From Operator to Officer: Dwight Ferrell on Leading SMART Transit Across Southeast Michigan

From driving a bus in Dallas to leading one of the largest transit systems in the Midwest, Dwight Ferrell’s story is the blueprint for leadership rooted in experience. In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort rides along with Dwight, General Manager of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), for a candid look at how he’s transforming transit across Southeast Michigan.

With Modaxo Portfolio Leader Rod Jones on board, this episode covers:

• How Dwight’s career from bus operator to CEO informs his leadership style
• The explosive growth of SMART’s Flex microtransit service
• Building a people-first culture through engagement (and literal gold stars)
• Strategic planning, smarter mobility, and the challenge of doing more with less
• And yes: a deep dive into Detroit-style pizza that gets a 6-star review

This episode is a companion to an upcoming Transit Unplugged TV episode featuring Detroit and its transit systems—premiering June 2025.

Credits

Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo

Host & Producer: Paul Comfort

Podcast Manager & Newsletter Guy: Chris O'Keeffe

Executive Producer: Julie Gates

Special thanks to:

Brand Design: Tina Olagundoye

Social Media: Tatyana Mechkarova

Got a question or comment? Email us at [e-mail]

Subscribe to the Transit Unplugged Newsletter:

transitunplugged.com/subscribe-to-the-transit-unplugged-newsletter

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 opinion. Modaxo specifically disclaims all warranties, express or implied, and will not be liable for any losses, claims, or damages arising from the use of this presentation, from any material contained in it, or from any action or decision taken in response to it.

Episode Transcript

Paul Comfort (00:05):
Welcome to Transit Unplug, the podcast where we ride
along with the boldest leaders, movingpeople and ideas across the globe.
I'm your host, Paul Comfort, and in thisepisode, we're hitting the road literally
with one of Transit's top leaders,Dwight Ferrell, general Manager of smart.
That's the Suburban MobilityAuthority for regional transportation.
In Southeast Michigan on my recent tripto Detroit, I hopped on a smart bus

(00:28):
with Dwight to talk about how Detroitand its surrounding communities are
flipping the script on regional mobility.
We dig into everything from game changingmicrot transit programs to how they're
keeping their workforce engaged andwhat the future holds for a system
covering more than 2100 square miles.
Dwight's got vision, strategy,and a deep love for this region.

(00:50):
And you'll hear how smart is steppingup to meet the evolving needs of
writers across Southeast Michigan.
And hey, what better way to wrapup a transit tour than with a hot,
crunchy slice of Detroit style pizza?
We'll do it today.
So if you're in the real talkabout innovation, leadership, and
making transit work for everyone,this is the episode for you.
And don't forget to subscribeif you haven't already, and

(01:11):
leave us a quick review.
It helps others discover theseinspiring stories from transit
leaders around the world.
Now let's hop on board with DwightFerrell on Transit Unplugged from Detroit.
Great to have you with ustoday on Transit and Unplugged.
Excited to be in Detroit Motor.
City with our friend Dwight Ferrell.
Dwight, welcome to the show.

Dwight Ferrell (01:32):
Well, thank you for having me.
And welcome to Southeast Michigan.

Paul Comfort (01:35):
Thank you.
I love it.
I've learned a lot already.
Been here a day and, uh, , I knowit sounds silly, but I didn't
really realize how close Canadawas, just across the river,

Dwight Ferrell (01:43):
as they say, a stones throw across the river.
You're absolutely right.

Paul Comfort (01:46):
Yeah.
A beautiful city in a realperiod of resurgence here.

Dwight Ferrell (01:50):
Absolutely.
Uh, the city of Detroit, it'scomeback has been amazing.
, the region.
Is growing.
So yes, it, it is reallya nice place to work.
A nice place to live.

Paul Comfort (01:59):
You and I have been friends for a long time.
You've been a yeomanworking around the industry.
You and I were just talking toRod Jones, my boss, about that.
Tell us some about your backgroundand what brought you here.

Dwight Ferrell (02:09):
Well, I started my career in Dallas a long, long
time ago as a bus operator, andI've worked in seven cities, eight
presidencies since I started my career.
And in doing so, I've seen alot of stuff and done a lot of.
Things.
And I think that that experiencefor all those years, , positions

(02:31):
me to help, , transit in southeastMichigan, , positions me to help it grow.

, Paul Comfort (02:39):
and it's very interesting and unique.
I think that you started out asa driver and worked your way up.
There's very few people I know inthe industry that have done that.
I mean, Dottie.
Down in Austin and a few of them.
But, uh, how has that helped you, youthink, and, and kind of starting right
at the front lines of what we do?

Dwight Ferrell (02:54):
Well, it certainly helps.
It has helped us in terms of recruitment.
, we are fully staffed on bus operatorsin the first time and quite a long time.
And a large part was because ofexperience that I had when I drove.
, and recognizing the changes thatemployees expect today, uh, help with.

(03:17):
That.
, so we made some, negotiated somerule changes in our recent union
contracts that have really helpedus attract and retain talent.
And I think that experience as abus operator has certainly helped.
I'll also say that I rememberwhen we weren't involved in
decisions about equipment, seats,a lot of those different things.

(03:40):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
You know, coming up,we, we got what we got.
Right.
And so now, uh, I makesure that our mechanic.
Mechanics are involved indecisions that impact them.
Bus operators are involvedin the, what impacts them.
I'll give you an example.
When I first got here, I asked supervisorswhat kind of vehicles they wanted.
They said they wanted something bigger.
Well, we have Tahoes on order, on order.

(04:03):
And so those are the kinds of things thathaving done, some of those positions
along the way have helped me in terms of,
listening and engaging.
Aging and basically creatingan environment that, that
people wanna work
in.

. Paul Comfort (04:18):
You mentioned, uh, vehicles.
I might mention that we'rerecording this live in a vehicle.
Uh, tell us about the vehicleand what service this is.

Dwight Ferrell (04:24):
This is flex.
Flex is our micro transit, uh,service that this year carried.
Its 1000000th passenger.
Wow.
Which is pretty extensive inthe time that I've been here.
I think we've tripled thefleet over the last four years.
So the demand on it has been amazing.
The demand, the growth in ridership hereis outstrips everything else that we have.

(04:49):
And one of the great things aboutit is it is post pandemic centric.
Okay.
In that, we'll talk about oursmarter mobility program later,
but in that we are looking at whattravel patterns are now, and most
people are not going more than five.
Or six miles away from where they live.

(05:11):
And so these big Am and PM rusheslike we used to have, those are gone.
And so micro transit like this allows usto be able to provide independence for
people who can drive, don't want to drive,and particularly provides access to people
who are disabled but don't live in withinthree quarters of a mile of a bus route.

(05:35):
So now.
They even have independence.

Paul Comfort (05:37):
So you have a whole zone wider than traditional a DA?
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
That's great.
And we're in a, uh,
what is this?
A Chrysler uh, minivan.

Dwight Ferrell (05:44):
This is a Chrysler minivan.
Uh, this service, we contractwith a company called Via,
it's a turnkey solution.
They provide the vehicles, thedrivers, the software, and what
have you, and it's been great.

Paul Comfort (05:55):
And how does this fit into the overall, , potpourri of
offerings that Smart Transit offers?

Dwight Ferrell (06:00):
Well, we have some limited stop service.
That we have, of course we got localservice, but our service overall, we
are reviewing right now to have thatservice mirror what people want today.
That's wonderful.
So the question is about frequencyand span, uh, and even equipment.

(06:23):
So ultimately our fleet will bemore diverse in terms of size.
Everything's not gonna be a40 foot bus because everything
doesn't require a 40 foot bus.
So.
All of that has been part of our,our smarter mobility assessment.
And the I important thing about that isthat we, we don't do anything in a vacuum.

(06:44):
And so with smarter mobility, we talkto elected officials at every level,
the federal level, the state level, thelocal level, key stakeholder groups,
citizens to get their input in termsof what the service needs to look like.
The challenge.
That we face is that unfortunatelywe have people who want more service

(07:05):
than what we have money to provide.
Right?
So that's a good thing and a bad thing.

Paul Comfort (07:09):
Yeah.
So Detroit itself has, uh, as Iunderstand it, basically three
different transportation providers.
The RTA right operates the Q line,and they provide funding, kinda
like in Chicago, the RTA does.
To the other operations.
And then you've got smart you guysand then DDOT in downtown city.
I know you're gonna correct methere, but that's why I said
that's how I understand it.

(07:29):
You, you set the record straight here.

Dwight Ferrell (07:31):
So the RTA handles the formula funds our 53 0 7
allocation between DDOT and us.
They also oversee the 53 10 program,which we have an extensive 53 10
program with well over 300 vehicles,uh, and probably over a hundred
community partners that operate those.

Paul Comfort (07:50):
Wow.
That's great.
Uh,

, Dwight Ferrell (07:52):
but we are funded by a property tax that is assessed
in Oakland County, Macomb Countyin portions of Wayne County.
Like a millage rate for,yeah, like a millage rate.
That's correct.
We don't provide, or we do nottax in the city of Detroit.

Paul Comfort (08:06):
Okay.
DDOT

Dwight Ferrell (08:07):
is funded through the city's general fund.
I gotcha.
So, and then the RTA who recentlybecame the operator of the Q line gets
some operating funding from the state.
Now we get some operating fundingfrom the state too, but the, RTA
does not give us money except forthat, that is just their 53 10.

(08:28):
Right.
Just

Paul Comfort (08:29):
the formula funding, that's yours anyway.
Right.
They serve like an MPO or something.

Dwight Ferrell (08:32):
Exactly.
Okay, I gotcha.
And then a 53 10.

Paul Comfort (08:35):
Gotcha.
Very good.
And how, like, tell usabout your staff and.
How many staff you have, you know,your services, vehicles, all that?

Dwight Ferrell (08:41):
We have close to a thousand employees right now.
Uh, as I mentioned earlier, we arefully staffed on bus operators,
so we've slowed our hiring down,but we're never gonna stop.

Paul Comfort (08:50):
Right.

Dwight Ferrell (08:51):
we have, in the time that I've been here, we've got a contracts in
procurement department, safety department.
We're about to bring online ourprogram management department.
Uh, we've got a strategic initiativedepartment that we just started.
It is going to help us with our.
strategic planning and all of that.
Uh, we are focused, changing ourfocus, from HR to talent management

(09:15):
as it relates to our staff.
I like that.
And one of the things that I, I wouldnote is one of the things I've learned
over the years when I came here.
I made some observations and there weresome things that I wanted to change.
There were people who were inleadership positions who chose

(09:37):
to leave, and so from my originalexecutive staff, I have two left.
Wow.
But everybody who is here, Ipromoted in this organization.
The only person that I brought fromthe outside, and technically she's
really not from the outside, isTiffany Gunter, our deputy general

(09:57):
manager and Chief operating officer.

Paul Comfort (09:59):
And, and you're welcome for me introducing her to you.

Dwight Ferrell (10:02):
Yes.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
Many years ago.
That's right.
And so, so, Tiffany is from this area.
She, at one point worked at theRTA, she was deputy at the RTA.
She was deputy at the MPO.
And I set my sights on hiringTiffany as soon as I got here.
Took me a minute, but.
You like bring her back home.

(10:22):
Right.
So the, so the idea is that when youbring in a lot of different people
from the outside, they all bringin their different perspectives
and you have to try to mesh those.
That's

Paul Comfort (10:33):
right.

Dwight Ferrell (10:33):
That's just way too much work, way too much work when
you have a big task ahead of you.
And so the other thing it does is itcreates an environment where people see
that we can grow, that we're appreciated.
And at the end of theday, that's what we do.
If we don't have employees whobelieve in what we do and engage

(10:58):
in what we do, we are not gonna beable to put out the product that
the citizens expect from us to do.
It's just that simple.

Paul Comfort (11:04):
So, um, you mentioned you've got your new strategic plan
you're working on and you havesomething called smarter mobility.
You wanna talk about thatand why it's a game changer.
Right?

Dwight Ferrell (11:13):
Right.
I mentioned that, uh, in the, uh,earlier piece when I was talking about
all the outreach that we've done.
To get customer input about what serviceneeds to look like in the future.
And that service is not going to bea MPM Peaks coming into downtown.
It's gonna be a lot more microtransit, a lot more cross town service.

(11:36):
And the challenge that we have,quite frankly, with the funding
limitations that we have is aquestion of span or frequency.
Right?
Oh,

Paul Comfort (11:43):
that's the classic one, isn't it?
Man, that's always, that's always, yeah.
Started in Houston,

Dwight Ferrell (11:46):
right?
Yeah.
Yes, it's either, either you're gonnahave a span of service, that's right,
it's infrequent, or you're gonna have ashorter window that is, um, less frequent.
Now the thing about micro transit,I think that helps us is the cost to
provide that service is a lot less.
Than a, a, a lot of 40 foot buses.

Paul Comfort (12:04):
Yeah.
You know, it's funny, some people thinkMicrot Transit is more expensive, but
when you do the math and you compareit, if there's an area that doesn't
really warrant a 40 foot bus, you cansend in a minivan like this, pick up
six people in a day, it's a lot cheaper.
It

Dwight Ferrell (12:18):
is a lot cheaper.
The capital costs is a lot cheaper.
The operating costs are a lot cheaper.
And quite frankly, you don't have to havepeople who have to have a CDL in order
to be able to provide the service, whichmakes it easier to be able to recruit.
Yeah.
So.
Those are all things that, uh, workin our favor and we want to be smarter

(12:38):
at smart in that transit and customerexpectations and employee expectations
are not the same as they were whenI started eight presidencies ago.
And I'll let you guys do the math on that.
And so now it is very much.
About how service impacts your life,the quality of your life, and it's not

(13:04):
about those people, it's about everybody.
And recognizing that the next generation,the generation that is ultimately
going to be paying for this generationX, millennial, and Z, they have a
completely different approach to transitthan their parents and grandparents.

(13:24):
And that's the thing that we are trying.
Trying to take advantage of, toprovide service that works for them.

Paul Comfort (13:30):
So you're, it sounds like you're pushing for a more connected
regional transit system and Absolutely.
What's been your biggest challenge there?

Dwight Ferrell (13:38):
Changing minds.
changing people's thought process, whichis a challenge for transit everywhere,
not just in southeast Michigan.
getting people to see that.
If you want your region to grow, if youwant to attract talent, attract jobs,
you must invest in multimodal transit.

(14:00):
You can't do it by just buses,or buses and micro transit.
So one of the wonderful things aboutthis, this area is that obviously
was built for the automobile.
So you have very wide streets, and I meanthese boulevards with wonderful medians.
That would be great forfixed guideway, BRT.
Uh, that doesn't cost nearlyas much as rail, uh, that would

(14:23):
be able to connect the region.
And so the other thing is quitefrankly, is getting people to
be, to see a different future.
I don't know that we have donethat as well as we could have.
And so that's what we are tryingto talk about now is not what's
gonna be good a year from now, twoyears from now, five years from now.

(14:45):
What about 20 years down theroad, 30 years down the road?
and then getting people to see theimportance of a sustainable funding model.

Paul Comfort (14:54):
Yeah, that's good.

Dwight Ferrell (14:55):
That, that, that really is the key.
And this is all great, but ifyou don't have any cash, it's,
it's, it's just a great idea.
I.

Paul Comfort (15:03):
So we're, I'm driving here.
I was fascinated to see, we just drovepast the Henry Ford Center with all the
flags out there, and I thought about,you know, the guys that started this
town really booming right back whenthe auto automotive industry came here.
But now you have a whole neweconomic development engine,
and I know public transportationis involved in that attracting
talent and employers to Michigan.
Tell us about that.

Dwight Ferrell (15:25):
the state and southeast Michigan in particular wants to
diversify its economy, so it's not so.
Heavily reliant on just manufacturing.
There are a number of, uh, aerospace jobsthat are in Macomb County, for example.
and one of the things that I'd liketo make sure that we're clear on is
that there is no conflict betweenautomobile manufacturers and transit.

(15:45):
They're supportive of what we'retrying to do because they recognize
that some of their future employeesdon't necessarily wanna own cars.
Right.
So that's a, uh, a big shift.
Uh, if, if, if you would.
So I think quite frankly that Michigan,uh, Southeast Michigan, the state of the
state as a whole is on the, uh, upside.

(16:09):
We are trying to compete with otherstates in the Midwest for jobs, whether
that be Ohio, Indiana, or whoever it is.
And so that's the piece where transitcomes in and that's where we come
in at Smart, is making sure that wecommunicate that, because we look at
the region in this totality, not just,even though we don't operate in, we

(16:31):
do provide some service into Detroit.
And even though that's not ourprimary focus, we do know that two
thirds of the customers who rideddo transfer to SMART every day.
And so they're going to jobs.

Paul Comfort (16:45):
Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell (16:46):
So this us connecting the region is absolutely essential.

Paul Comfort (16:50):
And we just pulled into the John Dingle Transit Center.
Tell us about this.

Dwight Ferrell (16:54):
Isn't it beautiful?
It is.
I love it.
So, uh, obviously this is a place where wedo transfers and, and that sort of thing.
passenger rail is here as well.
And so hopefully, you can, let's see.
Oh look, is this an Amtrak station too?
It is.
Wow, that's great.
So nice.
Interm modalism.
Yes, it is.

Paul Comfort (17:13):
Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell (17:13):
And so as you can see, there's a lot of vibrancy around here.
There's a lot of development around here.

Paul Comfort (17:20):
Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell (17:21):
Uh, so this is today what it could look like in the future.
Very different.
Uh, it would be great if we could sharetrack with Amtrak to be able to connect
Southeast Michigan to Lansing or, yeah.
Or, or wherever.
That's wonderful.
Um, so, but again, it all goesback to one, one basic thing.

(17:42):
Cash.

Paul Comfort (17:43):
There you go.
Oh, we're gonna hop outta the vehicleand we'll come back and talk to you
a few more minutes, uh, after this.

(18:38):
Okay.
Alright, now we're back, uh, with DwightFerrell, who's the head of Smart now we're
downtown at the Rosa Parks Transit Center.
, tell our listeners a little bitabout what's going on down here when
it comes to resurgence of the city.

Dwight Ferrell (18:50):
Well, over to my left, and, and anybody who wants to Google
this can, it's the Western Book Cadillac.
So that building is celebrated.
Its 100th year.
Last year for a number of years it was.
Not used, and they have redevelopedthis into a four star hotel.

(19:12):
The president of the United Statesstays here, or anybody who was running
for president, in the NFL draftthat we had, uh, last year, all of
the draft picks were at this hotel.
Okay.
So it is the spot to be, and it's a, it'smixed use because there are condos on
floors 24 through 30, and so that's more,

Paul Comfort (19:31):
and it's served right here by transit in the middle things.

Dwight Ferrell (19:33):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Uh, as a matter of fact,the express busted, uh, the
RTA runs starts right there
. Paul Comfort: Is that right?
This is the book tower, which is across the street.
This has come online within the last year.
These are, uh, high-end apartments, okay.
If you, get a chance while you're here,Washington Boulevard, which is a block

(19:59):
over from here, has been complete.
Redone and so downtown you canlive, you can work, you can play.
There are tons of restaurants in downtownDetroit, and it's not just Detroit, but
the, but Southeast Michigan as a whole.
Yeah.
But the perception that people havethat, you know, Detroit is some,
you know, third world country.

(20:20):
Yeah.
That is simply not true.

Paul Comfort (20:24):
All

Dwight Ferrell (20:25):
right,

Paul Comfort (20:25):
so now we're in your famous Buddy's pizza.
What are we gonna get here?

Dwight Ferrell (20:28):
We're gonna get some good pizzas.
What we're gonna do to warm usup on this nice brisk spring day.
There you go.

Paul Comfort (20:34):
All right.
I'm gonna, uh, I'm gonnaask my boss here, rod.
So Rod Jones is here with us.
First time he's been withus on a, on a video shoot.
Thank you for coming, rod.
you've eaten this pizza before, right?
What am I expecting here?
Now?
I hear it's deep dish and crusty.

, Rod Jones (20:46):
it is.
I mean, uh, I don't know how much, uh,I want to disclose before you taste.
Okay.
All right.
Uh, but there are some, purists whohave a hard time with Detroit style.
So Really?
Uh, yeah.
So why is that?
Well, I, I think, you know,Chicago has a, feels a certain
way about their own deep dish.
Oh, yeah.
Uh, we're, we're different.
, I'm a big fan of it and actually thisis my first time in this location.

(21:06):
I've, I spent more time in, in , inSouthfields, , buddy location.
So, uh, so it's pretty cool.

Paul Comfort (21:11):
Alright, I can't wait.
We're gonna come back , after we tasteit, we'll all give our, uh, our reviews.
So, uh, okay.
Dwight, this is great.
One thing that's cool, we haven'treally set it on the podcast here
is how we're right down near one ofyour, where your sports stadiums are.
Tell us about that.

Dwight Ferrell (21:25):
Oh yeah.
This is, Detroit is unique in that you canwalk to the football stadium, the baseball
stadium and the basketball hockey arena.
They're within three blocks.
They're within threeblocks of one another.
It's amazing.
It's absolutely, the baseball stadiumand the football stadium are literally
across the street from each other.

Paul Comfort (21:42):
Yeah, I'm just looking at it right now.

Dwight Ferrell (21:44):
Not the freeway, the street.

Paul Comfort (21:46):
So you serve a large area, smart does, and, um, talk to us
about that and how you make sure thatyour, your services are aligned with
the real needs of the whole community.
Right here from Detroitall the way out to McComb.

Dwight Ferrell (21:57):
So we serve a 2100 square mile area.

Paul Comfort (22:01):
That's massive.

Dwight Ferrell (22:02):
Yes, that is.
It is, , 500 square mileslarger than DC system.
, so our focus really is not so muchabout meeting the needs of today, but
meeting the needs of the future.
And with that, in order to be able to dothat, that's gonna require sustainable
funding that allows for us to be able to.
Take advantage of all thetechnology that's out there.

(22:24):
It makes it easier for people tobe able to switch between systems.
So we are doing some of that now.
, even right now, we have a, a jointagreement with, , the Detroit Department
of Transportation ddo, for transferringbetween one system to the other.
Okay.
And same thing with the, . The Q line.
Q line, yeah.
So, which is like a street car, right?
It's a street car, yeah.
So we're just gonna build on that.

, Paul Comfort (22:45):
the last thing I wanna talk to you a little bit more,
which I really love what you do.
You and I are both people focused and, uh,you're known for engaging your team with
gold stars and a culture of appreciation.
We saw that today.
We got on , your articulated bus,60 foot long with photos of all your
employees, their names, and how manyyears they've worked at your agency.
I've never seen that before.

(23:05):
What a wonderful tributeto your employees.
Tell us about how important internalmorale is to external service.

Dwight Ferrell (23:11):
employees make the difference.
They provide the service,they do the work.
And so they don't, if they're not engaged,then we don't have a good product.
They are the product.
So the gold stars started about, uh, ifyou think back to when you were a kid, I,
you know, you wanted to have a gold star.

Paul Comfort (23:30):
That's
right.
I remember when I took pianolessons, she would give me a gold
star in my book when I played good.
And it is crazy, but it made me feel good.

Dwight Ferrell (23:36):
Well, it, you'd be surprised at what it does to adults.
Yeah.
And so that's how we came, that'show I came up with the Gold Star.
So we have gold star pens, they'vegot the, , smart logo on them.
And there was a book, The oneminute manager back in the nineties.
Oh yeah, I remember that.
Yeah.
And so that book was talking aboutmanagement by one, walking around.
And most of the time people are walkingaround looking for something wrong.

(23:58):
I walk around looking for something.
Right.
And so those gold stars arethose, those one minute rewards.
, it makes a difference.
And I if you'll note that, onone of the other side of the bus.
Uh, one of our employees who has44 years of service has three.
He wants to, he's a three star general,wants to do something so he can get four.
He is absolutely, and thatengagement, , you can tell by just

(24:24):
being in the environment wherethere's much more conversation,
, between hourly employees and staff.
, when I go to the facilities theysay, Hey, Dwight, how you doing?
Or Mr. Ferrell, orwhatever the case may be.
So they know who I am.
I know who they are, andit makes a difference.

Paul Comfort (24:40):
That's wonderful.
Anything else you wannashare before we wrap up?

Dwight Ferrell (24:44):
Smart's a great place to work
and
smart's on the move.

Paul Comfort (24:55):
All right, so we're back.
Just as a little coda to the podcast.
We all just had the pizza, andI'm gonna tell you it's fantastic.
I should have recorded that guy.
When he was saying what it was about, whatstruck you the most Rod, about the pizza?
Uh, you've been eating it for many years.

Rod Jones (25:09):
Uh, well, first off, I don't get any.
Chance to, to, to dinehere all that often.
So it was a nice reminder.
I, I think the cheese, thetexture, uh, I had the Detroiter.
So for those of you who are tryingit for the first time, you gotta
do the Detroiter at Buddy's Pizza.
So I loved it.
I had a great time.

Paul Comfort (25:24):
Yeah.
And what, uh, they, theypress the dough daily, fresh.
They make it here.
It's uh, it's deeper dish, it's crusty,uh, and it's got a delicious flavor.
So.
Fantastic.
We give, I give it five stars.
Do you?

Rod Jones (25:35):
Yeah.
Six stars.
Six stars outta five.

Paul Comfort (25:38):
There you go.
All right.
Now you know.

Julie Gates (25:43):
Thank you for listening to this week's episode
of the Transit Unplugged Podcast.
We're so glad you're here.
My name is Julie Gates.
I'm the executive producer of theshow, and our goal is to create
programs that promote the great thingsgoing on in the transit industry
by providing you with behind thescenes access with industry executive
leadership so we can work together tofind innovative industry solutions.

(26:04):
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having you sign up for our newsletter.
Head to the show notes to find the link.
Thanks for listening to Transit Unpluggedwith Paul Comfort, our favorite transit
evangelist, and we'll catch you next week.
Thanks for tuning in.