June 18, 2025 • 26 mins
What does it take to build a transit system that powers a city—and wins global recognition for livability?
In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Ryan Daniel, CEO of St. Cloud Metro Bus, and Dave Kleis, Board Chair and former mayor of St. Cloud, Minnesota, share how their long-running partnership has driven bold innovation and national recognition. From launching a system-wide redesign to pioneering green hydrogen fuel, their work shows how public transit can be a catalyst for clean energy and economic development.
You’ll hear the inside story of how St. Cloud won the U.S. Conference of Mayors Award and the global “Most Livable City” title—twice. Plus, Dave offers rare behind-the-scenes insights into how a mayor selects a transit CEO during a national search, and Ryan shares the quote that guides his work:
“Where transportation goes, community grows.”
Whether you're aiming for executive leadership or understanding transit's role in the economic development of your region, this conversation delivers strategies, lessons, and inspiration to get you there.
Highlights:
- Why green hydrogen could be transit’s next big shift
- How St. Cloud went 100% CNG—and what’s next
- Keys to successful public engagement on system redesign
- What mayors and boards really look for in a CEO
- Winning national awards through innovation and vision
Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo
Host & Producer: Paul Comfort
Executive Producer: Julie Gates
Producer & Newsletter Editor: Chris O'Keeffe
Associate Producer: Cyndi Raskin
Production Intern: Desmond Gates
Special thanks to:
Brand Design: Tina Olagundoye
Social Media: Tatyana Mechkarova
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Paul Comfort (00:08):
I'm Paul Comfort, and on this episode of Transit Unplugged,
we go to the Community TransportationAssociation of America's Live 2025 Expo
recording in San Diego, California.
I was just there a couple weeksago and we had a wonderful time.
Uh, at the expo itself.
Um, Scott Borin, the executivedirector of CTA, does such a great job.
There's 1200 people there.
(00:29):
I spoke while I was there.
Uh, along with Mark Ash, we did a,a joint presentation over about two
hours and we also, uh, I also did abook signing at the trans track booth,
and then on the trade show floor.
We recorded a couple podcasts live.
It's always fun when you do that, right?
You sit in front of a booth and youhave a, a crowd gather around you
and you record a CEO there today.
(00:49):
Uh, we interviewed Ryan Daniel, who'sCEO of St. Cloud, Metro Bus, and
he had his board chairman with him.
And I said, Hey man, willyou come over and join U.S.
on the show?
So Dave Kleis , long term board chairand long-term mayor, um, of the city
of St. Cloud was mayor for many years.
Uh, joined U.S. on the show andwe have a two part interview
with both these gentlemen.
Uh, recorded right thereon the trade show floor.
(01:10):
We have another one coming upfor you, uh, soon after that.
And we did a live roving reporter one.
And you know, I'm Paul Comfort andTrepid reporter walking the floor and
talking to various people, includingour friends at Mass Transit Magazine
and some other leaders in the industry.
Uh, so we've got three podcastepisodes coming from the CTAA,
expo 2025, and San Diego.
(01:31):
Enjoy this great interview withRyan Daniel, CEO of St. Cloud, Metro
Bus, and his board chair Dave Kleis.
We're at the CTAA Expoin San Diego, California.
I'm Paul Comfort and thisis Transit Unplugged.
We're doing a couple of livepodcasts here from the floor
(01:54):
of the expo, and I'm excited tohave with me today, Ryan Daniel.
Ryan is CEO of the St.Cloud Metro Bus System.
Ryan, thanks for being on the show.
Ryan Daniel (02:01):
Thank for having me.
Yeah, It's great
to
Paul Comfort (02:02):
And as a last minute edition, we added his
board chair and the former mayor,
20 year
mayor of St. Cloud Minnesota.
Dave Kleis thanks so much for on theshow in a green, you know, of not
knowing I was gonna drag you over here.
Dave Kleis (02:13):
uh, just
In the expo, but no happy
be on
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (02:16):
Yeah.
So the show goes all over the world.
We're in a hundred countries.
Uh, it's the number one MassTransit podcast, and so we're
excited to talk about St. Cloud.
I was telling you, Ryan, I've beenthere before, but tell U.S. actually,
let me ask the mayor, if you don'tmind kick it off, mayor, tell U.S.
some about St. Cloud you know, the cityitself, the demographics, et cetera.
Dave Kleis (02:32):
Sure.
St Cloud's, uh,
you know, been around for about 168 years.
Um, it uh, 72,000 people, but it'sa regional center, so it has daytime
population of about, about 180.
Plus thousand.
So it's a college town.
It has, uh, you know, large hospital.
So it's, uh, the second largestmetropolitan area the Minne
(02:53):
Minnesota next to the Twin Cities.
Paul Comfort (02:55):
Oh, wow.
Dave Kleis (02:55):
uh, uh.
By
it's
MSA,
um, so, or at the municipal, statistical
area, but it's, uh, yeah, anice little area middle uh,
Minnesota.
And, uh, got a, uh, growing,
it continues
to grow.
Metro big part of
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (03:09):
it.
Dave Kleis (03:10):
Uh,
Because, uh, St. Cloud, 72,000 people,there are four additional cities that are
right connected, um, would be consideredin most areas, those suburban areas.
so.
Metro bus or our transit isa joint powers agreement.
So it actually operates under, uh, undera collaborative effort between the,
uh, three cities four,four cities the area.
(03:32):
So the, uh, mayors council members, uh,the city's appoint, uh, representation,
St. Cloud of course being the biggestcity two representatives on there.
Uh, I've been on the board, uh,I've been mayor, so I've been
board years, um, and, uh, and beenchair, I for 16 of those years.
So, uh,
but it's a, you know, it's
community in
(03:52):
and.
about, uh, about an hourfrom, uh, Minneapolis.
so we're,
we're, we're uh,
uh, close to the lakes.
What we in would consider up north.
Uh, anything, uh, north
Cloud
probably up north, but, uh,know, we've got, got 10,000, at
least that's our license plate.
Say we 10,000 lakes,probably about 15,000 lakes.
But it's a, it's a nice stateand a wonderful little community.
Paul Comfort (04:15):
Well, that's good.
That gives U.S. a good setup.
Brian, now tell U.S. about your transit
Ryan Daniel (04:19):
system.
Perfect.
Well, we have anaward-winning transit system.
We are recognized astransit urban system of the
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (04:24):
air
Ryan Daniel (04:24):
by CTAA back in 2015.
So happy, happy to toot that.
Uh, we have a wonderful,staff at Metro Bus.
Well, we provide commuter bus.
Fixed route and
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (04:34):
power transit
Ryan Daniel (04:35):
services in three counties.
Sherburn County, StearnsCounty, and Benton County.
And we operate in four cities, soSt. Cloud Way, park Tel, Salt Rapids.
We average about just undera million rides per year.
We have under a hundred busesand over about 175 employees.
Budget is about 25 million.
We operate seven days aweek, 359 days a year.
Paul Comfort (04:56):
How do you do that?
Ryan Daniel (04:57):
Just don't operate on holidays.
Paul Comfort (04:59):
Yeah.
The six major holidays, holidays.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's good man.
Wow.
And how long have you been there?
Ryan Daniel (05:03):
I've been CEO now for 12 years.
Paul Comfort (05:05):
My system in Queen Dance County won that award in 1991,
CTA, I
tells you how old I
am.
We won that community system ofthe year, the county ride system.
So, uh, gimme a little of your background.
How'd you get into all
Ryan Daniel (05:17):
this?
Well, I started about 26 years ago.
I, when to date myself here.
Started out as a bus operator.
Started 30, right?
Yeah, 19.
Right.
Paul Comfort (05:25):
Yeah.
Ryan Daniel (05:26):
Started out as a bus operator for New York City Transit.
So I'm originally from Brooklyn, New York.
Paul Comfort (05:29):
Oh,
Ryan Daniel (05:29):
Oh.
So
I'm
a city boy.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (05:31):
My dad's from there.
Brooklyn's born in Brooklyn, New York.
Ryan Daniel (05:33):
was I, Brooklyn, New York?
Yep.
Prince Live in Brooklyn.
So, started out 1998, working for NewYork City Transit as a bus operator.
While going to college.
So I did my undergrad in grad school.
Once I graduated, I left, decidedto take the show on the road,
got
on the
bus, went to Ohio, andI took a job at Coda.
Landed a job at Coda.
Paul Comfort (05:50):
Columbus in
Ryan Daniel (05:51):
Columbus, Ohio.
Landed the job there as training manager.
So I stayed there for abouttwo years an opportunity in
Washington DC open up at WMATA.
So I was fortunate enough to beselected to be the manager of bus
operations for WMATA back in 2009,and then I stayed there until 2013.
Then position opened up in St.Cloud Metro Bus to be the CEO,
and I threw my name in a hat.
(06:13):
About a hundred people apply,and I went through the process.
Wow.
and here I am 12 years later.
Paul Comfort (06:17):
Yeah.
We may crossed paths.
When I worked at WA Mata, I was withthe MV running the paratransit system.
Ryan Daniel (06:23):
Oh, okay.
envy.
you, um, outta Hyattsville?
Yep.
Outta Hyattsville.
So I worked outta Landover.
Oh, okay.
I was right down the street.
Yeah.
That's great,
Paul Comfort (06:30):
man.
funny.
Wow.
So Mayor, were you involved hiring him?
I
Dave Kleis (06:34):
Uh, I was uh, chaired, uh, the committee that, uh, that did, we did
a national search uh, fortunately we, uh,were able to, to get Ryan to come up to,
uh, Minnesota, leave, uh, leave DC time.
So, uh, yeah, he's, it's been great.
Uh, CEO, great partnership.
uh, so it's, uh, it, it, uh,continues to grow to won some
(06:54):
national awards over that period oftime and, International Awards too.
Actually, a collaborative effortuh, uh, UN has a, an entity called,
uh, livable Cities in the World.
Paul Comfort (07:05):
I've heard of that.
Dave Kleis (07:05):
And, uh, we, uh, we won, uh, the most livable
city in the world twice, both
2007,
2019.
a lot of that was because ofcollaborations, partnership,
um, you know, sustainability.
we, yeah.
We went, uh, we were the first transitsystem Minnesota to go compress
natural grass, so clean energy.
And, uh, we will be, uh,the city of St. Cloud is
(07:25):
the first municipal,
. Wastewater treatment facilityto actually produce, , energy.
Uh, we as a city produce more energythan we use have now since, uh, 2014.
Uh, actually, so we actuallyproduce, uh, well over close 300%.
So we sell that back to the grid,but we will be the first city that
actually will produce green hydrogen.
(07:48):
so we're working Yeah.
So we're working with Metro Bus,of course now I'm no longer mayor.
I'm the Chair of the Metro bus.
So, uh, we, I, back a few years ago, weset up, , com partnership with MetroBus
to actually utilize that, that, hydrogenand then new flyer, which is also, uh,
Uh, does manufacturing in St. Cloud and
course
the
Paul Comfort (08:07):
Oh,
that's right.
That's your big plant
Dave Kleis (08:09):
Yeah.
So they've agreed to actually lookat moving one of their operations,
which is actually not in Minnesota.
That makes, uh, uh, hydrogen buses.
They, of course, make, uh,electric buses St. Cloud.
Uh, but they're looking at actually,uh, moving some of their operation,
build the hydrogen because ofour ability to produce hydrogen.
And then of course, metro Bus's abilityto actually utilize those buses.
(08:30):
So, uh.
Uh, we're working withthe University of Munster
in Germany and theUniversity of Minnesota,
uh, on the technology.
In fact, um, we will be producing, uh,
the city
of St. Cloud will be producinghydrogen at our wastewater
treatment facility next year.
For marketable purposes.
And it's green hydrogen?
Yes, we, we, make it withsolar and, uh, biomass, so
it's
Paul Comfort (08:51):
Wow.
green.
And, uh,
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (08:52):
uh,
Paul Comfort (08:52):
you
information about thaton the web anywhere?
Dave Kleis (08:54):
Uh, we do on city's website.
Uh, we, if you go there and, uh, we'veactually, we've won some national awards.
Actually U.S. conference of mayor, uh,last year, uh, gave st called an award
because, uh, you know, every city in theworld has, has to get rid of their waste.
And of course, so they have, uh,wastewater treatment facilities.
Uh, so it's a great place to getdispose of water, and why not?
(09:15):
If you're gonna disposeof water, take the water.
Uh, use the, uh, separate the oxygen thehydrogen, use the hydrogen from energy.
'cause you need the oxygento break down the way.
So, uh, it's really simple, but itis a very high energy, uh, utilizer.
But
if you're
ZOOM0003_LR (09:30):
using the
Dave Kleis (09:30):
energy and you're producing the edge green, you do it.
why, uh, it, it will, there's no doubtit'll be, uh, we will, secured state
and federal grants because of it.
And, uh, won an internationalaward because of it.
So, uh, yeah, so some great things andit's a great collaboration with transit.
Paul Comfort (09:45):
I'm gonna come back to you in few minutes, mayor, and you
about, so maybe you can think back.
What about Ryan made youwanna hire him as the CEO?
Because we have a lot of peoplethat listen to the show that
are mid-level management.
That wanna move into those CEO jobs.
They're in positions like you had ada, youknow, of bus operations, and they think,
uh, you know, they aspire to to things.
And so I don't think a lot 'em neverhad a chance to hear from somebody
(10:07):
who chairs the selection committee.
think about that fora minute while I Ryan.
Ryan, uh, prior to this, uh,you were telling me you've got
a lot of big projects going on.
Walk me through some the bigprojects you got happening.
Ryan Daniel (10:16):
Yeah, sure.
So we have a metro bus forwardplan where we are looking at
a bus, a total bus redesign.
So as a result of COVID,a lot of things happen.
The world shut down.
So now COVID is over.
Ridership patterns change,people's lifestyle change.
Everything's 50% virtual,50% in the office.
So how do we capture thatchange in sync cloud community?
So we decided right on the onset ofright on the offset of COVID, we decided
(10:37):
to do a metro bus forward plan wherewe just do everything on the mall.
Hey, let's just tear this apart.
How can we best meet the needsof the community moving forward?
How best can we serve our community?
Because we all know wheretransportation goes.
The community grows.
So we wanna grow thecommunity coming outta COVID.
Let's meet the needs and let'ssay, Hey, how can we best do this?
So we did a 18 month study.
(10:58):
We hired some consultants, we dida whole stakeholder engagement.
We got the community involved.
'cause once again, it'sabout the community.
They're the ones utilizingour services businesses.
They hire staff, they hire people.
People, take transportation.
So we want to capture everybody.
So we had stakeholder forums, we hadpublic hearings, we had open house,
and each one of those sessions,Paul, we had about maybe 50 to a
hundred people in those sessions.
We're so excited to see that we even hadour own bus operators come in and telling
(11:21):
U.S. Hey.
Not this street, this street, not this.
Stop that stop.
And people say, Hey, can you open?
Can you open early?
Can you run later?
So we took all of that feedback andthen worked with the consultants and
we put together a nice master plan,and it was just approved by the board
here about maybe four months ago.
So, so that's one thing that'sgonna be coming in the hopper
here, second quarter of 2026.
In addition to that.
We purchased some property ina city called Way Park, one of
(11:41):
our cities that we operate in.
Where?
On that side of town, thewestern side of St. Cloud.
On, on that side.
We have a lot of growththat's going on over there.
So we wanna capture that growth.
There's an amphitheater over there.
There are hotels, there areshopping malls, there's a lot
of residential housing going up.
So we have a transit center.
We bought a parcel of land, right?
Dead smack in the middle ofthat residential neighborhood.
'cause we wanna capture that growth.
(12:01):
We want people just to utilizetransportation and we wanna make it as
accessible as possible as we possibly can.
Wow.
So that.
We purchased the land, wegonna do construction here.
We just issued a RFP here recently.
And we're gonna tie the openingof that transit station together
with our long range plan changes.
And we're looking atdoing everything in 2026.
Awesome.
So a lot of moving parts now.
(12:22):
All hands on deck.
Everybody's excited.
It's a team effort frommarketing to maintenance, to
operations, to planning everybody.
And with the of our board andour board chair, uh, former
mayor of St. Cloud, mayor Price.
We're just gonna make happenbecause all have that passion for
transportation and we wanna grow
communities one person at a time.
Paul Comfort (12:39):
When
we come back after this quick break, we'regonna talk to the Mayor Dave Kleis and
ask him, what did he look for in a CEOwhen he hired you, Ryan, after this word.
Hey friends, it's Paul Comforthost of Transit Unplugged, and I've
got some exciting news to share.
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(13:00):
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(13:20):
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(13:44):
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And I'd love to haveyou along for the ride.
Now let's get back to the conversation.
And we're back with, um, my goodfriend Ryan Daniel, who is CEO of St.
Cloud, Metro Bus, and, uh, Dave Kleis theboard chair of Metro Bus, and also the
former mayor of the City of St. Cloud.
(14:05):
Thank you again, gentlemen,for being on the show.
This is.
Very insightful stuff.
And so speaking of that, Dave, Iwas thinking, you know, so I've been
a CEO of a transit system, right?
And I've been county administratorhired county commissioners, and you
go through this selection process andyou get interviewed by a board, and
I know a lot of our listeners are.
You know, upwardly mobile, they're peoplethat have, that wanna make a difference
(14:26):
in this world, uh, in the, they'vechosen transportation as their field,
like you and I have Ryan to make thathappen, and they want to become CEOs
or directors, whatever the title is.
Dave, what, what is a group like,you were the mayor and you were
chair of the selection committee.
What does a group look for,or what did you look for?
Let's just say that when you look for aCEO of your system, when you hired Brian,
Dave Kleis (14:46):
Well first you look for, you know, the, the obvious piece
is the experience, uh, supervision.
Obviously you're gonna be, uh,supervising and hiring, uh, employees.
So you understand that that's at a basic.
But I always looked for,uh, drive and compassion.
And, uh, you know, it's interesting'cause the committee that I chaired,
uh, we had, we had a number offolks, we did a national search
(15:07):
and a lot of folks came forward.
And I remember the discussion aroundRyan and I was a big advocate of hiring
ZOOM0003_LR (15:12):
him because.
He came from a system, now he came,you know, originally in New York
and then from DC and this is St.
Dave Kleis (15:17):
Cloud, Minnesota, a much smaller system.
Uh, so, uh, I had some, uh, you know,trepidation from some of the board members
saying, well, you know, he's, he's onlygonna be with U.S. for a little while
and he's gonna probably be upward andmobile and, and, uh, you know, I said,
yeah, that's exactly who I would hire.
Uh, somebody who is upward and mobilebecause, you know, they're not only
looking at, uh, helping the systemthat they're gonna be hired to do,
(15:39):
but they're also looking at, uh, youknow, and, and if I can hire somebody.
And I've done a lot of hiring atthe city and I own, actually, I
own a driver's education business,so I've owned that 34 years.
So I've hired a lot of people and, uh,
Paul Comfort (15:50):
by way, a great voice for radio.
a great voice of radio.
Yeah, thank,
deep
Dave Kleis (15:53):
thank you.
I've done some radio but, uh,it, you know, it's, uh, it is a,
it is something that I look foras somebody that really, um, is.
Looks at their own, you know, theircareer and their future, and that's great.
I always say, if you could hiresomebody, you know, I remember
talking to one of the, one
of
the committee members who said, yeah,he'll only be here, you know, for.
Five years ago, that'd bea great five years because
(16:14):
that's exactly what you want.
You want someone to come in, geta little external perspective
now, and you know, oftentimes youhire within and that's fine too.
Uh, we had some internalcandidates, uh, we had some
folks
that were outside, but Ryan knew hisstuff and you know, and I, I, and after
hiring and knowing Ryan, you know,I've known Ryan for the whole time
that he's been here uh, yeah, 12 years.
And, uh, you know, not only, uh.
(16:36):
The CEO, but we're, we're good friends.
But he, he has a passion.
Uh, the guy lives a transit and so,and that was pretty evident too,
because he had that experience.
You know, he came You know,he drove a bus in New York.
I mean, I would want to drive a carand I barely wanna be in transit in
New York, um, with the way traffic andeverything is, but he came from that
system and then in, in DC and thencoming into a system much smaller.
(17:00):
But, um, you know, giving him anopportunity, , to actually, , to be
the CEO is a whole different thing.
So I, I look at that type of, uh, upwardmobility, uh, you know, in hiring.
And it was not in anyway a. And no regrets.
In fact, uh, you know, the,the board after we made that
selection, and Brian's done a greatjob, uh, during that 12 years.
(17:20):
, So , he's, uh, you know, he certainly,has the, and that's most people that
apply for a job have the skill involved,but the passion for what they do, and,
you you should be looking at, uh, Ilook at upward mobility because then,
you know, you, somebody wants to.
Excel in what they do, not only inthe company that they're running and
(17:40):
the in the system they're running,but in their own personal, uh, drive.
Uh, that's got that kind of don't wantsomebody that's gonna settle and wants
to retire and then, you know, or Or wantsto just, you know, this is a job that
makes it easier than I was doing before.
No, you want somebody who is gonnanot only challenge the system,
but challenge themselves in upward
Paul Comfort (17:59):
That's great.
What a great answer.
And Ryan, how's your experience been?
I mean, have you, everything's been good.
You think?
That's great, man.
That's really good.
Ryan Daniel (18:07):
Very fortunate to have Dave as a boss and as a friend and as
Paul Comfort (18:09):
Yeah, it's
Ryan Daniel (18:10):
really uplifting for 12
Paul Comfort (18:13):
What do you consider, you know, kind of your.
As a CEO, what do you thinkthe key attributes are?
So we'll just keep thiskind of conversation going.
So this is what we, this is what, uh,your boss, uh, Dave, as the mayor and
the former board chair was looking for.
What do you think is key for A CEO orsomeone who wants to move into leadership?
What kind of things would theybe working on on themselves?
Ryan Daniel (18:33):
Mentorship, number have to find someone who
mentor.
gotta have a
mentor that's very important.
two, it's technical skills.
Utilize trainings like APTA,
Leaders Academy,
the
Mid Managed Program.
Utilize those platforms, utilize those
(18:54):
training platforms
not only for the educationalfor the networking
component.
Because everybody in thathad drive the passion
to want to be what
better
place similar
like-minded people like yourself
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (19:08):
to do the same thing?
So I
Ryan Daniel (19:10):
would say
definitely take advantage thosebecause those very beneficial.
Paul Comfort (19:13):
Yeah.
I mean, that's kind of whatwe're doing here, right?
CTAA, you were the, youwere the system of the year.
What, what, what do you get from CTAA?
What, what are the, whatdo you enjoy about it?
Ryan Daniel (19:22):
Well, not only that, not only that I'm on the board.
I get to help drive direction
the
process, help association,
but also provide valuable input.
once again, it's not about it's aboutthe future generation succeeding as well.
So what does that How we
train the uh, leaders?
(19:42):
How can we
ensure that
content that are putting out.
It's gonna
be valuable worthwhile for
attendees, so that waythey could grow into
Paul Comfort (19:50):
Yeah.
Ryan Daniel (19:50):
being to provide strategic
direction
and that input is
valuable.
And I
and not only that from a, from a,uh, executive step, from executive
just looking at having CTAA be thatplatform, for U.S. on the Hill lobby in.
Yeah.
of Yeah.
Scott Borin, the executive director,
phenomenal,
doing an Yeah.
He's
CTA
now for Wello
over 30 years.
(20:12):
his for
unmet.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (20:17):
He, he and I kind of started around the same time.
I started in 87.
In Queen Annes County,
Maryland
Mm-hmm.
the county ride system, like I mentioned.
And Scott was editor of their magazine.
Dave Raphael was the head ofthe association back then.
And, Scott and I both,he stayed in one place.
I went around and worked for a bunch,but we've been buddies ever since.
And he's, he's anothertransit evangelist, right?
oh, , I wanna ask you about technology.
(20:38):
So, you everybody's, you know, we'rehere, uh, in June of 2025 and the
hot thing right now is ai, right?
Everybody's talking about ai,but there's lots of other.
Technologies too.
What are you working with rightnow and what technologies are you
working with that are helping youor your agency serve people better?
Ryan Daniel (20:54):
Yeah.
so right now we are workingwith, uh, TripSpark.
We are looking at, uh, forright now, MetroBus high level.
Fix Route Bus.
We have the mobile app, we have the
ticket the and
things of that nature.
But then now we look at Paratransit.
want to make utilize our So rightnow we're working with TripSpark.
We are looking at creating a mobileapp so that way can book your rides
Paul Comfort (21:15):
Oh, I love that
Ryan Daniel (21:16):
And that's the one big thing right now that we're
That's
we, we,
we upgraded all of our fear boxes.
we
but right now we wannafocus on the paratransit
customer
experience piece.
'cause we always wanna where canenhance the customer enhance that mobile
app
will be a game changer just for our
community.
Paul Comfort (21:33):
Yeah.
Where are you at in the process?
Ryan Daniel (21:35):
Oh, we are looking to launch here, uh,
four 2025 or
one of 2026.
Paul Comfort (21:40):
Anything else you wanna talk about on the show today?
Ryan Daniel (21:43):
I'm just to be here.
I'm happy to share knowledge.
happy be joined by St.
Cloud, former St. Cloud Mayor Kleisand board chair, and as we look
to grow the industry, passionate.
The one
thing I would say is, let'sremember re transportation goals.
The
grows.
that community might look differentaround the United States, but we
all have that same driving passion.
Let's keep pushing, pushing and
make sure thattransportation is accessible
(22:04):
for
Paul Comfort (22:05):
That's wonderful.
And Mayor, let me give you the final word.
Talk to U.S. about the roleof public transportation.
In a city like St. Cloud,what does it do for a city?
You know, uh, it kind of ticks meoff that not, you know, five or
10% of the people in America ridetrans, a lot of people don't ride,
but it provides great value, right?
Dave Kleis (22:20):
Oh, it, it does it.
You know, people have to, uh, getgood places and, uh, you know,
there's, uh, uh, one of the thingsI think that's, uh, often lost
issue of, uh, economic development.
You have to have people, uh.
Uh, to get to work and, uh,you know, you're the first
from a city's perspective.
You, you try to create as much,uh, mobility as can, make the
(22:41):
city walkable, uh, and walkableand, and transit oriented.
And that's what we have.
We're, you know, we're in Minnesota,so, you know, one of the things I've,
I've, you've done a lot of travel.
Uh, one of the things inMinnesota, you know, you.
You can drive an hour and a half tolunch, you know, 'cause people will
go from St. Cloud to Minneapolis.
Uh, you know, and, and you people liketo, like to spread out, spread out areas.
So how do you get around, howdo you get people around there?
(23:01):
As you do that through transit, if youcan make it easy, you can make it simple.
Uh, and our goal is, you know,is not only in the technology
thing, but can you make it clean.
You know, and there's been a lot of
Paul Comfort (23:12):
you go
Dave Kleis (23:12):
over the years because, you know, you, you know, we're
also a very cold winter state.
I mean, you just think, I think back,uh, the, you know, years ago when I
was first on the board, all the idlingthat, uh, those big diesel buses
did and how, how terrible it was notonly for the, for the drivers and for
the customers and for those places,.
At every intersection.
Uh, now you got, uh, you, you know,we clean that up, uh, with CNG and
Paul Comfort (23:33):
Are, are you like all CNG?
Dave Kleis (23:35):
Yeah, we are 100% CNG
Paul Comfort (23:36):
Wow, awesome, man.
Dave Kleis (23:37):
You know, the goal will be a hundred percent hydrogen at some point.
Paul Comfort (23:40):
Oh, I love that.
I'm a big hydrogen
Dave Kleis (23:42):
yeah.
not only will it be, uh, clean, it'llbe clean and, uh, and renewable.
So that'll something that,uh, looking forward to doing.
And so, yeah, and you know, ifyou look at over that period of
time, it's really changed, but.
Uh, you know, there's not anemployer in any community that
isn't looking for employees.
It's one of the thing that's happeningright now in the, in the U.S. you
have underemployment a lot of areas.
(24:03):
So do you gotta do?
You gotta make it asconvenient as employee.
And folks want to, you know, andif you look at the largest, uh,
percentage of the workforce for forcein the United States are millennials.
And millennials, uh, you know, more andmore millennials are not buying cars.
Um, you know, I knowsomebody on the other side.
Since I'm on, I'm in the driver'seducation world, I'm always
(24:24):
amazed that younger and youngerpeople are older and older before
they actually get their license
Paul Comfort (24:28):
true, isn't it?
Yeah.
Dave Kleis (24:29):
And so, uh, people are, uh, transit, Oregon.
They wanna live in places wherethey can walk or they can get on
a bus, they can get on a train.
Um, and so that's an important piece.
And Minnesota's also in someof those rural areas are aging.
So how do you get people there?
You know, the, uh, the dial ride or the,uh, you know, the paratransit is a huge.
Huge part of it.
You just gotta get people not only,uh, to work, but you gotta get 'em to
their medical appointments, to the,to the shopping and to the church.
(24:52):
So, uh, yeah, it's moving aroundpeople and doing it in a way that's
convenient and, uh, and, uh, reallyalso, uh, good for the community
and, uh, so the, the green aspectof the technology part of it and
Paul Comfort (25:04):
that's wonderful.
Ryan, thank you so muchfor being our guest today.
Welcome.
Um, I was gonna ask you one more question,just I feel like I want to ask you this.
So what is your vision?
Uh, you know, if you wanna project outwhere you want this transit system to be
in 10 years, you've been there 12, I'msure you wanna stay there for a while.
What is your vision?
What are you shooting for
Ryan Daniel (25:24):
I'm shooting for?
a place, a system where everybodywill leave their cars at home and
utilize public transportation.
If I could
get
every single person who hascar households, four car car
at home and get on the bus.
well done.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's my vision.
I want people to utilize bus,uh, transportation services.
Paul Comfort (25:43):
Well, I can see why Mayor Dave hired you.
You, you, you have the ability,uh, obviously, you know, you're
very articulate and, but youalso have the passion for it.
Yeah.
And you're a believer in it.
I can tell.
that's wonderful, man.
I appreciate you bothbeing on the show today.
You know, coming off the trade showfloor to come over here and chat for a
a
minutes.
I think we've learned a lot and I wish youall the very best in your new facility.
And, uh, and going hydrogen man, clean.
(26:04):
Hydrogen green.
That's awesome.
I love it.
Uh, and hopefully we'll catchback up with you in a year or
two and see how it's going.
Ryan Daniel (26:09):
Sounds good.
Thank Paul.
Yeah.
Thank
Paul Comfort (26:11):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, mayor.
Julie Gates (26:16):
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.
(26:38):
We would love to have you be a partof the Transit Unplugged community by
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.
I'm Paul Comfort, and on this episode of Transit Unplugged,
we go to the Community TransportationAssociation of America's Live 2025 Expo
recording in San Diego, California.
I was just there a couple weeksago and we had a wonderful time.
Uh, at the expo itself.
Um, Scott Borin, the executivedirector of CTA, does such a great job.
There's 1200 people there.
(00:29):
I spoke while I was there.
Uh, along with Mark Ash, we did a,a joint presentation over about two
hours and we also, uh, I also did abook signing at the trans track booth,
and then on the trade show floor.
We recorded a couple podcasts live.
It's always fun when you do that, right?
You sit in front of a booth and youhave a, a crowd gather around you
and you record a CEO there today.
(00:49):
Uh, we interviewed Ryan Daniel, who'sCEO of St. Cloud, Metro Bus, and
he had his board chairman with him.
And I said, Hey man, willyou come over and join U.S.
on the show?
So Dave Kleis , long term board chairand long-term mayor, um, of the city
of St. Cloud was mayor for many years.
Uh, joined U.S. on the show andwe have a two part interview
with both these gentlemen.
Uh, recorded right thereon the trade show floor.
(01:10):
We have another one coming upfor you, uh, soon after that.
And we did a live roving reporter one.
And you know, I'm Paul Comfort andTrepid reporter walking the floor and
talking to various people, includingour friends at Mass Transit Magazine
and some other leaders in the industry.
Uh, so we've got three podcastepisodes coming from the CTAA,
expo 2025, and San Diego.
(01:31):
Enjoy this great interview withRyan Daniel, CEO of St. Cloud, Metro
Bus, and his board chair Dave Kleis.
We're at the CTAA Expoin San Diego, California.
I'm Paul Comfort and thisis Transit Unplugged.
We're doing a couple of livepodcasts here from the floor
(01:54):
of the expo, and I'm excited tohave with me today, Ryan Daniel.
Ryan is CEO of the St.Cloud Metro Bus System.
Ryan, thanks for being on the show.
Ryan Daniel (02:01):
Thank for having me.
Yeah, It's great
to
Paul Comfort (02:02):
And as a last minute edition, we added his
board chair and the former mayor,
20 year
mayor of St. Cloud Minnesota.
Dave Kleis thanks so much for on theshow in a green, you know, of not
knowing I was gonna drag you over here.
Dave Kleis (02:13):
uh, just
In the expo, but no happy
be on
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (02:16):
Yeah.
So the show goes all over the world.
We're in a hundred countries.
Uh, it's the number one MassTransit podcast, and so we're
excited to talk about St. Cloud.
I was telling you, Ryan, I've beenthere before, but tell U.S. actually,
let me ask the mayor, if you don'tmind kick it off, mayor, tell U.S.
some about St. Cloud you know, the cityitself, the demographics, et cetera.
Dave Kleis (02:32):
Sure.
St Cloud's, uh,
you know, been around for about 168 years.
Um, it uh, 72,000 people, but it'sa regional center, so it has daytime
population of about, about 180.
Plus thousand.
So it's a college town.
It has, uh, you know, large hospital.
So it's, uh, the second largestmetropolitan area the Minne
(02:53):
Minnesota next to the Twin Cities.
Paul Comfort (02:55):
Oh, wow.
Dave Kleis (02:55):
uh, uh.
By
it's
MSA,
um, so, or at the municipal, statistical
area, but it's, uh, yeah, anice little area middle uh,
Minnesota.
And, uh, got a, uh, growing,
it continues
to grow.
Metro big part of
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (03:09):
it.
Dave Kleis (03:10):
Uh,
Because, uh, St. Cloud, 72,000 people,there are four additional cities that are
right connected, um, would be consideredin most areas, those suburban areas.
so.
Metro bus or our transit isa joint powers agreement.
So it actually operates under, uh, undera collaborative effort between the,
uh, three cities four,four cities the area.
(03:32):
So the, uh, mayors council members, uh,the city's appoint, uh, representation,
St. Cloud of course being the biggestcity two representatives on there.
Uh, I've been on the board, uh,I've been mayor, so I've been
board years, um, and, uh, and beenchair, I for 16 of those years.
So, uh,
but it's a, you know, it's
community in
(03:52):
and.
about, uh, about an hourfrom, uh, Minneapolis.
so we're,
we're, we're uh,
uh, close to the lakes.
What we in would consider up north.
Uh, anything, uh, north
Cloud
probably up north, but, uh,know, we've got, got 10,000, at
least that's our license plate.
Say we 10,000 lakes,probably about 15,000 lakes.
But it's a, it's a nice stateand a wonderful little community.
Paul Comfort (04:15):
Well, that's good.
That gives U.S. a good setup.
Brian, now tell U.S. about your transit
Ryan Daniel (04:19):
system.
Perfect.
Well, we have anaward-winning transit system.
We are recognized astransit urban system of the
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (04:24):
air
Ryan Daniel (04:24):
by CTAA back in 2015.
So happy, happy to toot that.
Uh, we have a wonderful,staff at Metro Bus.
Well, we provide commuter bus.
Fixed route and
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (04:34):
power transit
Ryan Daniel (04:35):
services in three counties.
Sherburn County, StearnsCounty, and Benton County.
And we operate in four cities, soSt. Cloud Way, park Tel, Salt Rapids.
We average about just undera million rides per year.
We have under a hundred busesand over about 175 employees.
Budget is about 25 million.
We operate seven days aweek, 359 days a year.
Paul Comfort (04:56):
How do you do that?
Ryan Daniel (04:57):
Just don't operate on holidays.
Paul Comfort (04:59):
Yeah.
The six major holidays, holidays.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's good man.
Wow.
And how long have you been there?
Ryan Daniel (05:03):
I've been CEO now for 12 years.
Paul Comfort (05:05):
My system in Queen Dance County won that award in 1991,
CTA, I
tells you how old I
am.
We won that community system ofthe year, the county ride system.
So, uh, gimme a little of your background.
How'd you get into all
Ryan Daniel (05:17):
this?
Well, I started about 26 years ago.
I, when to date myself here.
Started out as a bus operator.
Started 30, right?
Yeah, 19.
Right.
Paul Comfort (05:25):
Yeah.
Ryan Daniel (05:26):
Started out as a bus operator for New York City Transit.
So I'm originally from Brooklyn, New York.
Paul Comfort (05:29):
Oh,
Ryan Daniel (05:29):
Oh.
So
I'm
a city boy.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (05:31):
My dad's from there.
Brooklyn's born in Brooklyn, New York.
Ryan Daniel (05:33):
was I, Brooklyn, New York?
Yep.
Prince Live in Brooklyn.
So, started out 1998, working for NewYork City Transit as a bus operator.
While going to college.
So I did my undergrad in grad school.
Once I graduated, I left, decidedto take the show on the road,
got
on the
bus, went to Ohio, andI took a job at Coda.
Landed a job at Coda.
Paul Comfort (05:50):
Columbus in
Ryan Daniel (05:51):
Columbus, Ohio.
Landed the job there as training manager.
So I stayed there for abouttwo years an opportunity in
Washington DC open up at WMATA.
So I was fortunate enough to beselected to be the manager of bus
operations for WMATA back in 2009,and then I stayed there until 2013.
Then position opened up in St.Cloud Metro Bus to be the CEO,
and I threw my name in a hat.
(06:13):
About a hundred people apply,and I went through the process.
Wow.
and here I am 12 years later.
Paul Comfort (06:17):
Yeah.
We may crossed paths.
When I worked at WA Mata, I was withthe MV running the paratransit system.
Ryan Daniel (06:23):
Oh, okay.
envy.
you, um, outta Hyattsville?
Yep.
Outta Hyattsville.
So I worked outta Landover.
Oh, okay.
I was right down the street.
Yeah.
That's great,
Paul Comfort (06:30):
man.
funny.
Wow.
So Mayor, were you involved hiring him?
I
Dave Kleis (06:34):
Uh, I was uh, chaired, uh, the committee that, uh, that did, we did
a national search uh, fortunately we, uh,were able to, to get Ryan to come up to,
uh, Minnesota, leave, uh, leave DC time.
So, uh, yeah, he's, it's been great.
Uh, CEO, great partnership.
uh, so it's, uh, it, it, uh,continues to grow to won some
(06:54):
national awards over that period oftime and, International Awards too.
Actually, a collaborative effortuh, uh, UN has a, an entity called,
uh, livable Cities in the World.
Paul Comfort (07:05):
I've heard of that.
Dave Kleis (07:05):
And, uh, we, uh, we won, uh, the most livable
city in the world twice, both
2007,
2019.
a lot of that was because ofcollaborations, partnership,
um, you know, sustainability.
we, yeah.
We went, uh, we were the first transitsystem Minnesota to go compress
natural grass, so clean energy.
And, uh, we will be, uh,the city of St. Cloud is
(07:25):
the first municipal,
. Wastewater treatment facilityto actually produce, , energy.
Uh, we as a city produce more energythan we use have now since, uh, 2014.
Uh, actually, so we actuallyproduce, uh, well over close 300%.
So we sell that back to the grid,but we will be the first city that
actually will produce green hydrogen.
(07:48):
so we're working Yeah.
So we're working with Metro Bus,of course now I'm no longer mayor.
I'm the Chair of the Metro bus.
So, uh, we, I, back a few years ago, weset up, , com partnership with MetroBus
to actually utilize that, that, hydrogenand then new flyer, which is also, uh,
Uh, does manufacturing in St. Cloud and
course
the
Paul Comfort (08:07):
Oh,
that's right.
That's your big plant
Dave Kleis (08:09):
Yeah.
So they've agreed to actually lookat moving one of their operations,
which is actually not in Minnesota.
That makes, uh, uh, hydrogen buses.
They, of course, make, uh,electric buses St. Cloud.
Uh, but they're looking at actually,uh, moving some of their operation,
build the hydrogen because ofour ability to produce hydrogen.
And then of course, metro Bus's abilityto actually utilize those buses.
(08:30):
So, uh.
Uh, we're working withthe University of Munster
in Germany and theUniversity of Minnesota,
uh, on the technology.
In fact, um, we will be producing, uh,
the city
of St. Cloud will be producinghydrogen at our wastewater
treatment facility next year.
For marketable purposes.
And it's green hydrogen?
Yes, we, we, make it withsolar and, uh, biomass, so
it's
Paul Comfort (08:51):
Wow.
green.
And, uh,
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (08:52):
uh,
Paul Comfort (08:52):
you
information about thaton the web anywhere?
Dave Kleis (08:54):
Uh, we do on city's website.
Uh, we, if you go there and, uh, we'veactually, we've won some national awards.
Actually U.S. conference of mayor, uh,last year, uh, gave st called an award
because, uh, you know, every city in theworld has, has to get rid of their waste.
And of course, so they have, uh,wastewater treatment facilities.
Uh, so it's a great place to getdispose of water, and why not?
(09:15):
If you're gonna disposeof water, take the water.
Uh, use the, uh, separate the oxygen thehydrogen, use the hydrogen from energy.
'cause you need the oxygento break down the way.
So, uh, it's really simple, but itis a very high energy, uh, utilizer.
But
if you're
ZOOM0003_LR (09:30):
using the
Dave Kleis (09:30):
energy and you're producing the edge green, you do it.
why, uh, it, it will, there's no doubtit'll be, uh, we will, secured state
and federal grants because of it.
And, uh, won an internationalaward because of it.
So, uh, yeah, so some great things andit's a great collaboration with transit.
Paul Comfort (09:45):
I'm gonna come back to you in few minutes, mayor, and you
about, so maybe you can think back.
What about Ryan made youwanna hire him as the CEO?
Because we have a lot of peoplethat listen to the show that
are mid-level management.
That wanna move into those CEO jobs.
They're in positions like you had ada, youknow, of bus operations, and they think,
uh, you know, they aspire to to things.
And so I don't think a lot 'em neverhad a chance to hear from somebody
(10:07):
who chairs the selection committee.
think about that fora minute while I Ryan.
Ryan, uh, prior to this, uh,you were telling me you've got
a lot of big projects going on.
Walk me through some the bigprojects you got happening.
Ryan Daniel (10:16):
Yeah, sure.
So we have a metro bus forwardplan where we are looking at
a bus, a total bus redesign.
So as a result of COVID,a lot of things happen.
The world shut down.
So now COVID is over.
Ridership patterns change,people's lifestyle change.
Everything's 50% virtual,50% in the office.
So how do we capture thatchange in sync cloud community?
So we decided right on the onset ofright on the offset of COVID, we decided
(10:37):
to do a metro bus forward plan wherewe just do everything on the mall.
Hey, let's just tear this apart.
How can we best meet the needsof the community moving forward?
How best can we serve our community?
Because we all know wheretransportation goes.
The community grows.
So we wanna grow thecommunity coming outta COVID.
Let's meet the needs and let'ssay, Hey, how can we best do this?
So we did a 18 month study.
(10:58):
We hired some consultants, we dida whole stakeholder engagement.
We got the community involved.
'cause once again, it'sabout the community.
They're the ones utilizingour services businesses.
They hire staff, they hire people.
People, take transportation.
So we want to capture everybody.
So we had stakeholder forums, we hadpublic hearings, we had open house,
and each one of those sessions,Paul, we had about maybe 50 to a
hundred people in those sessions.
We're so excited to see that we even hadour own bus operators come in and telling
(11:21):
U.S. Hey.
Not this street, this street, not this.
Stop that stop.
And people say, Hey, can you open?
Can you open early?
Can you run later?
So we took all of that feedback andthen worked with the consultants and
we put together a nice master plan,and it was just approved by the board
here about maybe four months ago.
So, so that's one thing that'sgonna be coming in the hopper
here, second quarter of 2026.
In addition to that.
We purchased some property ina city called Way Park, one of
(11:41):
our cities that we operate in.
Where?
On that side of town, thewestern side of St. Cloud.
On, on that side.
We have a lot of growththat's going on over there.
So we wanna capture that growth.
There's an amphitheater over there.
There are hotels, there areshopping malls, there's a lot
of residential housing going up.
So we have a transit center.
We bought a parcel of land, right?
Dead smack in the middle ofthat residential neighborhood.
'cause we wanna capture that growth.
(12:01):
We want people just to utilizetransportation and we wanna make it as
accessible as possible as we possibly can.
Wow.
So that.
We purchased the land, wegonna do construction here.
We just issued a RFP here recently.
And we're gonna tie the openingof that transit station together
with our long range plan changes.
And we're looking atdoing everything in 2026.
Awesome.
So a lot of moving parts now.
(12:22):
All hands on deck.
Everybody's excited.
It's a team effort frommarketing to maintenance, to
operations, to planning everybody.
And with the of our board andour board chair, uh, former
mayor of St. Cloud, mayor Price.
We're just gonna make happenbecause all have that passion for
transportation and we wanna grow
communities one person at a time.
Paul Comfort (12:39):
When
we come back after this quick break, we'regonna talk to the Mayor Dave Kleis and
ask him, what did he look for in a CEOwhen he hired you, Ryan, after this word.
Hey friends, it's Paul Comforthost of Transit Unplugged, and I've
got some exciting news to share.
Did you know that Transit Unpluggedis now a hybrid podcast experience?
(13:00):
That's right.
We're not just in your ears anymore.
We're on your screens too.
Each week on YouTube now you'llfind a brand new version of our show
featuring a video intro from me,plus behind the scenes photos and
visuals of our guests when we recordinterviews on location in person.
From transit centers towaterfronts and boardrooms,
we're taking you there visually.
(13:20):
Adding a whole new layer to thestorytelling and the response
so far has been amazing.
Thousands of people are already watchingand listening on YouTube and most
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(13:44):
We're making transit media more dynamic,more accessible, and more fun than ever.
And I'd love to haveyou along for the ride.
Now let's get back to the conversation.
And we're back with, um, my goodfriend Ryan Daniel, who is CEO of St.
Cloud, Metro Bus, and, uh, Dave Kleis theboard chair of Metro Bus, and also the
former mayor of the City of St. Cloud.
(14:05):
Thank you again, gentlemen,for being on the show.
This is.
Very insightful stuff.
And so speaking of that, Dave, Iwas thinking, you know, so I've been
a CEO of a transit system, right?
And I've been county administratorhired county commissioners, and you
go through this selection process andyou get interviewed by a board, and
I know a lot of our listeners are.
You know, upwardly mobile, they're peoplethat have, that wanna make a difference
(14:26):
in this world, uh, in the, they'vechosen transportation as their field,
like you and I have Ryan to make thathappen, and they want to become CEOs
or directors, whatever the title is.
Dave, what, what is a group like,you were the mayor and you were
chair of the selection committee.
What does a group look for,or what did you look for?
Let's just say that when you look for aCEO of your system, when you hired Brian,
Dave Kleis (14:46):
Well first you look for, you know, the, the obvious piece
is the experience, uh, supervision.
Obviously you're gonna be, uh,supervising and hiring, uh, employees.
So you understand that that's at a basic.
But I always looked for,uh, drive and compassion.
And, uh, you know, it's interesting'cause the committee that I chaired,
uh, we had, we had a number offolks, we did a national search
(15:07):
and a lot of folks came forward.
And I remember the discussion aroundRyan and I was a big advocate of hiring
ZOOM0003_LR (15:12):
him because.
He came from a system, now he came,you know, originally in New York
and then from DC and this is St.
Dave Kleis (15:17):
Cloud, Minnesota, a much smaller system.
Uh, so, uh, I had some, uh, you know,trepidation from some of the board members
saying, well, you know, he's, he's onlygonna be with U.S. for a little while
and he's gonna probably be upward andmobile and, and, uh, you know, I said,
yeah, that's exactly who I would hire.
Uh, somebody who is upward and mobilebecause, you know, they're not only
looking at, uh, helping the systemthat they're gonna be hired to do,
(15:39):
but they're also looking at, uh, youknow, and, and if I can hire somebody.
And I've done a lot of hiring atthe city and I own, actually, I
own a driver's education business,so I've owned that 34 years.
So I've hired a lot of people and, uh,
Paul Comfort (15:50):
by way, a great voice for radio.
a great voice of radio.
Yeah, thank,
deep
Dave Kleis (15:53):
thank you.
I've done some radio but, uh,it, you know, it's, uh, it is a,
it is something that I look foras somebody that really, um, is.
Looks at their own, you know, theircareer and their future, and that's great.
I always say, if you could hiresomebody, you know, I remember
talking to one of the, one
of
the committee members who said, yeah,he'll only be here, you know, for.
Five years ago, that'd bea great five years because
(16:14):
that's exactly what you want.
You want someone to come in, geta little external perspective
now, and you know, oftentimes youhire within and that's fine too.
Uh, we had some internalcandidates, uh, we had some
folks
that were outside, but Ryan knew hisstuff and you know, and I, I, and after
hiring and knowing Ryan, you know,I've known Ryan for the whole time
that he's been here uh, yeah, 12 years.
And, uh, you know, not only, uh.
(16:36):
The CEO, but we're, we're good friends.
But he, he has a passion.
Uh, the guy lives a transit and so,and that was pretty evident too,
because he had that experience.
You know, he came You know,he drove a bus in New York.
I mean, I would want to drive a carand I barely wanna be in transit in
New York, um, with the way traffic andeverything is, but he came from that
system and then in, in DC and thencoming into a system much smaller.
(17:00):
But, um, you know, giving him anopportunity, , to actually, , to be
the CEO is a whole different thing.
So I, I look at that type of, uh, upwardmobility, uh, you know, in hiring.
And it was not in anyway a. And no regrets.
In fact, uh, you know, the,the board after we made that
selection, and Brian's done a greatjob, uh, during that 12 years.
(17:20):
, So , he's, uh, you know, he certainly,has the, and that's most people that
apply for a job have the skill involved,but the passion for what they do, and,
you you should be looking at, uh, Ilook at upward mobility because then,
you know, you, somebody wants to.
Excel in what they do, not only inthe company that they're running and
(17:40):
the in the system they're running,but in their own personal, uh, drive.
Uh, that's got that kind of don't wantsomebody that's gonna settle and wants
to retire and then, you know, or Or wantsto just, you know, this is a job that
makes it easier than I was doing before.
No, you want somebody who is gonnanot only challenge the system,
but challenge themselves in upward
Paul Comfort (17:59):
That's great.
What a great answer.
And Ryan, how's your experience been?
I mean, have you, everything's been good.
You think?
That's great, man.
That's really good.
Ryan Daniel (18:07):
Very fortunate to have Dave as a boss and as a friend and as
Paul Comfort (18:09):
Yeah, it's
Ryan Daniel (18:10):
really uplifting for 12
Paul Comfort (18:13):
What do you consider, you know, kind of your.
As a CEO, what do you thinkthe key attributes are?
So we'll just keep thiskind of conversation going.
So this is what we, this is what, uh,your boss, uh, Dave, as the mayor and
the former board chair was looking for.
What do you think is key for A CEO orsomeone who wants to move into leadership?
What kind of things would theybe working on on themselves?
Ryan Daniel (18:33):
Mentorship, number have to find someone who
mentor.
gotta have a
mentor that's very important.
two, it's technical skills.
Utilize trainings like APTA,
Leaders Academy,
the
Mid Managed Program.
Utilize those platforms, utilize those
(18:54):
training platforms
not only for the educationalfor the networking
component.
Because everybody in thathad drive the passion
to want to be what
better
place similar
like-minded people like yourself
ZOOM0003_Tr2 (19:08):
to do the same thing?
So I
Ryan Daniel (19:10):
would say
definitely take advantage thosebecause those very beneficial.
Paul Comfort (19:13):
Yeah.
I mean, that's kind of whatwe're doing here, right?
CTAA, you were the, youwere the system of the year.
What, what, what do you get from CTAA?
What, what are the, whatdo you enjoy about it?
Ryan Daniel (19:22):
Well, not only that, not only that I'm on the board.
I get to help drive direction
the
process, help association,
but also provide valuable input.
once again, it's not about it's aboutthe future generation succeeding as well.
So what does that How we
train the uh, leaders?
(19:42):
How can we
ensure that
content that are putting out.
It's gonna
be valuable worthwhile for
attendees, so that waythey could grow into
Paul Comfort (19:50):
Yeah.
Ryan Daniel (19:50):
being to provide strategic
direction
and that input is
valuable.
And I
and not only that from a, from a,uh, executive step, from executive
just looking at having CTAA be thatplatform, for U.S. on the Hill lobby in.
Yeah.
of Yeah.
Scott Borin, the executive director,
phenomenal,
doing an Yeah.
He's
CTA
now for Wello
over 30 years.
(20:12):
his for
unmet.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (20:17):
He, he and I kind of started around the same time.
I started in 87.
In Queen Annes County,
Maryland
Mm-hmm.
the county ride system, like I mentioned.
And Scott was editor of their magazine.
Dave Raphael was the head ofthe association back then.
And, Scott and I both,he stayed in one place.
I went around and worked for a bunch,but we've been buddies ever since.
And he's, he's anothertransit evangelist, right?
oh, , I wanna ask you about technology.
(20:38):
So, you everybody's, you know, we'rehere, uh, in June of 2025 and the
hot thing right now is ai, right?
Everybody's talking about ai,but there's lots of other.
Technologies too.
What are you working with rightnow and what technologies are you
working with that are helping youor your agency serve people better?
Ryan Daniel (20:54):
Yeah.
so right now we are workingwith, uh, TripSpark.
We are looking at, uh, forright now, MetroBus high level.
Fix Route Bus.
We have the mobile app, we have the
ticket the and
things of that nature.
But then now we look at Paratransit.
want to make utilize our So rightnow we're working with TripSpark.
We are looking at creating a mobileapp so that way can book your rides
Paul Comfort (21:15):
Oh, I love that
Ryan Daniel (21:16):
And that's the one big thing right now that we're
That's
we, we,
we upgraded all of our fear boxes.
we
but right now we wannafocus on the paratransit
customer
experience piece.
'cause we always wanna where canenhance the customer enhance that mobile
app
will be a game changer just for our
community.
Paul Comfort (21:33):
Yeah.
Where are you at in the process?
Ryan Daniel (21:35):
Oh, we are looking to launch here, uh,
four 2025 or
one of 2026.
Paul Comfort (21:40):
Anything else you wanna talk about on the show today?
Ryan Daniel (21:43):
I'm just to be here.
I'm happy to share knowledge.
happy be joined by St.
Cloud, former St. Cloud Mayor Kleisand board chair, and as we look
to grow the industry, passionate.
The one
thing I would say is, let'sremember re transportation goals.
The
grows.
that community might look differentaround the United States, but we
all have that same driving passion.
Let's keep pushing, pushing and
make sure thattransportation is accessible
(22:04):
for
Paul Comfort (22:05):
That's wonderful.
And Mayor, let me give you the final word.
Talk to U.S. about the roleof public transportation.
In a city like St. Cloud,what does it do for a city?
You know, uh, it kind of ticks meoff that not, you know, five or
10% of the people in America ridetrans, a lot of people don't ride,
but it provides great value, right?
Dave Kleis (22:20):
Oh, it, it does it.
You know, people have to, uh, getgood places and, uh, you know,
there's, uh, uh, one of the thingsI think that's, uh, often lost
issue of, uh, economic development.
You have to have people, uh.
Uh, to get to work and, uh,you know, you're the first
from a city's perspective.
You, you try to create as much,uh, mobility as can, make the
(22:41):
city walkable, uh, and walkableand, and transit oriented.
And that's what we have.
We're, you know, we're in Minnesota,so, you know, one of the things I've,
I've, you've done a lot of travel.
Uh, one of the things inMinnesota, you know, you.
You can drive an hour and a half tolunch, you know, 'cause people will
go from St. Cloud to Minneapolis.
Uh, you know, and, and you people liketo, like to spread out, spread out areas.
So how do you get around, howdo you get people around there?
(23:01):
As you do that through transit, if youcan make it easy, you can make it simple.
Uh, and our goal is, you know,is not only in the technology
thing, but can you make it clean.
You know, and there's been a lot of
Paul Comfort (23:12):
you go
Dave Kleis (23:12):
over the years because, you know, you, you know, we're
also a very cold winter state.
I mean, you just think, I think back,uh, the, you know, years ago when I
was first on the board, all the idlingthat, uh, those big diesel buses
did and how, how terrible it was notonly for the, for the drivers and for
the customers and for those places,.
At every intersection.
Uh, now you got, uh, you, you know,we clean that up, uh, with CNG and
Paul Comfort (23:33):
Are, are you like all CNG?
Dave Kleis (23:35):
Yeah, we are 100% CNG
Paul Comfort (23:36):
Wow, awesome, man.
Dave Kleis (23:37):
You know, the goal will be a hundred percent hydrogen at some point.
Paul Comfort (23:40):
Oh, I love that.
I'm a big hydrogen
Dave Kleis (23:42):
yeah.
not only will it be, uh, clean, it'llbe clean and, uh, and renewable.
So that'll something that,uh, looking forward to doing.
And so, yeah, and you know, ifyou look at over that period of
time, it's really changed, but.
Uh, you know, there's not anemployer in any community that
isn't looking for employees.
It's one of the thing that's happeningright now in the, in the U.S. you
have underemployment a lot of areas.
(24:03):
So do you gotta do?
You gotta make it asconvenient as employee.
And folks want to, you know, andif you look at the largest, uh,
percentage of the workforce for forcein the United States are millennials.
And millennials, uh, you know, more andmore millennials are not buying cars.
Um, you know, I knowsomebody on the other side.
Since I'm on, I'm in the driver'seducation world, I'm always
(24:24):
amazed that younger and youngerpeople are older and older before
they actually get their license
Paul Comfort (24:28):
true, isn't it?
Yeah.
Dave Kleis (24:29):
And so, uh, people are, uh, transit, Oregon.
They wanna live in places wherethey can walk or they can get on
a bus, they can get on a train.
Um, and so that's an important piece.
And Minnesota's also in someof those rural areas are aging.
So how do you get people there?
You know, the, uh, the dial ride or the,uh, you know, the paratransit is a huge.
Huge part of it.
You just gotta get people not only,uh, to work, but you gotta get 'em to
their medical appointments, to the,to the shopping and to the church.
(24:52):
So, uh, yeah, it's moving aroundpeople and doing it in a way that's
convenient and, uh, and, uh, reallyalso, uh, good for the community
and, uh, so the, the green aspectof the technology part of it and
Paul Comfort (25:04):
that's wonderful.
Ryan, thank you so muchfor being our guest today.
Welcome.
Um, I was gonna ask you one more question,just I feel like I want to ask you this.
So what is your vision?
Uh, you know, if you wanna project outwhere you want this transit system to be
in 10 years, you've been there 12, I'msure you wanna stay there for a while.
What is your vision?
What are you shooting for
Ryan Daniel (25:24):
I'm shooting for?
a place, a system where everybodywill leave their cars at home and
utilize public transportation.
If I could
get
every single person who hascar households, four car car
at home and get on the bus.
well done.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's my vision.
I want people to utilize bus,uh, transportation services.
Paul Comfort (25:43):
Well, I can see why Mayor Dave hired you.
You, you, you have the ability,uh, obviously, you know, you're
very articulate and, but youalso have the passion for it.
Yeah.
And you're a believer in it.
I can tell.
that's wonderful, man.
I appreciate you bothbeing on the show today.
You know, coming off the trade showfloor to come over here and chat for a
a
minutes.
I think we've learned a lot and I wish youall the very best in your new facility.
And, uh, and going hydrogen man, clean.
(26:04):
Hydrogen green.
That's awesome.
I love it.
Uh, and hopefully we'll catchback up with you in a year or
two and see how it's going.
Ryan Daniel (26:09):
Sounds good.
Thank Paul.
Yeah.
Thank
Paul Comfort (26:11):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, mayor.
Julie Gates (26:16):
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.
(26:38):
We would love to have you be a partof the Transit Unplugged community by
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.
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