how
do you keep the travelling public safe.
and obviously there's somedifferences working on a road
versus working in the air.
One of the things that I likeabout the Tasmanian market is
we're all in one time zone.
So compared to perhaps working in aninternational aviation environment,
slightly less complex in some respects,but, very enjoyable to be able to really
(13:47):
help the communities in which we serve.
And that's what both industries are about.
Katie, speaking of the waterfront, Imean, this is a great place to host the
BIC conference here, the bus conference.
For somebody like me, the first timeI'm here coming What's a great place
or a couple places we could visit?
There's a lot to do here in Hobart, andeven just within 15 or 20 minutes we've
got Richmond, which is a quaint littletown that's great to have a walk around.
(14:07):
But really importantly, it's actually ina wine region that you can actually stop
and have some beautiful wines and somegreat chocolates, and even some cheese.
And that's all within about 15or 20 minutes of the city, and
that's always a great day out.
Here in the city we've gota lot of heritage that you
can have a wander around.
There's Port Arthur a little bitfurther down the coast if you
want a day trip that's incrediblyhistoric, particularly based on
the convict heritage of Australia.
(14:29):
So if you're interested in historythat's another great thing to do.
That's awesome.
Great interview with Katie Cooper.
Now we jump into the main interview today,which Kelly and I just did over Zoom just
a week or so ago with Michelle Batsas.
Michelle and I have a historythat goes back quite a few years,
back actually prior to me havingthe Transit Unplugged television
(14:51):
show when we just had the podcast.
I toured Australia.
with some of our Trapeze leaders atthe time and got to talk to her some
and afterwards we did a shared podcastwhere we share, she has a podcast
called Women Who Move the Nationsand we did a joint podcast with her
and some other ladies who are strongleaders in transport there in Australia.
And this time she's got a new role.
(15:13):
Tell us about it, Kelly.
So Michelle is now the executivedirector of government and
stakeholder relations at Yarra Trams.
And we're excited to hear abit more about what's happening
in Michelle's world today.
Yeah, she's got a great role.
This, this Yarra Trams people knowI love trains, and Yaratrans is the
largest tram network in the world.
Amazing!
And we got there, Kelly took meon trips down to the beach on it.
(15:36):
We'll show you all of that.
You'll get to see it if you watch ourMelbourne episode of Transit Unplugged TV.
But for now, let's jump intothis great conversation.
Great interview with a veryarticulate leader, there in
Australia, Michelle Batsas
Great to have with us on this veryspecial episode from our recent trip
to Australia, a follow up interviewwith my good friend, Michelle Batsas
(15:57):
Michelle, thanks for being with us today.
Thank you, Paul.
Great to be with you too.
Yeah.
And as our co host, continuing onthe program today, Kelly Chapman,
who was the associate producer ofour Transit Unplugged TV episodes
that were filmed in Australia.
Kelly, welcome.
Thank you, Paul.
Great to be here too.
Yeah.
Great to be chatting with you too, Kelly.
So today, Michelle, we're focusingon women in transit in Australia
(16:20):
and several of them that wereinterviewed on our television show.
While we were there in Australia, justbefore U. S. Thanksgiving, we had a
chance to see you, but we didn't geta chance to talk to you because you
were kind of in between jobs and justwere getting ready to start there.
So tell us about your new joband what's going on in Melbourne.
Yeah, thanks, Paul.
When I saw you, I was, what, theweek, I think, before I started
(16:42):
at Yarra Trams, and I'm theExecutive Director of Government and
Stakeholder Relations for Yarra Trams.
And just for the benefit of youraudience, Yarra Trams is the world's
largest tram network, and we're allvery, very proud to be working there.
So as context for your listeners,Melbourne is the most incredible city.
(17:05):
So Melbourne and the state ofVictoria in Australia, we are known
for cafe, coffee culture, art.
It's a really interesting,lively, livable city.
But at the heart of itis our tram network.
And when you visit our city, you are justseeing all the trams and all the streets.
And our tram network, ourtram network is really iconic.
(17:26):
I'm sure you saw this, Paul,right, just about how it's
really the heartbeat of our city.
And Yarra Trams operatesMelbourne's network.
and we move more than 200million passengers a year.
So, so it's a big network.
There's more than 500 trams.
I think we've got about 24 routes andover 250 kilometers of track, right?
(17:46):
So it's, it's a large network and we're,delivering around 5, 000 services a day.
So there's 4 million passengers everyweek that we are connecting them to
their communities, jobs, health care,recreation, and, you know, for people
to be able to see their loved ones.
So it's a really important role thatwe play and the size of the network.
(18:08):
It's really hard almost to articulatehow much, it's integral to our
public transport network and fabric.
Swanson Street is the maincorridor in Melbourne that runs
right through and it's the busiestlight rail corridor in the world.
I don't know, Paul, did you, did youhappen to go down there and, and see that?
We went all over the place.
(18:29):
Kelly was, set up all of our visits andwe're, we're, did we go there, Kelly?
I can't remember.
You did go down SwanstonStreet many times.
Yeah.
Okay.
It was amazing.
I know we went down, we rodethe, we rode down to the beach.
What beach were we at there?
St. Kilda.
We went to St. Kilda.
That was fun, man.
That's what a great place.
And you know what I love aboutit, Michelle, is the downtown
(18:49):
central business district is free.
So that's where it's, I'm sure the most,hop on hop off activity anyway, but I
love the fact that you can just jump onand jump off without having to interact
with a fare machine and all that.
If you're in the centralbusiness district.
I think.
Our network is really specialand we do have this real focus on
passengers and Paul, you're talkingabout the free tram zone, which is
(19:09):
in our central business district.
And it's so popular.
As you say, people can just hop on andhop off and not worry about a ticket.
And it's really designed to movepeople safely and efficiently.
But what I love about Melbourne,like we have so many visitors every
year, millions of visitors and we'reAustralia's major events capital.
I like to think sometimes maybe we'rethe events capital of the world, I'm
(19:31):
not sure, but, you know, for your globalaudience, you would know events like the
Tennis Australian Open, which is on atthe moment, and we've got the Formula One
Grand Prix, we're the, the main home cityfor the Australian Football League, the
AFL, which is huge here, and so we havevisitors in our city and we're moving
them all around as well, so, you know,it's a really important role that we play.
(19:53):
For To get people to where theyneed to go in the most safe
and efficient way possible.
And we're focused on delivering anoutstanding passenger experience.
And for anyone who hasn't been toMelbourne, I'd encourage them to
come if you're, if you're a publictransport advocate and we'll host
you because it's such a fascinatingcity to see on how we move around.
It's such an icon to work for.
(20:13):
So what, what attracted youto work for Yarra Trams?
What's, what was the big pull for you?
Well, I think there's a couple ofthings, Kelly, and I mean you both know
I've worked in this public transportindustry for over 10 years, both private
and public sector, and it means somuch to me personally, and I'm not
sure I've shared this with you before.
(20:34):
But when I was young, like one ofmy earliest memories when I was
four or five years old is catchingthe tram with my grandma, who I
called Baba, Macedonian background.
And for my grandma, she was a migrant.
She came from Europe, I thinkwhen she was nine years old and
she didn't know the language andshe never learned how to drive.
(20:55):
And that was just a thing back then.
There were lots of women who reliedon their husband to drive them around
and, but obviously they go to work.
And so for my grandmother, so shelived in Northcote, which is an
inner city suburb in Melbourne,serviced by the 86 tram route.
And I remember being so young and goingwith her and we'd hop on the tram.
And back then you had conductors you'dpay your coins to, to get your ticket.
(21:18):
You know, it, it's not, um, you know, thefancy ticketing systems that we have now.
but we would hop on the tram and we'dgo either two ways, one up the hill, and
we'd go to, you know, the shopping centre,she might stop in at the doctor's, or
we would go the other way into the city,into a department store that back then
was the luxury department store Myer,and it was so special to me, and it was
(21:41):
only probably when I began working intransport that I really made this link of
how public transport is such an essentialservice and for people who don't have
other choices of how to get around, itfundamentally unlocks their ability to
participate in society, you know, so mygrandma was using it to go shopping, to
(22:02):
go to the doctors, to go see friends.
And if the tram route wasn'tthere, I'm actually not sure how
she would have gotten around.
And so for me, I've actuallygot this really special
connection to our tram network.
Like I'm such a tram fan.
And, so I mean, the, the opportunityto work at Yarra Trams was It's just
absolutely irresistible to me becauseit merges the public transport, merges
(22:25):
that passion I have for those memoriesI have with my grandma and the tram
network, and I'm a big tram catcher now.
So, you know, I'm a, I'm a customer,but I also have that privilege of, of
working there to help deliver services.
The company you work with, YaraJourneymakers, it, the parent
company, right, is a, is acombination of two companies?
Yara Journeymakers.
Yeah, so Yarra Journeymakers, is ajoint venture between TransDev, which
(22:51):
you would know is a global operatorin the public transport space, lots
of, international expertise thatthey've brought, and also John Holland.
And um, I think it's incrediblefor us that we've recently become
the proud operator of Yarra Trams.
It's incredible to be able to leveragethe different expertise, of our parent
(23:13):
companies who operate in differentcities and, and maintain rolling
stock and, you know, just really havethat ability to draw in from peers.
And we're really focused on, getting thebasics right, reliability and punctuality.
As you know, Paul, people wanttheir services to be on time.
They want to know what's coming.
And we've also got a really bigfocus on customer experience and
(23:35):
including in making sure that wegive customers the information they
need to plan where they need to go.
So, you know, one of our key Commitmentsis to improve real time information.
And that's all about, as you wouldknow, it's the technology and data
that underpins it right through to theinformation that people are receiving,
whether it's on their app of choice,on the screens at the stops, you know,
(23:59):
we're making sure that our customerswill have the info that they need.
And that's really exciting.
And it's your job asdirector of engagement.
I want you to tell me what that is,but with your background, you know,
having been, all the things thatyou've done, right, from the podcasting
to the head of the association, tothe head of future mobility at the
Victoria Department of Transportationand Planning, all those things seems
(24:21):
to have led you to a job like this.
What is your job?
Tell us what you do there.
Yeah, so Paul, I'm reallylucky because I have a job.
Almost feels like itwas made for me, right?
Yes, I believe that.
That's so good.
It's incredible.
So I look after governmentand stakeholder relations.
I work with our CEO, VincentDestot, and the incredible peers
(24:43):
I have in our leadership team.
I don't think I've everworked in a team like this.
Everyone brings experience andcapability, but so collaborative.
And, In my role, I am supporting ourorganization to ensure that we have
great working relationships with all ofthe key stakeholder partners we have.
(25:03):
So, our clients, the Departmentof Transport, we operate the
network through a franchisecontract on behalf of the state.
but as you know, we're, wework in a multi modal network.
So, There are other operators, MetroTrains, the bus companies, and of course
in operating a multimodal network, weneed to be talking to those operators
and really working together aroundhow do we best support passengers
(25:27):
who are moving around our network.
But also the lessons learned likehow can we be helping each other
or you know what's a hot topic thatyou're working on and what could we
learn from that and I think there'ssuch great opportunity with that.
But also we work a lot with localgovernment so our tram network
operates all across Melbourne,as I said, there's 24 routes.
(25:48):
And so with that, we work withour local partners as well.
but also community organizations, youknow, we have a really vast array of
stakeholders and it's really important.
And also I think, what's great about myrole is I continue to be connected into,
you key people who represent differentindustry associations or groups so we
(26:11):
can remain connected into what are thelatest trends, what's best practice,
what are the lessons learned, and Ithink that's so incredibly important.
So I feel super lucky, you know, I lovethis role and I still get to work with
so many different people I know acrossthe industry and it's really exciting.
Michelle, you're really wellknown in Australia for being a
(26:32):
great advocate for female leaders.
Can you tell us a bit about thatpassion and what you think is important?
Yeah, thanks Kelly.
So, I mean, we know each other.
So, you know, actually women in transportand profiling women and supporting younger
women in developing their careers andhelping in any way I can to give them
(26:52):
the confidence to work in this industryis a super passion of mine, and I think
that I've always been an advocate forwomen, and then in entering transport,
as with many of these industriesthat have technical components, what
I found is that the representationof women It was certainly not 50 50.
(27:15):
And back in 2019, I actually, when Iwas the CEO of the Public Transport
Association in Australia and NewZealand back then, I started a
podcast and I host that podcast.
It's called Women Who Move Nations,and it is continued to be produced
by public transport associations.
So Lauren Strife for the CEO, who Iknow is also on this podcast, kindly
(27:37):
lets me still interview women andbecause she knows how important it is
to me and through that profile seniorwomen and hear about their careers,
but also their thoughts on transport.
Where's transport going?
What are the trends?
What's the work that they doto improve the end outcome
for customers of the network?
(27:57):
So that is a real passion project of mine.
And I mean, we have thousandsof listeners and people writing
to me from all around the world.
I recently had a woman write tome and she said, the reason why
I went for a promotion at workis because I was inspired by this
podcast episode I listened to.
So that was just super heartwarming.
So great..
(28:18):
Yeah, I just love that.
And I think, I mean, I've been involvedin so many different initiatives.
I started a women in mobility networkin Australia, bringing women together,
over dinner and lunches to be ableto connect and know each other.
I started a women's networkin the department of transport
and planning when I was there.
Um, I've sat on the federalgovernment's, national women in
(28:39):
transport CEO advisory board.
I don't like to promote myself too much,but I've as part of this, I'm always
telling women in my network, you needto, highlight the achievements you
have and actually something for me thatmeans a lot to me is that last year I
was awarded, our public sector network,Women in STEM award for mentoring, in
Victoria and, that was really greatbecause I actually, I think through
(29:03):
that, help to profile the importanceof mentoring women in our industry.
You know, Paul, Kelly.
The statistics are still not great aboutfemale representation in transport,
so just to give you a snippet, inAustralia, 4 percent of CEOs who work
across the transport industry, sobroader than public transport, but in
(29:26):
transport, only 4 percent of female,It's a pretty dire statistic, let's
be real, right, and 20 percent ofexecutive roles are held by females.
Now, so, I talked earlier about whatattracted me to Yarra Trams and one
is like my personal passion around theimportance that the tram network plays
for people to be able to get around towhere they need to go, but the other
(29:48):
thing is, is that our organizationis is taking the responsibility to
increase diversity really seriously.
Our senior leadership team is 50 50female, male, our chief operating officer
and deputy CEO, Liz Reddy is amazing.
She's one of the most incrediblepeople that I've worked with.
(30:09):
And you know, to have that senior personin our organization, and to be honest, she
is one of the most senior females workingin an operational role in Australia.
There isn't that many of them, thatis great because she's an inspiration
and our board is chaired by a woman.
And four out of seven of ourboard members are women, right?
So that's just incredible.
(30:30):
I mean, I can't do the mathson that, but four out of seven,
it's definitely over 50%, right?
so, you know, we've got a driverworkforce that's 31 percent female.
We've got targets internally for,you know, what we want the gender
representation to look like.
And it's a big focus for us.
So look, the thing is, Paul, you know, thestats I shared about what's happening in
Australia overall, We have seen change,you know, there is change happening and
(30:54):
there's certainly women coming through thepipeline, but there's still work to do.
There's no doubt about that.
Thanks for sharing that passion with us.
It definitely is important.
All right.
So now we're going to switchto a more, a couple of fun
topics to wrap up our interview.
You know, one of the things thatwas interesting about my visit
there to Australia, I know peopleknow this, you know, in their
mind, but it's a long way there.
(31:15):
It's 23 hours from the east coastof the United States to fly there.
And it's literally, you know, they callit the land down under here in the U.
S. Maybe you call us the land up over.
I don't know what you call the U. S.,but it is completely the opposite of us.
I mean, you're warm down there, right?
I've got eight inches of snow outsidemy window and, People can't see it,
but Kelly's got the beach behindher in the picture and you all are
(31:37):
on the summer break down there.
So there's a lot of difference.
As a matter of fact, Kelly and I didlike a little, Abbott and Costello
routine on the episode of, of TransitUnplugged TV about the opposites
between Australia and the US.
But one thing that's common between bothof us is both places love coffee, right?
So Melbourne's considereda big coffee city.
Like you mentioned, seven times in arow voted the most livable city and
(31:59):
you all have great food down there.
Just if you're, it's a foodies paradise.
So I was really happy a couple of yearsago when you joined us along with Howard
Collins and a couple other folks fromdown there in my comfort food cookbook.
And what was the recipe you did there?
And then, and then, what's your likego to meal on the weekend when you're
not working, what do you like to make?
Yeah, Paul.
Well, we are foodie paradise,and we're very proud of that.
(32:21):
We think we have thebest food in Australia.
we do, Kelly, we do.
I know you don't live in Melbourne.
no, I agree.
I agree.
so, well, Paul, the cookbook,and I felt very honored that you
asked me to provide a recipe.
The recipe I provided in that is actuallyspanikopita, which is spinach pie as a
recipe I learned from my grandma, right?
That's right.
So she was a very inspiring woman to me.
(32:43):
now, you know, the thing is about Aussies.
In the land, in the land down under,which we don't call ourselves.
We know that people globally do.
Yeah.
And we don't call the U S the land upunder, we just call you the U S FYI.
Yeah.
I didn't hear anybody say thatwhen I was there, but it's good.
Yeah.
So we've got this great Aussieculture of having a barbecue.
(33:05):
It's a real barbecue on the weekend whenthere's a kind of a public holiday or
a cultural event, the barbie comes out.
And so like, for me, I just love a barbie.
I love the steaks on the barbie,the sausages, the salads we do.
And it always has to end with a pavlova.
Do you know what a pavlova is?
No, tell me that.
Yeah, I thought it was a bit Aussie.
(33:26):
It is the best dessert ever.
It's like a big circle of meringueand then you top it with fresh
cream and berries and passion fruit.
Some people might put some kiwi on there.
You can get creative, right?
Whatever fruit.
Mango, whatever fruit yougot in the fruit bowl.
Yeah.
but it's just delicious andit's such an Aussie thing.
Yeah.
So you have your barbecuesand then your pavlova.
(33:48):
All right.
That sounds good.
Did we try that Kelly?
I, I tried so many.
No, we did not try pavlova.
All right.
Maybe for next time.
All right, Kelly, close us out.
Well, thank you so muchfor joining us, Michelle.
And I really, you know, you talked aboutyour passion for promoting female leaders
and I've seen that in real life, inmy workplace where people are getting.
opportunities for mentoring andopportunities to be part of the
(34:10):
emerging mobility leaders withPTANS, which has just been fantastic.
So, I want to personally thank youfor your work, because I think you
are making a difference and, youknow, you're getting your voice
heard in lots of important places andit's just been great to have you on.
it's really exciting to hearyou're at Yarra Trams, the icon,
you know, absolute Melbourne icon.
We can't wait to see, howit all goes there for you.
(34:32):
So thank you for joining usand thanks, Paul, for making
this opportunity possible.
Thank you so much, Kelly.
I just want to say it's been sogreat to connect with such an
amazing female in this industry.
I really do appreciate, you know, theconnection we have as colleagues, as
friends, and Paul, thank you so much.
For this opportunity, you know, Iabsolutely love the work that you do
(34:54):
and that you profile what's happeningin transport around the world.
and I still remember thatpodcast that we collaborated on.
and so who knows, we mightdo one again in the future.
but, you know, really appreciate that.
And, I really am going to encourageall of the, audience on Women Who
Move Nations to give your a podcastto listen to, because this visit
to Australia has just been great.
(35:14):
Thanks again, Michelle, for doingthis, and send my best regards to all
our colleagues there at Yarra Trams.
I started out our episode of TransitUnplugged TV talking about all the great
things in Melbourne and then, you know,wrap it all up with an Everyone Rides
Yarra Tram because it is the truth.
It's not just for people getting to work.
It's not just for tourists.
It's for everyone all day.
(35:34):
It really, it really is the lifeline orthe vein of the city, the artery of the
city, I guess, that everyone uses, andthat's That's the way we want public
transit to be around the world, which iswhy I wanted to showcase Melbourne and
Yarra Trams so much, because that's myvision as a transit evangelist, for how
transit should be viewed around the world.
Everyone sees it as a great wayto get around, easy, customer
(35:56):
service, everywhere you want togo, as often as you want to go.
I mean, you guys got it going on.
Yeah.
Thank you.
We do.
Oh, look, it's such a privilegeto work at Yarra Trams.
I mean, I know that when people overseasthink about transport in Australia,
they think of Yarra Trams, right?
And how cool is that?
And as you say, I've neverheard anyone say it's like the
vein of our city, but it is.
Yeah.
It's the heart of it.
(36:16):
It's the fabric of our city.
It's iconic.
yeah, so it's great.
And I encourage everyone to come visit.
Wow.
Paul, weren't they just fabulous?
Such a great selectionof women from Australia.
Yeah.
Amazing interviews, amazing women leaders.
my favorite part of going on thesetrips is, is not just the cool places
(36:37):
we get to visit, the great food weget to eat, but the friends we make.
And I feel like with all of theseladies, we've made friends with them.
We're going to continueto, hear and see from them.
And what's crazy, Kelly, is this,all these interviews really just
wrap up our first part of Melbourne.
Where are we going after this?
Yeah.
After this, we head up Northto Queensland, my home state.
So really looking forward to bringingsome stories from up around my homeland.
(36:59):
Yeah, coming up soon, we'll have acouple other podcasts with Steve Butcher
from John Holland, Australia, whichis one of the partners in Yarra Trams,
and Ryan Murphy from the Brisbane CityCouncil, a great leader for transit
there, head of their transportationcommittee on the City Council.
We have podcasts coming up with them, andyou can see them on our upcoming episode
(37:20):
of Transit Unplugged TV from Brisbane.
It's amazing.
You know, it's, you and I didthat little Abbott and Costello
routine almost for our, Melbourneepisode of Transit Unplugged TV.
I was saying funny things, how wesay them in America, and you said,
oh, well, over here we say that.
It's a really good one, I think, but,at the end, we toasted to the fact
that the more things are different
More things are the same.
(37:41):
That's right.
Whether we're talking best practicesof transit in cities like Miami or
LA, We're going to now hear great bestpractices from cities in Australia, like
Such as Melbourne,Hobart, Brisbane, Sydney.
Boom.
It's all coming to you hereexclusively on Transit Unplugged.
Thanks, Kelly, for being my co host onthis episode of Transit Unplugged, the
(38:03):
world's leading transit executive podcast.
And again, thank you for all thegreat work you did setting up the 40
different events that we participatedin in our 10 days in Australia.
No worries, Paul.
It was fun.
A classic Australian response.
No worries.
(38:24):
Thank you for listening to TransitUnplugged, and thank you to Lauren
Streifer, Jamie-Lee Owen, Katie Cooper,and Michelle Batsas for being on the show!
Hi, I'm Tris Hussey, editor of thepodcast, and a special thank you goes
out to our guest co host Kelly Chapman.
Kelly wrangled, planned, and coordinatedthe whole trip for Paul and the
team while they were in Australia.
(38:45):
And none of the five podcast episodesor two Transit Unplugged TV episodes
could have happened without her.
And coming up next week on the show, wehave our final episode from Australia.
This episode features RyanMurphy, Chair of Transport
for the Brisbane City Council.
Paul and Ryan talk aboutBrisbane's amazing ferry system
and everything the city is doingto get ready for the 2032 Olympics.
(39:07):
And as it happens, on TransitUnplugged TV, we're featuring
Brisbane on our latest episode.
Transit Unplugged isbrought to you by Modaxo.
At Modaxo, we're passionate aboutmoving the world's people, and at
Transit Unplugged, we're passionateabout telling those stories.
So until next week, ridesafe and ride happy.
Well, today is a very special show aswe follow up from our recent 10 day
visit to Australia on Transit Unplugged.
I'm Paul Comfort, and greatto have with me my good friend
Kelly Chapman.
Thanks, Paul.
Yeah.
Kelly and I are going toco host today's podcast.
most of you follow the show on videoand audio know that, Transit Unplugged,
myself and Jaime Cuadra, our videodirector, and Kelly and a bunch of
(00:28):
other folks from our team, visitedAustralia, in the two weeks prior to the
American holiday called Thanksgiving.
And, uh, I actually returned thenight before Thanksgiving, as did,
Jaime back to our country here.
And since then, we've beenhaving follow up TV shows.
We've had one, the first one was fromour trip to Melbourne and Tasmania.
(00:49):
And while we were there, we recordedsome interviews with, some folks
that we thought we'd bring youon the audio podcast as well.
And then we spent, some timein, in the Brisbane area, and,
uh, we have some interviews fromthat area as well on the show.
But Kelly, when, when we were there,what struck me was, and I've known
this before because I've known some ofthe ladies there, but you have a lot
(01:09):
of very strong, powerful leaders intransportation that are women, and so
we wanted to do a show about some of thegreat women in transport from Australia.
Yeah, I was really excited thatyou had that idea because it's true
when we, and we got to, you know,in that 10 days, we really got
to connect with so many of them.
And like you and I spoke about, youknow, not only are they impressive in
(01:30):
their careers, but they're also, theybring so much passion to their jobs.
And it was just really fun.
And just such a pleasure to spendtime with them and hear their
thoughts on what's happening inthe world of public transport.
Yeah, we actually had several more linedup for the video while we're there, but
various things happened while we're there.
We couldn't get them all on video, butwe wanted to at least bring you, uh,
this audio podcast with several of them.
(01:52):
And, uh, first off, I'm excitedto have with us Lauren Streifer.
Tell us about her, Kelly.
Well, Lauren's quite amazing, isn't she?
So Lauren Streifer, she's the ExecutiveDirector of the Public Transport
Association of Australia and New Zealand,which we commonly call PTANZ and she
is just, her energy is contagious andyou just wanna jump on board with her.
She talks about starting a revolutionand, she feels like the right
(02:14):
person for it, and I just lovethat, you know, along with side, the
passion she's bringing to her job.
You know, she told us that she's alsofound time to write a children's book on
the side like that woman's incredible.
She is.
I, I, I really bonded with her andclicked with her while we were there.
She brought us a copy of the bookI brought home and read it to
my grandkids and they loved it.
And, uh, I posted it and so she'sgoing to be our first guest today.
(02:36):
And then, uh, quickly we'llbe talking with, um, Jamie Lee
Owens, who is chair of that PTANZgroup's Emerging Mobility Leaders.
She was great.
And then we talked to KatieCooper, CEO of Metro Tasmania.
Kelly, you and I met her whilewe were at the BIC conference.
Yeah, and oh my goodness, we, none of uscould believe how much sunshine you were
getting as you walked around Australiain Hobart, which is often cold and windy.
(03:00):
We just had the most beautifulday there with Katie.
And I loved, Katie has areally interesting story.
Her background's in aviation and shewas talking to us about how she brings
that experience of aviation and theoperations into bus and how the worlds
share many common themes and she'sable to really, you know, benefit from
that experience in her current role.
(03:21):
Yep.
Yeah, absolutely.
And, you know, we told you that,but it seems like wherever we go
for Transit Unplugged TV, the goodweather always just precedes us.
I'll never forget the time we were inVancouver, Canada, and, you know, my
friend Kevin Quinn, who worked withme at MTA in Baltimore, now CEO there,
said, Paul, we've basically had rainfor six months, every day before you got
(03:43):
here, and then today the sun comes out.
So we're definitely blessed.
and then it's very exciting to be withMichelle Batsis, who we weren't able
to actually record while we were therebecause it was like the day before
the day of our first day on a new job.
Tell us about Michelle's new job and whatshe's doing there with Journey Makers.
So Michelle is in suchan exciting position.
Yarra Trams is one of the most iconicbusinesses in Melbourne and she is
(04:06):
the Executive Director of Governmentand Stakeholder Relations, which
means she's that real triage pointbetween all the key stakeholders
in government and the operation.
And we're really so pleased that wecould get to talk to her and hear
some of her stories and experiencesof what's happening in Yarra Trams.
It's such an excitingtime to be a part of it.
And she just brings so muchenergy into everything she does.
(04:27):
And as a lot of listeners know, she alsohas a podcast of Women Who Moved Nations.
And, but it's really excitedto follow her journey there.
Yeah.
And we're going to have all fourof those interviews for you today.
Michelle is the primary interview.
We'll bring that to you last.
Michelle and I also had a relationshipvia co contributors to my cookbook,
Comfort Food, and she has a great,story today to tell about that
(04:49):
on her interview and about, hergrandmother, who really influenced
her interest in public transportation.
That'll be on the interviewthat she brings up later.
Kelly, again, I just want to publiclythank you for helping to arrange
what's been one of the very best tripswe've ever had on Transit Unplugged.
Every detail of the 40 events that wedid during the 10 days there, you had
(05:10):
a hand in organizing and they all wentoff without a hitch, so, fantastic.
You may have a future in event planning inyour future if software doesn't work out.
No, just kidding.
Thanks, Paul.
It was an absolute pleasure.
And, you know, It was a pleasure becausethe people we were connecting to are
just so willing to give, to sharetheir stories, to connect with us.
(05:31):
So, you know, I want to also thankeveryone who said yes and got involved and
shared a little piece of their You know,a little part of their world with us.
It was so special.
Such a great time.
Thank you.
Absolutely.
And it was, it was a joy for me.
In addition to all these interviewswe did to actually meet our company
staff, our Modaxo staff there inBrisbane, where your office is and
(05:53):
where Rod Beggars is and all the team.
It was wonderful.
Thank you to them as well for helpingsponsor this whole trip, making it
possible and allowing us to share whatwe've What we're doing right today, best
practices from, from the top leaders inAustralia with the rest of the world.
Kelly, let's jump in with our firstinterview, which is with, Lauren
Streifer, Executive Director of PTANZ
(06:14):
.Fantastic.
Tell us about yourtransit association here.
So the Public Transport Associationof Australia and New Zealand actually
includes all government departments acrossthe region, and it's really led by the
government authorities to make sure thattheir vision is realized in the region.
And what is that vision?
So one part of it is that Australiahas very ambitious net zero goals,
(06:36):
30 percent of people from drivingto public and active transport,
you can actually achieve.
our net zero obligationswith that change alone.
And what would you say the state of publictransportation is here in Australia?
We're out of the pandemic now, we'reon to What's happening right now
and what do you see for the future?
Well, the really cool thing isthat we have the biggest public
(06:57):
transport investment that we'veever seen, in our history.
And so now we're seeing the finalizationof some of these major projects that
are tens of billions of dollars andthey're being realized and being
operationalized so you can use them.
So over the next few months, you'llactually be able to come out of
Sydney Metro and see how cities aretransformed by public transport.
Thanks.
Well, I know they've got the rightperson leading the association and you
with all that energy and experience.
(07:18):
I can't wait to see what youguys are going to do next.
Aw, thanks so much
What a great interview with Lauren,and you know, while we were there
in Melbourne, we went to an iconicstation called Flinders Street Station.
It's where we actually did the openingof the TV show, and while we were
there, Kelly, you introduced me toan up and coming young leader there.
Tell me about her.
(07:38):
Jamie Lee Owen.
She works for Metro Trains Melbourne,but she is also, again, another
passionate woman and she is the chairof PTAN's Emerging Mobility Leaders.
She's playing a big part inhelping encourage, you know,
lots of the public transit.
Leaders up and coming around Australiato get opportunities, get exposure,
get connected to the right people.
(07:58):
And a little, side note, if you sawthe Transit Unplugged episode, she's
wearing a shirt she made herself coveredin trams, which was just fantastic.
That's great.
Let's jump into thatquick interview right now.
Jamie, you're the president of theEmerging Mobility Leaders Program.
Tell us about that.
Yeah, I'd love to.
Thank you.
I'm the chair of the EmergingMobility Leaders Program.
(08:21):
We were formed in 2021, um, as a committeeunder the PTA ANZ, so the Public Transport
Association, Australia, New Zealand.
And our role is to champion and platformyoung and emerging professionals.
in the public transport industry.
That's great.
And what's your job currently?
Currently, I'm the chair, but I'vebeen on the committee since 2021.
(08:41):
And it's been an absolute privilegeand an honor to have been there as
a contributing member and now sortof graduate into the chair position,
leading the group and then graduate out.
That's great.
And do you all have anyprojects you're working on now?
Yeah, we do.
So we do a series of webinars and sitetours with a lot of member organizations.
The thing we're most proudof is our biannual seminar.
(09:03):
So it's a seminar that's designedby emerging professionals
for emerging professionals.
And our next one will be early 2026.
Very good.
And I'm passionate about bringingyoung people into our industry.
I really think it's the, uh, an importantpart of the function of us older folks,
let's say over the 40 crowd, uh, is to, isto cultivate younger people to coming in.
(09:24):
And do you all play a role in that?
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, we're very lucky to havegreat membership, um, and mentorship
from member organizations.
Uh, but we also have members andmentors who advocate for us and
champion for us, and that includesgiving a platform to get up and speak.
So, that's really importantas well as that mentorship.
Jamie, tell me about the diversity ofthe type of jobs that are represented.
(09:46):
Yeah, absolutely.
So our group is diverse in termsof geographic location across
Australia and New Zealand, aswell as experience and education.
So we have planners, we have engineers,we have project managers, we have people
who work in comms, and we really thinkthat diversity of experience and education
and thought is kind of the future of ourindustry, so we're happy to cultivate it.
(10:07):
Now if I'm a young person, let'ssay maybe one of my kids in their
twenties, what would be your pitch tothem why they should get involved in
the public transportation industry.
Yeah, public transport is social justice,and if a particularly if you're young,
if you're in your 20s, you, I imagine,really believe in sustainability and
lowering emissions, and we're a bigindustry that could have a big part in
(10:27):
that, so yeah, that's why I'd say geton board, because we're the future.
What a great interviewwith Jamie Lee Owens.
Now, let's listen to Katie Cooper.
After we left Melbourne, wewere on that search for the
Tasmanian Devil, right, Kelly?
And, we went down to Tasmania to findthem, and we got to meet a fantastic
leader there at the Bus IndustryConfederation Conference, which was
(10:50):
being held in Hobart, the capital.
We walked outside into the beautifulsunshine, and who did I get to meet?
You met Katie Cooper, who is theCEO of Metro Tasmania, who was kind
enough, even though she was the hostof the big conference, she was kind
enough to give us some time on abeautiful sunny morning in Hobart.
Thanks, Katie.
(11:12):
Hi, Paul.
Welcome to Hobart.
It's great to have you here.
This is beautiful, Katie.
We have turned the weather on for you downhere at the waterfront in Hobart today.
Thank you.
Well tell us about MetroTasmania, the transit system here.
Metro Tasmania is the largest Tasmanianowned public transport provider here in
the state and we operate in Hobart, Booneeand Launceston and we operate buses.
So really we are a bus state.
(11:33):
So that's why it's really excitingthat BIC is here with us because this
is what we do and what we do well.
We have about 550 staff whoservice all the community around,
the areas that we, we operate.
And it's great to be able to help peopleconnect from where they go, you know,
to go to school, to go to work, togo home, to go see friends and family
or perhaps just get their groceries.
What kind of big projectsdo you have going on here?
(11:55):
Metro Tasmania is actually running acouple of really exciting projects at the
moment, both on zero emission bus trials.
So we're in our northern depotin Launceston, we're operating a
battery electric bus trial to help usdetermine the, how the battery electric
buses operate in our environment.
And down here in Hobart, we're aboutto commence a hydrogen electric bus
trial, which we're operating down here.
So in our Mornington yard, we're goingto be starting, imminently with actually
(12:18):
running some hydrogen buses so we cancompare both technologies simultaneously.
Clearly that will help us with ourinvestment decisions going forward and
that's been supported, with the Tasmaniangovernment so really excited to see the
results of that over the coming years.
Katie, I recently, uh, got tointerview Andy Lord, Commissioner
of Transport for London.
You and he have something in common.
You both have a strongbackground in aviation.
You ran the Melbourne Airport, right?
(12:39):
yes.
So I was running operations atMelbourne Airport prior to coming
here, and I've worked in the UKand had airlines and airports,
so extensive aviation experience.
And that's interesting to me.
Tell me about kind of like, youknow, similarities, differences,
and what you bring from the aviationindustry to public transport.
There's a lot of similarities betweenaviation and, and public transport.
The concept of a route that an airlineflies is very similar to a route that
(13:02):
a bus or a train will operate through.
The catchment areas that you'reusing for your pedestrian or for
your passengers or for passengersin both forms is very, very similar.
The concepts are the same in the sensethat it's about on time efficiency, it's
about safety, it's about moving peopleand goods as quickly and as safely
as we can from point A to point B.
So those similarities are very clear.
(13:23):
and I think one of the things thataviation do incredibly well and I
think public transport do as well, butreally is that safety focus about how
do you keep the travelling public safe.
and obviously there's somedifferences working on a road
versus working in the air.
One of the things that I likeabout the Tasmanian market is
we're all in one time zone.
So compared to perhaps working in aninternational aviation environment,
slightly less complex in some respects,but, very enjoyable to be able to really
(13:47):
help the communities in which we serve.
And that's what both industries are about.
Katie, speaking of the waterfront, Imean, this is a great place to host the
BIC conference here, the bus conference.
For somebody like me, the first timeI'm here coming What's a great place
or a couple places we could visit?
There's a lot to do here in Hobart, andeven just within 15 or 20 minutes we've
got Richmond, which is a quaint littletown that's great to have a walk around.
(14:07):
But really importantly, it's actually ina wine region that you can actually stop
and have some beautiful wines and somegreat chocolates, and even some cheese.
And that's all within about 15or 20 minutes of the city, and
that's always a great day out.
Here in the city we've gota lot of heritage that you
can have a wander around.
There's Port Arthur a little bitfurther down the coast if you
want a day trip that's incrediblyhistoric, particularly based on
the convict heritage of Australia.
(14:29):
So if you're interested in historythat's another great thing to do.
That's awesome.
Great interview with Katie Cooper.
Now we jump into the main interview today,which Kelly and I just did over Zoom just
a week or so ago with Michelle Batsas.
Michelle and I have a historythat goes back quite a few years,
back actually prior to me havingthe Transit Unplugged television
(14:51):
show when we just had the podcast.
I toured Australia.
with some of our Trapeze leaders atthe time and got to talk to her some
and afterwards we did a shared podcastwhere we share, she has a podcast
called Women Who Move the Nationsand we did a joint podcast with her
and some other ladies who are strongleaders in transport there in Australia.
And this time she's got a new role.
(15:13):
Tell us about it, Kelly.
So Michelle is now the executivedirector of government and
stakeholder relations at Yarra Trams.
And we're excited to hear abit more about what's happening
in Michelle's world today.
Yeah, she's got a great role.
This, this Yarra Trams people knowI love trains, and Yaratrans is the
largest tram network in the world.
Amazing!
And we got there, Kelly took meon trips down to the beach on it.
(15:36):
We'll show you all of that.
You'll get to see it if you watch ourMelbourne episode of Transit Unplugged TV.
But for now, let's jump intothis great conversation.
Great interview with a veryarticulate leader, there in
Australia, Michelle Batsas
Great to have with us on this veryspecial episode from our recent trip
to Australia, a follow up interviewwith my good friend, Michelle Batsas
(15:57):
Michelle, thanks for being with us today.
Thank you, Paul.
Great to be with you too.
Yeah.
And as our co host, continuing onthe program today, Kelly Chapman,
who was the associate producer ofour Transit Unplugged TV episodes
that were filmed in Australia.
Kelly, welcome.
Thank you, Paul.
Great to be here too.
Yeah.
Great to be chatting with you too, Kelly.
So today, Michelle, we're focusingon women in transit in Australia
(16:20):
and several of them that wereinterviewed on our television show.
While we were there in Australia, justbefore U. S. Thanksgiving, we had a
chance to see you, but we didn't geta chance to talk to you because you
were kind of in between jobs and justwere getting ready to start there.
So tell us about your new joband what's going on in Melbourne.
Yeah, thanks, Paul.
When I saw you, I was, what, theweek, I think, before I started
(16:42):
at Yarra Trams, and I'm theExecutive Director of Government and
Stakeholder Relations for Yarra Trams.
And just for the benefit of youraudience, Yarra Trams is the world's
largest tram network, and we're allvery, very proud to be working there.
So as context for your listeners,Melbourne is the most incredible city.
(17:05):
So Melbourne and the state ofVictoria in Australia, we are known
for cafe, coffee culture, art.
It's a really interesting,lively, livable city.
But at the heart of itis our tram network.
And when you visit our city, you are justseeing all the trams and all the streets.
And our tram network, ourtram network is really iconic.
(17:26):
I'm sure you saw this, Paul,right, just about how it's
really the heartbeat of our city.
And Yarra Trams operatesMelbourne's network.
and we move more than 200million passengers a year.
So, so it's a big network.
There's more than 500 trams.
I think we've got about 24 routes andover 250 kilometers of track, right?
(17:46):
So it's, it's a large network and we're,delivering around 5, 000 services a day.
So there's 4 million passengers everyweek that we are connecting them to
their communities, jobs, health care,recreation, and, you know, for people
to be able to see their loved ones.
So it's a really important role thatwe play and the size of the network.
(18:08):
It's really hard almost to articulatehow much, it's integral to our
public transport network and fabric.
Swanson Street is the maincorridor in Melbourne that runs
right through and it's the busiestlight rail corridor in the world.
I don't know, Paul, did you, did youhappen to go down there and, and see that?
We went all over the place.
(18:29):
Kelly was, set up all of our visits andwe're, we're, did we go there, Kelly?
I can't remember.
You did go down SwanstonStreet many times.
Yeah.
Okay.
It was amazing.
I know we went down, we rodethe, we rode down to the beach.
What beach were we at there?
St. Kilda.
We went to St. Kilda.
That was fun, man.
That's what a great place.
And you know what I love aboutit, Michelle, is the downtown
(18:49):
central business district is free.
So that's where it's, I'm sure the most,hop on hop off activity anyway, but I
love the fact that you can just jump onand jump off without having to interact
with a fare machine and all that.
If you're in the centralbusiness district.
I think.
Our network is really specialand we do have this real focus on
passengers and Paul, you're talkingabout the free tram zone, which is
(19:09):
in our central business district.
And it's so popular.
As you say, people can just hop on andhop off and not worry about a ticket.
And it's really designed to movepeople safely and efficiently.
But what I love about Melbourne,like we have so many visitors every
year, millions of visitors and we'reAustralia's major events capital.
I like to think sometimes maybe we'rethe events capital of the world, I'm
(19:31):
not sure, but, you know, for your globalaudience, you would know events like the
Tennis Australian Open, which is on atthe moment, and we've got the Formula One
Grand Prix, we're the, the main home cityfor the Australian Football League, the
AFL, which is huge here, and so we havevisitors in our city and we're moving
them all around as well, so, you know,it's a really important role that we play.
(19:53):
For To get people to where theyneed to go in the most safe
and efficient way possible.
And we're focused on delivering anoutstanding passenger experience.
And for anyone who hasn't been toMelbourne, I'd encourage them to
come if you're, if you're a publictransport advocate and we'll host
you because it's such a fascinatingcity to see on how we move around.
It's such an icon to work for.
(20:13):
So what, what attracted youto work for Yarra Trams?
What's, what was the big pull for you?
Well, I think there's a couple ofthings, Kelly, and I mean you both know
I've worked in this public transportindustry for over 10 years, both private
and public sector, and it means somuch to me personally, and I'm not
sure I've shared this with you before.
(20:34):
But when I was young, like one ofmy earliest memories when I was
four or five years old is catchingthe tram with my grandma, who I
called Baba, Macedonian background.
And for my grandma, she was a migrant.
She came from Europe, I thinkwhen she was nine years old and
she didn't know the language andshe never learned how to drive.
(20:55):
And that was just a thing back then.
There were lots of women who reliedon their husband to drive them around
and, but obviously they go to work.
And so for my grandmother, so shelived in Northcote, which is an
inner city suburb in Melbourne,serviced by the 86 tram route.
And I remember being so young and goingwith her and we'd hop on the tram.
And back then you had conductors you'dpay your coins to, to get your ticket.
(21:18):
You know, it, it's not, um, you know, thefancy ticketing systems that we have now.
but we would hop on the tram and we'dgo either two ways, one up the hill, and
we'd go to, you know, the shopping centre,she might stop in at the doctor's, or
we would go the other way into the city,into a department store that back then
was the luxury department store Myer,and it was so special to me, and it was
(21:41):
only probably when I began working intransport that I really made this link of
how public transport is such an essentialservice and for people who don't have
other choices of how to get around, itfundamentally unlocks their ability to
participate in society, you know, so mygrandma was using it to go shopping, to
(22:02):
go to the doctors, to go see friends.
And if the tram route wasn'tthere, I'm actually not sure how
she would have gotten around.
And so for me, I've actuallygot this really special
connection to our tram network.
Like I'm such a tram fan.
And, so I mean, the, the opportunityto work at Yarra Trams was It's just
absolutely irresistible to me becauseit merges the public transport, merges
(22:25):
that passion I have for those memoriesI have with my grandma and the tram
network, and I'm a big tram catcher now.
So, you know, I'm a, I'm a customer,but I also have that privilege of, of
working there to help deliver services.
The company you work with, YaraJourneymakers, it, the parent
company, right, is a, is acombination of two companies?
Yara Journeymakers.
Yeah, so Yarra Journeymakers, is ajoint venture between TransDev, which
(22:51):
you would know is a global operatorin the public transport space, lots
of, international expertise thatthey've brought, and also John Holland.
And um, I think it's incrediblefor us that we've recently become
the proud operator of Yarra Trams.
It's incredible to be able to leveragethe different expertise, of our parent
(23:13):
companies who operate in differentcities and, and maintain rolling
stock and, you know, just really havethat ability to draw in from peers.
And we're really focused on, getting thebasics right, reliability and punctuality.
As you know, Paul, people wanttheir services to be on time.
They want to know what's coming.
And we've also got a really bigfocus on customer experience and
(23:35):
including in making sure that wegive customers the information they
need to plan where they need to go.
So, you know, one of our key Commitmentsis to improve real time information.
And that's all about, as you wouldknow, it's the technology and data
that underpins it right through to theinformation that people are receiving,
whether it's on their app of choice,on the screens at the stops, you know,
(23:59):
we're making sure that our customerswill have the info that they need.
And that's really exciting.
And it's your job asdirector of engagement.
I want you to tell me what that is,but with your background, you know,
having been, all the things thatyou've done, right, from the podcasting
to the head of the association, tothe head of future mobility at the
Victoria Department of Transportationand Planning, all those things seems
(24:21):
to have led you to a job like this.
What is your job?
Tell us what you do there.
Yeah, so Paul, I'm reallylucky because I have a job.
Almost feels like itwas made for me, right?
Yes, I believe that.
That's so good.
It's incredible.
So I look after governmentand stakeholder relations.
I work with our CEO, VincentDestot, and the incredible peers
(24:43):
I have in our leadership team.
I don't think I've everworked in a team like this.
Everyone brings experience andcapability, but so collaborative.
And, In my role, I am supporting ourorganization to ensure that we have
great working relationships with all ofthe key stakeholder partners we have.
(25:03):
So, our clients, the Departmentof Transport, we operate the
network through a franchisecontract on behalf of the state.
but as you know, we're, wework in a multi modal network.
So, There are other operators, MetroTrains, the bus companies, and of course
in operating a multimodal network, weneed to be talking to those operators
and really working together aroundhow do we best support passengers
(25:27):
who are moving around our network.
But also the lessons learned likehow can we be helping each other
or you know what's a hot topic thatyou're working on and what could we
learn from that and I think there'ssuch great opportunity with that.
But also we work a lot with localgovernment so our tram network
operates all across Melbourne,as I said, there's 24 routes.
(25:48):
And so with that, we work withour local partners as well.
but also community organizations, youknow, we have a really vast array of
stakeholders and it's really important.
And also I think, what's great about myrole is I continue to be connected into,
you key people who represent differentindustry associations or groups so we
(26:11):
can remain connected into what are thelatest trends, what's best practice,
what are the lessons learned, and Ithink that's so incredibly important.
So I feel super lucky, you know, I lovethis role and I still get to work with
so many different people I know acrossthe industry and it's really exciting.
Michelle, you're really wellknown in Australia for being a
(26:32):
great advocate for female leaders.
Can you tell us a bit about thatpassion and what you think is important?
Yeah, thanks Kelly.
So, I mean, we know each other.
So, you know, actually women in transportand profiling women and supporting younger
women in developing their careers andhelping in any way I can to give them
(26:52):
the confidence to work in this industryis a super passion of mine, and I think
that I've always been an advocate forwomen, and then in entering transport,
as with many of these industriesthat have technical components, what
I found is that the representationof women It was certainly not 50 50.
(27:15):
And back in 2019, I actually, when Iwas the CEO of the Public Transport
Association in Australia and NewZealand back then, I started a
podcast and I host that podcast.
It's called Women Who Move Nations,and it is continued to be produced
by public transport associations.
So Lauren Strife for the CEO, who Iknow is also on this podcast, kindly
(27:37):
lets me still interview women andbecause she knows how important it is
to me and through that profile seniorwomen and hear about their careers,
but also their thoughts on transport.
Where's transport going?
What are the trends?
What's the work that they doto improve the end outcome
for customers of the network?
(27:57):
So that is a real passion project of mine.
And I mean, we have thousandsof listeners and people writing
to me from all around the world.
I recently had a woman write tome and she said, the reason why
I went for a promotion at workis because I was inspired by this
podcast episode I listened to.
So that was just super heartwarming.
So great..
(28:18):
Yeah, I just love that.
And I think, I mean, I've been involvedin so many different initiatives.
I started a women in mobility networkin Australia, bringing women together,
over dinner and lunches to be ableto connect and know each other.
I started a women's networkin the department of transport
and planning when I was there.
Um, I've sat on the federalgovernment's, national women in
(28:39):
transport CEO advisory board.
I don't like to promote myself too much,but I've as part of this, I'm always
telling women in my network, you needto, highlight the achievements you
have and actually something for me thatmeans a lot to me is that last year I
was awarded, our public sector network,Women in STEM award for mentoring, in
Victoria and, that was really greatbecause I actually, I think through
(29:03):
that, help to profile the importanceof mentoring women in our industry.
You know, Paul, Kelly.
The statistics are still not great aboutfemale representation in transport,
so just to give you a snippet, inAustralia, 4 percent of CEOs who work
across the transport industry, sobroader than public transport, but in
(29:26):
transport, only 4 percent of female,It's a pretty dire statistic, let's
be real, right, and 20 percent ofexecutive roles are held by females.
Now, so, I talked earlier about whatattracted me to Yarra Trams and one
is like my personal passion around theimportance that the tram network plays
for people to be able to get around towhere they need to go, but the other
(29:48):
thing is, is that our organizationis is taking the responsibility to
increase diversity really seriously.
Our senior leadership team is 50 50female, male, our chief operating officer
and deputy CEO, Liz Reddy is amazing.
She's one of the most incrediblepeople that I've worked with.
(30:09):
And you know, to have that senior personin our organization, and to be honest, she
is one of the most senior females workingin an operational role in Australia.
There isn't that many of them, thatis great because she's an inspiration
and our board is chaired by a woman.
And four out of seven of ourboard members are women, right?
So that's just incredible.
(30:30):
I mean, I can't do the mathson that, but four out of seven,
it's definitely over 50%, right?
so, you know, we've got a driverworkforce that's 31 percent female.
We've got targets internally for,you know, what we want the gender
representation to look like.
And it's a big focus for us.
So look, the thing is, Paul, you know, thestats I shared about what's happening in
Australia overall, We have seen change,you know, there is change happening and
(30:54):
there's certainly women coming through thepipeline, but there's still work to do.
There's no doubt about that.
Thanks for sharing that passion with us.
It definitely is important.
All right.
So now we're going to switchto a more, a couple of fun
topics to wrap up our interview.
You know, one of the things thatwas interesting about my visit
there to Australia, I know peopleknow this, you know, in their
mind, but it's a long way there.
(31:15):
It's 23 hours from the east coastof the United States to fly there.
And it's literally, you know, they callit the land down under here in the U.
S. Maybe you call us the land up over.
I don't know what you call the U. S.,but it is completely the opposite of us.
I mean, you're warm down there, right?
I've got eight inches of snow outsidemy window and, People can't see it,
but Kelly's got the beach behindher in the picture and you all are
(31:37):
on the summer break down there.
So there's a lot of difference.
As a matter of fact, Kelly and I didlike a little, Abbott and Costello
routine on the episode of, of TransitUnplugged TV about the opposites
between Australia and the US.
But one thing that's common between bothof us is both places love coffee, right?
So Melbourne's considereda big coffee city.
Like you mentioned, seven times in arow voted the most livable city and
(31:59):
you all have great food down there.
Just if you're, it's a foodies paradise.
So I was really happy a couple of yearsago when you joined us along with Howard
Collins and a couple other folks fromdown there in my comfort food cookbook.
And what was the recipe you did there?
And then, and then, what's your likego to meal on the weekend when you're
not working, what do you like to make?
Yeah, Paul.
Well, we are foodie paradise,and we're very proud of that.
(32:21):
We think we have thebest food in Australia.
we do, Kelly, we do.
I know you don't live in Melbourne.
no, I agree.
I agree.
so, well, Paul, the cookbook,and I felt very honored that you
asked me to provide a recipe.
The recipe I provided in that is actuallyspanikopita, which is spinach pie as a
recipe I learned from my grandma, right?
That's right.
So she was a very inspiring woman to me.
(32:43):
now, you know, the thing is about Aussies.
In the land, in the land down under,which we don't call ourselves.
We know that people globally do.
Yeah.
And we don't call the U S the land upunder, we just call you the U S FYI.
Yeah.
I didn't hear anybody say thatwhen I was there, but it's good.
Yeah.
So we've got this great Aussieculture of having a barbecue.
(33:05):
It's a real barbecue on the weekend whenthere's a kind of a public holiday or
a cultural event, the barbie comes out.
And so like, for me, I just love a barbie.
I love the steaks on the barbie,the sausages, the salads we do.
And it always has to end with a pavlova.
Do you know what a pavlova is?
No, tell me that.
Yeah, I thought it was a bit Aussie.
(33:26):
It is the best dessert ever.
It's like a big circle of meringueand then you top it with fresh
cream and berries and passion fruit.
Some people might put some kiwi on there.
You can get creative, right?
Whatever fruit.
Mango, whatever fruit yougot in the fruit bowl.
Yeah.
but it's just delicious andit's such an Aussie thing.
Yeah.
So you have your barbecuesand then your pavlova.
(33:48):
All right.
That sounds good.
Did we try that Kelly?
I, I tried so many.
No, we did not try pavlova.
All right.
Maybe for next time.
All right, Kelly, close us out.
Well, thank you so muchfor joining us, Michelle.
And I really, you know, you talked aboutyour passion for promoting female leaders
and I've seen that in real life, inmy workplace where people are getting.
opportunities for mentoring andopportunities to be part of the
(34:10):
emerging mobility leaders withPTANS, which has just been fantastic.
So, I want to personally thank youfor your work, because I think you
are making a difference and, youknow, you're getting your voice
heard in lots of important places andit's just been great to have you on.
it's really exciting to hearyou're at Yarra Trams, the icon,
you know, absolute Melbourne icon.
We can't wait to see, howit all goes there for you.
(34:32):
So thank you for joining usand thanks, Paul, for making
this opportunity possible.
Thank you so much, Kelly.
I just want to say it's been sogreat to connect with such an
amazing female in this industry.
I really do appreciate, you know, theconnection we have as colleagues, as
friends, and Paul, thank you so much.
For this opportunity, you know, Iabsolutely love the work that you do
(34:54):
and that you profile what's happeningin transport around the world.
and I still remember thatpodcast that we collaborated on.
and so who knows, we mightdo one again in the future.
but, you know, really appreciate that.
And, I really am going to encourageall of the, audience on Women Who
Move Nations to give your a podcastto listen to, because this visit
to Australia has just been great.
(35:14):
Thanks again, Michelle, for doingthis, and send my best regards to all
our colleagues there at Yarra Trams.
I started out our episode of TransitUnplugged TV talking about all the great
things in Melbourne and then, you know,wrap it all up with an Everyone Rides
Yarra Tram because it is the truth.
It's not just for people getting to work.
It's not just for tourists.
It's for everyone all day.
(35:34):
It really, it really is the lifeline orthe vein of the city, the artery of the
city, I guess, that everyone uses, andthat's That's the way we want public
transit to be around the world, which iswhy I wanted to showcase Melbourne and
Yarra Trams so much, because that's myvision as a transit evangelist, for how
transit should be viewed around the world.
Everyone sees it as a great wayto get around, easy, customer
(35:56):
service, everywhere you want togo, as often as you want to go.
I mean, you guys got it going on.
Yeah.
Thank you.
We do.
Oh, look, it's such a privilegeto work at Yarra Trams.
I mean, I know that when people overseasthink about transport in Australia,
they think of Yarra Trams, right?
And how cool is that?
And as you say, I've neverheard anyone say it's like the
vein of our city, but it is.
Yeah.
It's the heart of it.
(36:16):
It's the fabric of our city.
It's iconic.
yeah, so it's great.
And I encourage everyone to come visit.
Wow.
Paul, weren't they just fabulous?
Such a great selectionof women from Australia.
Yeah.
Amazing interviews, amazing women leaders.
my favorite part of going on thesetrips is, is not just the cool places
(36:37):
we get to visit, the great food weget to eat, but the friends we make.
And I feel like with all of theseladies, we've made friends with them.
We're going to continueto, hear and see from them.
And what's crazy, Kelly, is this,all these interviews really just
wrap up our first part of Melbourne.
Where are we going after this?
Yeah.
After this, we head up Northto Queensland, my home state.
So really looking forward to bringingsome stories from up around my homeland.
(36:59):
Yeah, coming up soon, we'll have acouple other podcasts with Steve Butcher
from John Holland, Australia, whichis one of the partners in Yarra Trams,
and Ryan Murphy from the Brisbane CityCouncil, a great leader for transit
there, head of their transportationcommittee on the City Council.
We have podcasts coming up with them, andyou can see them on our upcoming episode
(37:20):
of Transit Unplugged TV from Brisbane.
It's amazing.
You know, it's, you and I didthat little Abbott and Costello
routine almost for our, Melbourneepisode of Transit Unplugged TV.
I was saying funny things, how wesay them in America, and you said,
oh, well, over here we say that.
It's a really good one, I think, but,at the end, we toasted to the fact
that the more things are different
More things are the same.
(37:41):
That's right.
Whether we're talking best practicesof transit in cities like Miami or
LA, We're going to now hear great bestpractices from cities in Australia, like
Such as Melbourne,Hobart, Brisbane, Sydney.
Boom.
It's all coming to you hereexclusively on Transit Unplugged.
Thanks, Kelly, for being my co host onthis episode of Transit Unplugged, the
(38:03):
world's leading transit executive podcast.
And again, thank you for all thegreat work you did setting up the 40
different events that we participatedin in our 10 days in Australia.
No worries, Paul.
It was fun.
A classic Australian response.
No worries.
(38:24):
Thank you for listening to TransitUnplugged, and thank you to Lauren
Streifer, Jamie-Lee Owen, Katie Cooper,and Michelle Batsas for being on the show!
Hi, I'm Tris Hussey, editor of thepodcast, and a special thank you goes
out to our guest co host Kelly Chapman.
Kelly wrangled, planned, and coordinatedthe whole trip for Paul and the
team while they were in Australia.
(38:45):
And none of the five podcast episodesor two Transit Unplugged TV episodes
could have happened without her.
And coming up next week on the show, wehave our final episode from Australia.
This episode features RyanMurphy, Chair of Transport
for the Brisbane City Council.
Paul and Ryan talk aboutBrisbane's amazing ferry system
and everything the city is doingto get ready for the 2032 Olympics.
(39:07):
And as it happens, on TransitUnplugged TV, we're featuring
Brisbane on our latest episode.
Transit Unplugged isbrought to you by Modaxo.
At Modaxo, we're passionate aboutmoving the world's people, and at
Transit Unplugged, we're passionateabout telling those stories.
So until next week, ridesafe and ride happy.
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