July 2, 2025 • 17 mins
How do you rebuild a public transportation system from the ground up? In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort sits down with Mallory Avis, Director of Public Transit for the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, to talk about one of the most ambitious overhauls of a small-city transit system in the U.S. today.
Recorded live at the CTAA Expo in San Diego, this conversation captures the energy and complexity behind Battle Creek’s transformation from a traditional city department to a newly established transit authority—Ride Calhoun. From a successful countywide vote to fund service expansion, to launching microtransit, rebranding the system, and replacing a historic bus fleet, Mallory shares what it takes to transition a legacy system into a responsive, community-driven authority.
This is a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it means to "start fresh"—and what happens when voters actually say yes to better public transport.
🎧 Podcast Credits:
Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo
Creator, Host, + Producer: Paul Comfort
Executive Producer: Julie Gates
Producer + Newsletter Editor: Chris O’Keeffe
Associate Producer: Cyndi Raskin
Podcast Intern: Desmond Gates
Special thanks to:
🎨 Brand Design: Tina Olagundoye
📱 Social Media: Tatyana Mechkarova
Got a question or comment? Email us at: info@transitunplugged.com
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.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Paul Comfort (00:08):
Hey, did you start your day today with a great bowl of cereal?
Maybe some FrostedFlakes, some raisin bran?
Do you know where that cereal is made?
I. It's made in Battle Creek, Michigan.
That's right.
And they've got a greattransit system there that is
actually in a big transition.
We're gonna tell you all aboutit today on Transit Unplugged.
(00:28):
I'm Paul Comfort, and I recently gotto sit down with Mallory Avis, the
public transit director for the City ofBattle Creek, Michigan and Battle Creek
Transit while we were at the CommunityTransportation Association of America.
CTAA Expo in San Diego.
We sat down right out on the trade showfloor hosted by our good friends at
TripSpark Technologies, and we interviewedher about something big happening
(00:51):
there in Calhoun County, Michigan.
And that is that they're transitioningthe transit system from a city department.
To a transportation authority.
That's right.
The voters voted to do that and theygave some money to do it as well.
We're gonna tell you all about that.
She'll tell you all about that on thisinterview and securing the additional
funding they needed and what the processis of changing a transit system in
(01:13):
serial city America from, uh, cityoperation to a standalone authority
on this episode of Transit Unplugged.
All right.
We're in San Diego at theCommunity Transportation
Association of America's Expo
(01:35):
and uh, I'm Paul Comfort.
This is Transit Unplugged, the world'sleading transit executive podcast.
I'm excited to be with Mallory Avis,who is the director of Transportation
for the City of Battle Creek,Michigan, which is where we all get
our Kellogg cereals from Mallory.
Mallory Avis (01:47):
Indeed it is.
Yes.
So we're actually at the TripSparkbooth right in the center of the hall
with hundreds of people milling around.
U.S. you're gonna hear alittle background noise.
We love doing these live podcasts.
Mallory, tell U.S. uh, a littlebit about where you're from and
give U.S. about serial city.
Absolutely.
So, uh, you know, I was born and raised in Chicago, moved to Michigan
as a teenager, and going from Chicago torural Michigan was a huge culture shock.
(02:12):
So, went from somewhere where mygrandma never had a driver's license,
used the bus to get everywhere.
To somewhere where a car is requiredto go anywhere and your closest grocery
store is about half an hour away.
Transportation has always been in myblood and I had the opportunity six years
ago to go to the city of Battle Creekand run their transit department there.
(02:32):
So we've made some major changes to oursystem and we're excited about some of the
things that are going on in Battle Creek.
That's great.
So tell U.S.
about Battle Creek.
All right, we gotta dive into this.
'cause as a kid growing up Yeah.
You always hear, you know, I'm getting myKellogg's, whatever cereal I'm eating that
morning, it's from Battle Creek, Michigan.
So give U.S. a story on that.
Yeah.
So we are the breakfastcapital of the world.
Okay.
Uh, our city logo even, youknow, says Cereal city USA.
(02:56):
Oh, that's cool.
Our first transit system was actuallycalled Serial City Coach Company back in
the 18 hundreds, the old interurban days.
Nice and
serial city coach company transferred over to the
city of Battle Creek and the.
1970s and, uh, now we've been known asBattle Creek Transit since, but Kellogg
is still a staple as well as post cereal.
So, oh, post is there, that'sright post is there as well.
(03:17):
Yeah.
Raisin brand.
Yeah.
I love Raisin brand.
Yeah,
the, it smells like Fruity Pebbles some days, so I Oh wow.
I was the idiot when we moved there.
Who?
Uh, I walked outside and I'mlike, what's that smell like?
It smells like blueberries.
And they're like, uh, cereal.
It's just the, the normin, in Battle Creek.
A lot of people work in the serialbusiness, I guess, there, yeah.
(03:38):
Yeah.
So we have
a very large manufacturing, um, industrial park and, uh, so I
would say manufacturing is our, ourprimary and Kellogg's headquarters
are there in Battle Creek as well.
Okay.
Have you toured any of theplaces where they make it?
Do they offer tours?
They used to, so I actually have from when I was a, a teenager, I have
a picture of myself on a cornflake spot.
(03:59):
Oh, you could get a souvenir CornFlakes box with your picture out there.
Oh,
that's cool, man.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, that's good.
So what's your population?
Give U.S. some of the demographicsand then we'll talk about your system.
Yeah, yeah.
So Battle Creek, the city of BattleCreek is just over 50,000 in populations.
So we're a very small city.
Our county in total ismore in the 130,000 range.
So we have four cities, smallcities in the uh, Calhoun County.
(04:22):
We run fixed route anddemand response paratransit.
And then we launched a smallmicrotransit pilot that kind of led
to some big things in Calhoun Countyover the west gonna meet you person.
Wow.
And I think the biggest thing that I'dlove you to talk about today is you're
in the process of changing from a citydepartment to a transit authority.
Tell U.S. about that, Mallory.
Yeah, so when I came to the city five years ago, we were
(04:45):
kind of told this is this is it.
The city is looking to transitionaway from this being a general
fund responsibility and.
Fix this problem.
And so that's what we did.
We've spent the last five years reallydoing community stakeholder engagement,
education, advocacy, and talking tothe communities about what they need.
We did a study in 2020 that demonstratedabout 20,000 unmet trips per year.
(05:11):
So we launched a pilot with thehelp of MDA that we call bc Go.
And that pilot, we were like, okay,two vehicles, that should be enough.
You know, we're gonna meet the needthat the consultants identified.
They way underestimated it.
So our first year of operations,we had 150,000 trip requests.
Wow.
And we only met about 22,000 photos.
So we are not meeting all of the demand.
(05:35):
And we used all of that data toengage the community and say, Hey,
let's start a robust, comprehensive,countywide transportation system.
But it's gonna cost you.
Yeah.
So, uh, we went to the voterslast year and asked them to create
a transit authority and fund atransit authority, and it passed
59% like the WOW community spoke.
(05:56):
Wow.
That's something, yeah.
When they did that, didthey vote on funding?
They did.
We proposed a 2.66 millsproperty tax millage.
So that means it's roughly $266per year for every $100,000 of
value on somebody's property.
Yeah.
So if I got a $200,000 house in BattleCreek, I'm paying 500 for transit.
(06:17):
Yeah.
500 a year.
And they
voted 59% of the people voted Yes.
Understanding that, voted for it.
Yes.
They want
better transit.
They, yeah, they spoke.
That's really interesting, Mallory.
When we come back after, uh, thisquick break, I want to ask you how
it's been implemented and what thenext steps are to actually start,
Paul Comfort (06:33):
uh, public Transit Authority.
(07:42):
We're back at the Community Transportation
Association of America CTAs Expo.
We are in San Diego.
Go California, and it has been kind ofa chilly day, a little bit, maybe 68.
What do you think Mallory?
Mallory Avis (07:55):
Uh, who would've thought that Michigan would be warmer right now?
Yeah.
Than California.
How about it?
Southern California?
That, yeah.
So right before the break we weretalking about the voters voted 59%.
To fund a new transit authority.
Yeah.
So where are you at in the processnow and what does that look like
when you start a transit authority?
You know, I think a lot of people take for granted the
work that has to go on behind it.
(08:15):
And we passed it, what,November 5th was the election.
Okay.
We passed the millage and then Ithink people were expecting buses
to be on the road November 6th.
So, you know, a lot of it is communityeducation and community input.
We have a board.
Uh, the board is really working tomake sure that the community has input.
Some of these communities have neverhad transportation at all before.
(08:38):
So I shared earlier that we are, you know,50,000, just over 50,000 in population.
We don't have Uber, we don't have Lyft.
We don't even have taxislike private taxi companies.
Oh, wow.
Yeah.
So public transit is the only option.
That's probably why thevoters voted for it.
Absolutely.
Like they, they don'thave lot of other options.
Yeah.
They know.
And so really I, you know, we're startinga business from the ground up and we had
(08:59):
to do everything from brand recognition.
So we had to create a brand.
From, you know, the ground up and thatbrand's gonna be called Ride Calhoun
is that's the name of your county?
Yes.
Yep.
So Battle
Paul Comfort (09:10):
Creek is a city in Calhoun County?
Yes.
Okay, got it.
So
Mallory Avis (09:12):
we're gonna go from Battle Creek Transit to Ride Calhoun, and
we're gonna have three modes of service.
RC Ride Calhoun, RC Max,RC Move, and RC Flex.
And so really creatingall of those services.
And now working on what do the legalagreements and arrangements look like
for the transition of the assets?
(09:34):
The experts already existin, in Calhoun County.
We're already there.
We've been doing the work, and sotransitioning all of that over to an
entirely different governance structure,that is where the work really begins now.
Yeah.
So what do the city council think of it?
I'm not gonna lie, it's mixed.
Obviously it's political.
There's some people who feel likethey're losing control of transit and
(09:54):
the decision making related to transit.
I look at it as now the peoplehave more direct control.
Right?
So.
We have to go for renewal of thismillage in four years, and obviously
if we aren't meeting the needs ofthe voters and we aren't fulfilling
our promises that we made, then theycan choose not to renew that millage.
And that's roughly $5 milliona year of funding that.
(10:15):
Yeah, that we're looking at.
What's your total of budget?
The
total budget for the system is 12 million.
Okay.
Our current budget for Battle Creek Transit is
only about four or 5 million.
Oh, wow.
So, you know, we're growing significantly, almost doubling the size
of our fleet and then serving three citiesthat previously weren't served before.
That's interest.
So you have a new board of directors.
Yeah, and it's a good mix of people.
(10:36):
Really.
We're lucky this first round ofboard members are everywhere from the
president of the local community college.
To the chair of the localeconomic development firm.
Oh yeah.
Movers and Shakers Local, yes.
Local elected officials like, andthese people are doing it voluntarily.
Right?
They don't get paid.
And I think making sure the communityknows that they're doing it because
they're passionate about it, not becausethere's any sort of quid pro quo going on.
(10:59):
Yeah,
that's good.
They care about mobility and they understand the
need from whatever their respectivepositions are in their full-time job.
Yeah.
So, where are you at in theprocess and what happens next?
So, we are expecting to fully launch Ride Calhoun by October 1st.
So we are Wow.
This year, 2025.
Yeah.
We are
in the thick of it.
I have the honor of serving as theexecutive director for Ride Calhoun,
(11:22):
while also being the public transitdirector for the city of Battle Creek.
Alright, now
pause.
Yeah.
You get double paid.
No.
Oh man, double,
definitely double the work.
Double the headache.
Okay.
Yeah.
Uh, same paycheck.
Okay.
All.
Are you gonna need more federalmoney and stuff for the buses?
Because you're gonna We are.
Yeah, we are.
We have been so lucky to have the support at both the
federal level and the state level.
(11:43):
So really for the last four years we'vebeen doing the pilot, our BC Go pilot.
Yeah.
Which was a microtransitsystem that ran countywide.
So it was a ruralmicrotransit demonstration.
It's to kind of see like,would this idea work?
In mdot, the Michigan Departmentof Transportation, they funded
that at a hundred percent Okay.
For the last four years.
Wow.
So capital operating all of it.
(12:04):
And then now they've come throughwith kind of the, the funding that
we need to transition as well as FTA.
And then we were very lucky toget some congressionally directed.
Spending over the last year tohelp with all of the, I'm gonna
say startup costs that go with,
who's your congress person up there?
Uh,
Senator Peters, so Thank you.
Senator Peters.
Okay.
For the, the congressionallydirected spending.
That's great.
Yeah.
Where are you getting, like yourbuses, are they gonna be electric?
(12:27):
What are you doing with all thebuses kind of stuff, and how are
you gonna get buses so quick?
I know, right?
So I don't think people understand that.
Like there's not a dealership that, yeah.
Right.
You can just walk on a lotand drive away with a bus.
Right.
So making sure thecommunity understands that.
The good thing is that.
Over the last five years in BattleCreek, 70% of our fleet has been
replaced over the last five years.
(12:47):
Oh, wow.
Good job.
So when I came to Battle Creek, ouraverage age of our buses was 17 years.
Oh man.
So when I came in 2019, most of ourbuses were between 2001 and 2006 years.
That's almost historic,
Paul Comfort (13:01):
you know, it
Mallory Avis (13:02):
really, they had like 900,000 miles on them.
Wow.
And they had been passed downfrom several other agencies.
So, you know, it was one ofthose like, we'll give you this
bus for a dollar kind of thing.
Paul Comfort (13:10):
Yeah.
Mallory Avis (13:11):
And so I had the challenge of like, we've gotta fix our state
of good repair situation right now.
And so now we're going into this brandnew authority with an entirely new fleet.
Funding for a new renovated facility.
Funding for a new cad, A BL software,funding for rebranding and marketing.
We really get the chanceto truly build it.
(13:34):
Are you in the middleof all that right now?
In the middle of all of it.
Wow.
Yeah.
With three people.
A lot going on.
Which are People are, yeah.
Yeah.
Who are they?
I have an operations supervisor.
Okay.
A maintenance supervisor myself.
And then I have a mobility manager who'sreally, you know, kind of taken on a lot
of the community engagement aspects of Oh
yeah.
You know,
making sure the public gets a chance to stay involved in this.
And, and what does that look like?
(13:54):
What's the process of communication?
Oh,
I tell you, so I'll give you a perfect example.
I land back in Michigan Thursday at 5 55.
I think our clean land after this.
Yeah, yeah.
Yep.
After CTAA is over, I have a presentationthat Thursday night at 7:00 PM Wow.
Yeah.
You know, going to all of our citycouncil meetings, township meetings,
making sure that we are anywhere, weare invited to be able to educate the
(14:17):
community on what's happening, becauseultimately they're paying for it.
Right?
And they have questions about what'shappening, where are we going, and when
do we get to start riding these new buses?
Yeah.
How about it?
Yeah, that's good.
Well, that's wonderful.
Congratulations to you, Mallory, on this.
Thank you.
Do you think it'll be started by October?
October 1st?
We are, you know, I actually met somegreat people here that are gonna,
you know, we're gonna touch base on.
(14:38):
Wrapping the vehicles,rebranding everything.
We get a chance to start fresh.
I don't think very manycommunities get to do that.
No.
So we get to start fresh, a brand newtransit system in a community that's
never had this level of transit before.
And our goal is to just do it.
Right.
That's great.
That's great.
So wrapping up, give U.S. alittle bit about your personal
life, if you don't mind.
(14:59):
Family hobbies?
Any good books you've read lately?
Oh yeah.
You mean
besides yours?
Oh, thank you.
And I didn't pay her to say that.
Yeah, so I said earlier, I grew up in Chicago and I think when you
get moved as a teenager, you're alwayslike, I'm going back to where I came from.
Paul Comfort (15:14):
Yeah.
Mallory Avis (15:14):
Michigan has grown on me.
I think if you've never been to Michigan.
Michigan is a beautiful, beautiful state.
No matter which sideof the state you're on.
So, you know, I, I marriedmy high school sweetheart.
We've been married for 17 years.
We have two beautiful children.
I'm lucky.
I have a boy and a girl.
Oh, that's good.
Yeah.
Uh, my daughter's four, my son is two.
(15:36):
And we get the chance to kindof be active in our communities.
So my husband works at the VA hospitalin Battle Creek, and we both get
to kind of work in these pillars.
Of the community industries.
Yeah.
And uh, it's really nice.
Yeah.
We're looking forward to raisingour family in, in Battle Creek.
That's good.
And what do you do like for hobbies?
Oh, work.
Yeah.
Not gonna lie.
(15:56):
Right now it's, it's two full-time jobs.
I've always been a workaholica little bit, I think.
So in the past, bartending was my hobby.
Okay.
Right.
It like how many hobbies makeyou money on the side as well.
Now I, you know, around a patiofire, I get to, I get to bartend a
little bit for my husband and I, but.
Really our, our time is consumedwith our kids right now.
(16:17):
Right now they're little.
We're kind of soaking it in.
Yep.
Understood.
And then when we're not doing that, I'm working, when I'm not
wearing the Battle Creek Transit hat,I'm wearing the Ride Calhoun hat.
So there
you go.
Well Ma, you've got a big job still aheadof you all this summer and into the fall.
Yeah.
I wish you the very best.
I can't wait to see what allhappens in October when you
actually make the transition.
Yes.
You'll have to come checkit out when we're done.
Alright, thanks again for beinga guest on Transit Unplug.
(16:39):
Thank
Paul Comfort (16:40):
you.
Hey, did you start your day today with a great bowl of cereal?
Maybe some FrostedFlakes, some raisin bran?
Do you know where that cereal is made?
I. It's made in Battle Creek, Michigan.
That's right.
And they've got a greattransit system there that is
actually in a big transition.
We're gonna tell you all aboutit today on Transit Unplugged.
(00:28):
I'm Paul Comfort, and I recently gotto sit down with Mallory Avis, the
public transit director for the City ofBattle Creek, Michigan and Battle Creek
Transit while we were at the CommunityTransportation Association of America.
CTAA Expo in San Diego.
We sat down right out on the trade showfloor hosted by our good friends at
TripSpark Technologies, and we interviewedher about something big happening
(00:51):
there in Calhoun County, Michigan.
And that is that they're transitioningthe transit system from a city department.
To a transportation authority.
That's right.
The voters voted to do that and theygave some money to do it as well.
We're gonna tell you all about that.
She'll tell you all about that on thisinterview and securing the additional
funding they needed and what the processis of changing a transit system in
(01:13):
serial city America from, uh, cityoperation to a standalone authority
on this episode of Transit Unplugged.
All right.
We're in San Diego at theCommunity Transportation
Association of America's Expo
(01:35):
and uh, I'm Paul Comfort.
This is Transit Unplugged, the world'sleading transit executive podcast.
I'm excited to be with Mallory Avis,who is the director of Transportation
for the City of Battle Creek,Michigan, which is where we all get
our Kellogg cereals from Mallory.
Mallory Avis (01:47):
Indeed it is.
Yes.
So we're actually at the TripSparkbooth right in the center of the hall
with hundreds of people milling around.
U.S. you're gonna hear alittle background noise.
We love doing these live podcasts.
Mallory, tell U.S. uh, a littlebit about where you're from and
give U.S. about serial city.
Absolutely.
So, uh, you know, I was born and raised in Chicago, moved to Michigan
as a teenager, and going from Chicago torural Michigan was a huge culture shock.
(02:12):
So, went from somewhere where mygrandma never had a driver's license,
used the bus to get everywhere.
To somewhere where a car is requiredto go anywhere and your closest grocery
store is about half an hour away.
Transportation has always been in myblood and I had the opportunity six years
ago to go to the city of Battle Creekand run their transit department there.
(02:32):
So we've made some major changes to oursystem and we're excited about some of the
things that are going on in Battle Creek.
That's great.
So tell U.S.
about Battle Creek.
All right, we gotta dive into this.
'cause as a kid growing up Yeah.
You always hear, you know, I'm getting myKellogg's, whatever cereal I'm eating that
morning, it's from Battle Creek, Michigan.
So give U.S. a story on that.
Yeah.
So we are the breakfastcapital of the world.
Okay.
Uh, our city logo even, youknow, says Cereal city USA.
(02:56):
Oh, that's cool.
Our first transit system was actuallycalled Serial City Coach Company back in
the 18 hundreds, the old interurban days.
Nice and
serial city coach company transferred over to the
city of Battle Creek and the.
1970s and, uh, now we've been known asBattle Creek Transit since, but Kellogg
is still a staple as well as post cereal.
So, oh, post is there, that'sright post is there as well.
(03:17):
Yeah.
Raisin brand.
Yeah.
I love Raisin brand.
Yeah,
the, it smells like Fruity Pebbles some days, so I Oh wow.
I was the idiot when we moved there.
Who?
Uh, I walked outside and I'mlike, what's that smell like?
It smells like blueberries.
And they're like, uh, cereal.
It's just the, the normin, in Battle Creek.
A lot of people work in the serialbusiness, I guess, there, yeah.
(03:38):
Yeah.
So we have
a very large manufacturing, um, industrial park and, uh, so I
would say manufacturing is our, ourprimary and Kellogg's headquarters
are there in Battle Creek as well.
Okay.
Have you toured any of theplaces where they make it?
Do they offer tours?
They used to, so I actually have from when I was a, a teenager, I have
a picture of myself on a cornflake spot.
(03:59):
Oh, you could get a souvenir CornFlakes box with your picture out there.
Oh,
that's cool, man.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, that's good.
So what's your population?
Give U.S. some of the demographicsand then we'll talk about your system.
Yeah, yeah.
So Battle Creek, the city of BattleCreek is just over 50,000 in populations.
So we're a very small city.
Our county in total ismore in the 130,000 range.
So we have four cities, smallcities in the uh, Calhoun County.
(04:22):
We run fixed route anddemand response paratransit.
And then we launched a smallmicrotransit pilot that kind of led
to some big things in Calhoun Countyover the west gonna meet you person.
Wow.
And I think the biggest thing that I'dlove you to talk about today is you're
in the process of changing from a citydepartment to a transit authority.
Tell U.S. about that, Mallory.
Yeah, so when I came to the city five years ago, we were
(04:45):
kind of told this is this is it.
The city is looking to transitionaway from this being a general
fund responsibility and.
Fix this problem.
And so that's what we did.
We've spent the last five years reallydoing community stakeholder engagement,
education, advocacy, and talking tothe communities about what they need.
We did a study in 2020 that demonstratedabout 20,000 unmet trips per year.
(05:11):
So we launched a pilot with thehelp of MDA that we call bc Go.
And that pilot, we were like, okay,two vehicles, that should be enough.
You know, we're gonna meet the needthat the consultants identified.
They way underestimated it.
So our first year of operations,we had 150,000 trip requests.
Wow.
And we only met about 22,000 photos.
So we are not meeting all of the demand.
(05:35):
And we used all of that data toengage the community and say, Hey,
let's start a robust, comprehensive,countywide transportation system.
But it's gonna cost you.
Yeah.
So, uh, we went to the voterslast year and asked them to create
a transit authority and fund atransit authority, and it passed
59% like the WOW community spoke.
(05:56):
Wow.
That's something, yeah.
When they did that, didthey vote on funding?
They did.
We proposed a 2.66 millsproperty tax millage.
So that means it's roughly $266per year for every $100,000 of
value on somebody's property.
Yeah.
So if I got a $200,000 house in BattleCreek, I'm paying 500 for transit.
(06:17):
Yeah.
500 a year.
And they
voted 59% of the people voted Yes.
Understanding that, voted for it.
Yes.
They want
better transit.
They, yeah, they spoke.
That's really interesting, Mallory.
When we come back after, uh, thisquick break, I want to ask you how
it's been implemented and what thenext steps are to actually start,
Paul Comfort (06:33):
uh, public Transit Authority.
(07:42):
We're back at the Community Transportation
Association of America CTAs Expo.
We are in San Diego.
Go California, and it has been kind ofa chilly day, a little bit, maybe 68.
What do you think Mallory?
Mallory Avis (07:55):
Uh, who would've thought that Michigan would be warmer right now?
Yeah.
Than California.
How about it?
Southern California?
That, yeah.
So right before the break we weretalking about the voters voted 59%.
To fund a new transit authority.
Yeah.
So where are you at in the processnow and what does that look like
when you start a transit authority?
You know, I think a lot of people take for granted the
work that has to go on behind it.
(08:15):
And we passed it, what,November 5th was the election.
Okay.
We passed the millage and then Ithink people were expecting buses
to be on the road November 6th.
So, you know, a lot of it is communityeducation and community input.
We have a board.
Uh, the board is really working tomake sure that the community has input.
Some of these communities have neverhad transportation at all before.
(08:38):
So I shared earlier that we are, you know,50,000, just over 50,000 in population.
We don't have Uber, we don't have Lyft.
We don't even have taxislike private taxi companies.
Oh, wow.
Yeah.
So public transit is the only option.
That's probably why thevoters voted for it.
Absolutely.
Like they, they don'thave lot of other options.
Yeah.
They know.
And so really I, you know, we're startinga business from the ground up and we had
(08:59):
to do everything from brand recognition.
So we had to create a brand.
From, you know, the ground up and thatbrand's gonna be called Ride Calhoun
is that's the name of your county?
Yes.
Yep.
So Battle
Paul Comfort (09:10):
Creek is a city in Calhoun County?
Yes.
Okay, got it.
So
Mallory Avis (09:12):
we're gonna go from Battle Creek Transit to Ride Calhoun, and
we're gonna have three modes of service.
RC Ride Calhoun, RC Max,RC Move, and RC Flex.
And so really creatingall of those services.
And now working on what do the legalagreements and arrangements look like
for the transition of the assets?
(09:34):
The experts already existin, in Calhoun County.
We're already there.
We've been doing the work, and sotransitioning all of that over to an
entirely different governance structure,that is where the work really begins now.
Yeah.
So what do the city council think of it?
I'm not gonna lie, it's mixed.
Obviously it's political.
There's some people who feel likethey're losing control of transit and
(09:54):
the decision making related to transit.
I look at it as now the peoplehave more direct control.
Right?
So.
We have to go for renewal of thismillage in four years, and obviously
if we aren't meeting the needs ofthe voters and we aren't fulfilling
our promises that we made, then theycan choose not to renew that millage.
And that's roughly $5 milliona year of funding that.
(10:15):
Yeah, that we're looking at.
What's your total of budget?
The
total budget for the system is 12 million.
Okay.
Our current budget for Battle Creek Transit is
only about four or 5 million.
Oh, wow.
So, you know, we're growing significantly, almost doubling the size
of our fleet and then serving three citiesthat previously weren't served before.
That's interest.
So you have a new board of directors.
Yeah, and it's a good mix of people.
(10:36):
Really.
We're lucky this first round ofboard members are everywhere from the
president of the local community college.
To the chair of the localeconomic development firm.
Oh yeah.
Movers and Shakers Local, yes.
Local elected officials like, andthese people are doing it voluntarily.
Right?
They don't get paid.
And I think making sure the communityknows that they're doing it because
they're passionate about it, not becausethere's any sort of quid pro quo going on.
(10:59):
Yeah,
that's good.
They care about mobility and they understand the
need from whatever their respectivepositions are in their full-time job.
Yeah.
So, where are you at in theprocess and what happens next?
So, we are expecting to fully launch Ride Calhoun by October 1st.
So we are Wow.
This year, 2025.
Yeah.
We are
in the thick of it.
I have the honor of serving as theexecutive director for Ride Calhoun,
(11:22):
while also being the public transitdirector for the city of Battle Creek.
Alright, now
pause.
Yeah.
You get double paid.
No.
Oh man, double,
definitely double the work.
Double the headache.
Okay.
Yeah.
Uh, same paycheck.
Okay.
All.
Are you gonna need more federalmoney and stuff for the buses?
Because you're gonna We are.
Yeah, we are.
We have been so lucky to have the support at both the
federal level and the state level.
(11:43):
So really for the last four years we'vebeen doing the pilot, our BC Go pilot.
Yeah.
Which was a microtransitsystem that ran countywide.
So it was a ruralmicrotransit demonstration.
It's to kind of see like,would this idea work?
In mdot, the Michigan Departmentof Transportation, they funded
that at a hundred percent Okay.
For the last four years.
Wow.
So capital operating all of it.
(12:04):
And then now they've come throughwith kind of the, the funding that
we need to transition as well as FTA.
And then we were very lucky toget some congressionally directed.
Spending over the last year tohelp with all of the, I'm gonna
say startup costs that go with,
who's your congress person up there?
Uh,
Senator Peters, so Thank you.
Senator Peters.
Okay.
For the, the congressionallydirected spending.
That's great.
Yeah.
Where are you getting, like yourbuses, are they gonna be electric?
(12:27):
What are you doing with all thebuses kind of stuff, and how are
you gonna get buses so quick?
I know, right?
So I don't think people understand that.
Like there's not a dealership that, yeah.
Right.
You can just walk on a lotand drive away with a bus.
Right.
So making sure thecommunity understands that.
The good thing is that.
Over the last five years in BattleCreek, 70% of our fleet has been
replaced over the last five years.
(12:47):
Oh, wow.
Good job.
So when I came to Battle Creek, ouraverage age of our buses was 17 years.
Oh man.
So when I came in 2019, most of ourbuses were between 2001 and 2006 years.
That's almost historic,
Paul Comfort (13:01):
you know, it
Mallory Avis (13:02):
really, they had like 900,000 miles on them.
Wow.
And they had been passed downfrom several other agencies.
So, you know, it was one ofthose like, we'll give you this
bus for a dollar kind of thing.
Paul Comfort (13:10):
Yeah.
Mallory Avis (13:11):
And so I had the challenge of like, we've gotta fix our state
of good repair situation right now.
And so now we're going into this brandnew authority with an entirely new fleet.
Funding for a new renovated facility.
Funding for a new cad, A BL software,funding for rebranding and marketing.
We really get the chanceto truly build it.
(13:34):
Are you in the middleof all that right now?
In the middle of all of it.
Wow.
Yeah.
With three people.
A lot going on.
Which are People are, yeah.
Yeah.
Who are they?
I have an operations supervisor.
Okay.
A maintenance supervisor myself.
And then I have a mobility manager who'sreally, you know, kind of taken on a lot
of the community engagement aspects of Oh
yeah.
You know,
making sure the public gets a chance to stay involved in this.
And, and what does that look like?
(13:54):
What's the process of communication?
Oh,
I tell you, so I'll give you a perfect example.
I land back in Michigan Thursday at 5 55.
I think our clean land after this.
Yeah, yeah.
Yep.
After CTAA is over, I have a presentationthat Thursday night at 7:00 PM Wow.
Yeah.
You know, going to all of our citycouncil meetings, township meetings,
making sure that we are anywhere, weare invited to be able to educate the
(14:17):
community on what's happening, becauseultimately they're paying for it.
Right?
And they have questions about what'shappening, where are we going, and when
do we get to start riding these new buses?
Yeah.
How about it?
Yeah, that's good.
Well, that's wonderful.
Congratulations to you, Mallory, on this.
Thank you.
Do you think it'll be started by October?
October 1st?
We are, you know, I actually met somegreat people here that are gonna,
you know, we're gonna touch base on.
(14:38):
Wrapping the vehicles,rebranding everything.
We get a chance to start fresh.
I don't think very manycommunities get to do that.
No.
So we get to start fresh, a brand newtransit system in a community that's
never had this level of transit before.
And our goal is to just do it.
Right.
That's great.
That's great.
So wrapping up, give U.S. alittle bit about your personal
life, if you don't mind.
(14:59):
Family hobbies?
Any good books you've read lately?
Oh yeah.
You mean
besides yours?
Oh, thank you.
And I didn't pay her to say that.
Yeah, so I said earlier, I grew up in Chicago and I think when you
get moved as a teenager, you're alwayslike, I'm going back to where I came from.
Paul Comfort (15:14):
Yeah.
Mallory Avis (15:14):
Michigan has grown on me.
I think if you've never been to Michigan.
Michigan is a beautiful, beautiful state.
No matter which sideof the state you're on.
So, you know, I, I marriedmy high school sweetheart.
We've been married for 17 years.
We have two beautiful children.
I'm lucky.
I have a boy and a girl.
Oh, that's good.
Yeah.
Uh, my daughter's four, my son is two.
(15:36):
And we get the chance to kindof be active in our communities.
So my husband works at the VA hospitalin Battle Creek, and we both get
to kind of work in these pillars.
Of the community industries.
Yeah.
And uh, it's really nice.
Yeah.
We're looking forward to raisingour family in, in Battle Creek.
That's good.
And what do you do like for hobbies?
Oh, work.
Yeah.
Not gonna lie.
(15:56):
Right now it's, it's two full-time jobs.
I've always been a workaholica little bit, I think.
So in the past, bartending was my hobby.
Okay.
Right.
It like how many hobbies makeyou money on the side as well.
Now I, you know, around a patiofire, I get to, I get to bartend a
little bit for my husband and I, but.
Really our, our time is consumedwith our kids right now.
(16:17):
Right now they're little.
We're kind of soaking it in.
Yep.
Understood.
And then when we're not doing that, I'm working, when I'm not
wearing the Battle Creek Transit hat,I'm wearing the Ride Calhoun hat.
So there
you go.
Well Ma, you've got a big job still aheadof you all this summer and into the fall.
Yeah.
I wish you the very best.
I can't wait to see what allhappens in October when you
actually make the transition.
Yes.
You'll have to come checkit out when we're done.
Alright, thanks again for beinga guest on Transit Unplug.
(16:39):
Thank
Paul Comfort (16:40):
you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!