May 21, 2025 • 20 mins
What does it take to launch a $4.3 billion, multi-modal transit expansion? For Coree Cuff Lonergan, CEO of Broward County Transit, it takes vision, momentum—and a bit of patience.
This week on Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort hops aboard with Coree for a rolling bus interview through Broward County, Florida. They talk big-picture leadership, boots-on-the-ground transit planning, and why Broward’s “PREMO” program is setting a new standard for regional mobility.
From LEED Gold-Certified transit centers to special-event service for international cricket matches, to AI-powered community engagement—this episode shows what happens when local government, smart investment, and public trust align for real impact.
Plus: Coree reveals her most unexpected leadership tool… a cookbook.
This episode covers:
Broward’s $4.3 billion PREMO capital expansion program
Adding three new modes of transit: commuter rail, BRT, and light rail
The importance of workforce investment and operational facilities
How AI and VR might transform the rider experience
Why cooking helps her lead better
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
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
Follow us on social media:
YouTube: @transit-unplugged
X (Twitter): @TransitUnplug
Threads: @transitunplugged
Instagram: @transitunplugged
LinkedIn: Transit Unplugged on LinkedIn
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):
This week on Transit Unplugged.
I'm with Coree Cuff Lonergan, the CEOof the Broward County Transit System
down there near Fort Lauderdale,Florida, just north of Miami.
I'm Paul Comfort, and on this episode werecorded the, uh, podcast live in person
and on the bus, because of course we did.
We recorded the whole interview, multiplepieces of it while we were riding
(00:29):
the bus, going all over the county.
Uh, working on filming an episodeof our Transit Unplugged TV show,
the companion piece, which willrun in August, Broward County.
The reason I wanted to go there is notjust because Coree Cuff Lanigan's a good
friend of mine and a great, tremendousleader, but they are involved in what I
think is the largest capital program I.
Anywhere on the east coast of theUnited States, one of the largest in the
(00:50):
nation, they have a $4.3 billion transitexpansion program called Primo, and
it is premium transit coming your way.
Three brand new modes.
That's right.
I don't know anybody adding threemodes or adding commuter rail.
Then bus, rapid transit,and then light rail.
Amazing.
It's part of a 15 year program.
It's already underway.
We go out and actually go to some ofthe sites where they'll be building.
(01:13):
Coree also shared, uh, while we weretalking on the bus, how they're using AI
to improve public engagement, and we talkabout the rider experience and she comes
at the end of this podcast with a prettyamazing idea of how we could improve,
uh, the customer experience on the busand make it feel totally different.
I think you're gonna want tohear that big vision, real
projects and the energy to match.
(01:34):
Coree Cuff Lonergan, man,she's all right in my book.
She's rocking downthere in Broward County.
I can't wait for you to hearthis interview on the bus
with Coree Cuff Lonergan.
Let's join.
Excited to be in Broward County todaywith Coree Cuff Lonergan, the CEO My good.
Friend, uh, Coree, thanksfor we're on your bus.
This is awesome.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (01:51):
Yeah.
We're so glad to have you here, uh,Paul, you and your team, and, um,
we're gonna, um, show you a good time.
Today's great s great because BrowardCounty is all about visitors and tourism,
and we love having visitors here.
We're so glad you're here with U.S.
Paul Comfort (02:04):
Well, thanks.
We were able to ride, uh, one ofyour express buses this morning
right up from downtown Miami.
$2 and 65 cents.
One way to come right inhere to a great parking ride.
I mean, it's a great connection you have.
Just to start off, you know, it's
Coree Cuff Lonergan (02:17):
a good connection.
And in fact, so many of ourcommuters use that daily, right?
So, if you can imagine traffic andsimilar to other parts of the country,
we are particularly, uh, traffic,uh, challenge and heavily congested.
And so much of our community and, andthe major arterials and I 95, which,
you know, goes all the way up thecoast, uh, to Maine, uh, is one of those
(02:38):
arterials that's heavily congested.
So we provide a, , nonstopservice from our Miramar Park
and Ride lot to downtown Miami.
So people who live.
In Broward County can,um, work in Miami-Dade.
They can take our systemdown to, uh, Miami-Dade.
They can relax, they cansit back, enjoy the ride.
They don't have the stressor oftraffic or any of those challenges.
(02:59):
Oh yeah, I saw the trafficcoming out this morning.
It's awful, isn't it?
We were coming out,
Paul Comfort (03:01):
that was great.
We were in the express lane.
Yep.
But the people coming in, Imean, it's a nightmare today.
I imagine it is
Coree Cuff Lonergan (03:06):
bumper to bumper, but you guys get in the
Paul Comfort (03:08):
express lane and can go right by.
Yep.
It the cruise on
Coree Cuff Lonergan (03:10):
by.
Paul Comfort (03:10):
That's great man.
And so we were just tellU.S. where we were just at.
You just showed me a pool facility,
Coree Cuff Lonergan (03:14):
so, so sure.
So we were just at our Lauder Hill.
Transit center.
And I gotta tell you, that is ourcrown jewel of our, of our system.
We are so proud of that location.
We have about 8,000 people that comethrough through there on a daily basis.
And we have five, um, uh, fiveroutes that come into there.
And so basically, um,there are major routes.
(03:36):
So from that central location, youcan go all the way down to Miami
or you can go up into Palm Beach.
Um, but what's the best part about it?
It's a relatively new, um, facility.
In, in that facility has, is thefirst of its kind in the country to
be named lead, uh, gold certified.
(03:56):
Wow.
And so we're so proud of that.
Um, and so we actually exportenergy from that facility.
I saw all the, uh, solar panels.
The solar panels, right.
So we are net positive.
That's great.
We get what we need there and thenalso contribute back to the grid.
So that's a huge accomplishment andit's so architecturally interesting too.
Yes.
It's got like, it's, it.
(04:17):
As a building, it looks like it'salmost moving with all the tiles.
Yeah.
We're gonna show it
Paul Comfort (04:22):
on the, on our companion TV show.
People get to see it.
Um, the other thing that we like,I like seeing was you have brake
facilities there for your drivers.
Yep.
So if they're on a break,tell me about that.
Sure.
So,
Coree Cuff Lonergan (04:32):
you know, with any, um, transit center, you wanna make sure
that you take care of your workforce.
And that was an important considerationfor U.S. when that was under design, is
that we had those, uh, accommodationsfor our operators who, you know,
are transferring or taking a break.
During, uh, their shift and theycan actually even start their
shift there if, if necessary.
(04:52):
Yeah.
But, um, you know, there's,there's lockers, there's uh, a
kitchenette, there's a refrigerator,there's vending machines.
Um, there's all kinds of stuff inthere, uh, for people to relax and Yeah.
And take a, take a break from the day.
Paul Comfort (05:04):
That's great.
Alright, we're gettingready to hop off the bus.
You're gonna show me acricket stadium, huh?
I'm gonna show you a cricket
Coree Cuff Lonergan (05:10):
stadium.
Paul Comfort (05:10):
That's amazing, man.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (05:12):
We actually have one of those in Briar County.
Paul Comfort (05:14):
That's great.
Yeah.
And if you wanna see it, you'llhave to watch our companion show.
Transit Unplug TV from Broward.
We'll be right back after this.
All right, we're back on thebus with Coree Lonergan, CEO
of Broward County Transit.
Coree, that was an amazing, uh, cricketfacility run by the county government.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (05:30):
Yeah, it is.
And we're so, uh, pleased to be able tohost World Cup events and be considered
in the co in one of the premiercricket stadiums in the entire country.
Paul Comfort (05:40):
And you guys serve that with transit, right?
And we served
Coree Cuff Lonergan (05:41):
that with Transit and we, uh, when there are, when we had the
World Cup event, we actually had specialservice for that, um, just to accommodate
all the people that were coming in.
Yeah.
Uh, to take.
See, uh, the event.
Paul Comfort (05:54):
That's amazing.
So let's, um, take a step back and,um, tell me about your transit system.
What do you got goinghere in Broward County?
So our, it's located where we're at.
We're just north of Miami, right?
We
Coree Cuff Lonergan (06:03):
are north of Miami and we are the second largest
transit system in the state of Florida.
Oh wow.
Behind Miami?
Um, behind Miami, yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
, And we're in the , process ofexpanding, but right now what we
have is a fixed route service aswell as our Paratransits top service.
And
We have an annual operating capitalbudget of roughly about $500 million.
(06:25):
Okay.
. We do have a, , workforceof, about 1300 people.
And, , the majority of that obviously isour operations team, where we have our
bus operators and mechanics, , and theyare the heart and soul of our system.
They keep our buses running,our customers happy.
We also have a very strongcustomer service, frontline
(06:46):
workforce that engages with ourcustomers on a daily basis as well.
Paul Comfort (06:50):
So, Fort Lauderdale is your big city, right?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (06:52):
Fort Lauderdale is.
One of the 31 cities here in Bro County.
Oh,
Paul Comfort (06:55):
wow.
Okay.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (06:56):
And populations wise, it is one of the largest
Paul Comfort (06:59):
total population of the county you're serving.
Our
Coree Cuff Lonergan (07:01):
county is about 1.9 to 2 million, and it fluctuates
some days, any given given day.
Right.
Million next day got hundredpoint spring breakers.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (07:11):
Wow.
By the way, is that, that'sa big deal steal here, right?
Spring break?
Yeah.
We
Coree Cuff Lonergan (07:14):
just hosted the spring break in Fort Lauderdale.
Okay.
A couple weeks ago.
And, and we were supporting , , the citywith some, , of their, , evacuation.
And activities in the, in the city.
And, you know, whenever they needour help, we're there to help them.
Paul Comfort (07:26):
So I know you came here from ADA with one goal in mind.
What's that goal?
What do you, what's yourbig thing you're doing here?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (07:32):
So the, the one thing that really made this job the
right fit for me was the opportunityto build out, uh, our primo program.
And when I started, , it was inthe planning stages and it was
wrapping up, uh, and being finalized.
We had identified 10 corridorsthat we wanted to put.
Different types of service on includinglight rail, commuter rail, bus, rapid
(07:55):
transit, and high frequency bus service.
And so now I'm so excited because,, it is a $4.3 billion program.
Um, we were able to, um, pull thoseearly planning efforts , together
very shortly after my arrival,, take it to our commission.
And the commission unanimously votedto approve it, , which was one of
(08:15):
my major first accomplishments.
I was so excited.
To be able to, uh, bring that to, yeah.
$4
Paul Comfort (08:20):
billion project.
Come on, Dan.
Yeah.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (08:23):
Yeah.
So, uh, since then of those 10projects, we have actually actively
working, uh, uh, three of them.
Okay.
Um, and what are they, which ones?
And the, the one, the commuter rail.
Okay.
Um, where's that gonna go?
That Broward Commuter Rail South is goingfrom, eventually it goes from Miami-Dade
(08:43):
all the way up to Fort Lauderdale.
Okay.
, And Miami-Dade is taking care of the.
Five stations within their county limits.
Okay.
And then we are adding on an additionalthree stations within our county.
, One will be located at, in the city ofHollywood, which you will see tomorrow.
Um, the second one will be locatedright at the airport, so it'll be
(09:03):
very convenient for people thatwanna, you know, use commute around.
Uh, and then we're also going to havea station at, uh, Broward Health,
which is South Wood Lauderdale.
Paul Comfort (09:12):
Okay.
And, uh, quickly, what are theother two projects you got the.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (09:16):
Rail Airport, Seaport Convention Center, which
is a light rail project that's,uh, going to connect the three.
We're gonna go see that, right?
Three major economic enginesfor Broward County and we also
have our Oakland Park BRT.
Paul Comfort (09:29):
Alright,
Coree Cuff Lonergan: bus Rapid Transit Lot. (09:29):
undefined
Paul Comfort (09:30):
Great.
We'll talk more aboutthat in just a minute.
We're right.
Ready.
Hop off the bus andtake another site here.
Julie Gates (09:38):
Hi, I am Julie Gates, executive producer at Transit Unplugged.
Thank you so much for listening.
You may have noticed Transit Unpluggedhas a brand new logo and a refreshed look.
After nearly a decade of telling Transit'sgreatest stories, we've made a number of
upgrades to keep pace with the industry.
This changing faster than ever.
Whether you listen to Transit Podcast forexecutive conversations, watch transit,
(10:01):
unplug TV for food, travel and transitadventures, or get your headlines with
the Transit Unplugged News Minute.
We're committed to telling transitstory in bigger and better ways.
Stay tuned.
There's even more coming later this year.
Thanks for being on this journey with U.S.
Paul Comfort (10:19):
So what do you like to do, like to recharge Coree?
When I, you know, I know beinga CEO is like a full-time job,
night, day, weekends, but yougotta have some time, right?
What do you do to.
Have fun, relax, recharge.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (10:30):
Yeah.
So you, you're right.
You know this, these jobs are intenseand, and they are somewhat 24 7, right?
But it is very important tobalance the work with life.
And, uh, one of the thingsthat I love to do is cook.
And, you know, prior to Covid, I didn'tcook very well or very often, but then
when we were all on lockdown, I startedto pay attention to, um, cooking.
(10:52):
And I, I couldn't order anything.
I couldn't eat out.
And so I started cooking myself.
I said, I can do that myself.
And so.
I started watching a lot of cookingshows and I bought gazillion cookbooks.
Oh wow.
And I really started to up mygame in the cooking department.
What I didn't know, which is funny,is how bad I was doing with my family.
(11:13):
I had no idea.
So before, prior to that, whenI would cook, it would always
be some kind of excuse why weweren't gonna eat or whatever.
But then after I got my skillsup, then everybody was running to
the table and curious about whatI was cooking, and that gave me.
Me a, you know, an interest in seeingwhat else I could do with that.
But it was so relaxing for me duringthat time and, uh, and it grounded me.
(11:38):
And so now even I'm very into itand, uh, that's how I, you know,
kind of relax and calm down.
, I do recipe development, so I'mexperimenting in the kitchen.
I'm an engineer, so I have this naturalinterest in chemistry and how things
work and why they work together.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Um, but applying that inthe food environment is.
(11:58):
Just, you know, unique anddifferent, but still a lot of fun.
And so I'm in the process ofdoing my recipe development.
Eventually, at some point in time,I would hope to be able to write a
cookbook, a compilation of my recipes,some of my family recipes as well.
Oh yeah, Coree's cookbook.
Coree's cookbook.
And, um, and, and so when I, I, Ireally enjoy the fact this weekend
(12:21):
I made some, I'm hosting a brunchand I made these sweet rolls and you
know, people say, oh, I can't see.
Stand the cook.
But I gotta tell you, there's somethingfor me at least with, , getting
your hands dirty, getting gettinginto that dough, needing that dough.
Oh yeah.
That's like
Paul Comfort (12:37):
therapeutic almost.
It's very therapeutic.
I
Coree Cuff Lonergan (12:39):
had no idea that that's how it worked, but
it's very therapeutic for me.
Uh, and then at the end Iget to create something.
I get something I can createand share that people enjoy.
That's wonderful.
So that's what makes me
Paul Comfort (12:49):
happy.
Do you have any likefavorites that you make?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (12:52):
I do.
So I, uh, I love to bake.
Okay.
And before I could never bake, , and.
And so, , one of my favoritethings to , make is pumpkin bread.
I love making pumpkin.
That's, it's delicious.
Uh, and I make that, especially at,uh, during the holidays, obviously.
, And there's , a skillet, a chickenskillet dish just with, uh, chicken
(13:13):
thighs and um, and potatoes and,you know, you cook them in the oven.
It's real quick, easydish, but it's delicious.
It's, it tastes That's awesome.
Kind of on the gourmet side,and I'm still experimenting.
I'm, I'm.
Doing French.
I do, uh, you know, just,uh, American cuisine.
I do soul food, I do southerncooking, , island cooking, all of it.
(13:34):
I'm just doing that very experimental,uh, time in my life and, and loving it.
That's
Paul Comfort (13:39):
awesome.
Coree, as we look forward to the future,what do you see for our industry?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (13:45):
You know, um, Paul, I see, uh, our industry
has a very bright future.
Uh, I think that we are in a good spacewhere we can look at ways to create
efficiencies within our organizations,while at the same time looking for
opportunities to grow and expand.
Um, I do think.
That from an innovation perspective,leaning into technology obviously is
(14:08):
one of the things that we have to do.
Uh, leveraging AI to its fullestcapability is something that
we also need to, to embrace.
Yeah, that's big and it's big, right.
You know, I was at, uh, TRB backin the fall and uh, they were
actually did a, uh, a segment onusing AI for stakeholder engagement.
(14:28):
And it was a fascinating seminar on that.
So we're looking at how we can.
Bridge, you know, AI and chat GPT tohelp U.S. with our public engagement.
It's still in the early stages of things,but it's something that we're definitely
looking at because particularly sincewe are doing a full born expansion
here, you know, with this, um, withour Premo program, we need to figure
(14:51):
out ways to engage with the publicbeyond what we traditionally do.
Obviously we still have todo that, you know, in person,
face-to-face conversations.
Those are very criticalwhen you're doing major.
Infrastructure investment projects, butnow let's leverage all those other tools
that we have out there for people whomay not be able to show up for a meeting,
but still wanna be part of the process.
(15:12):
That's
Paul Comfort (15:12):
very good.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (15:12):
Um, the last thing I wanted to also mention, and, and I think
this is, you know, where innovation also,uh, is important and, and where we can
create significant efficiencies is lookingat how we warehouse our goods and, uh,
and keep our materials and our supplies.
There is so much technology out thereto do it better than what we do.
(15:34):
Um, and I, and I'm looking at that forour Covin bus facility to see how we can
implement a different warehousing systemthat allows U.S. to be more efficient
while at the same time, , being ableto create, , a very clean and easy to
find material management environment.
So that's really like in the shop?
Like in the shop, yes.
Okay.
Yeah, absolutely.
(15:54):
Yeah.
And the other thing that I seeis, , something that I see in
the future and I, I know that.
This is way out there.
But I see that as a trueopportunity for U.S. is to
reimagine the experience on the bus.
Paul Comfort (16:08):
Okay.
Like we're on right now,
Coree Cuff Lonergan: like we're on right now. (16:10):
undefined
Right?
Yeah.
So let's just say that you get onthe bus and we were able to create a
spotlight experience on the bus thateither everybody's experiencing at the
same time as a common experience, oryou put your virtual reality glasses
on and you're in your own world.
Paul Comfort (16:27):
Wow.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (16:27):
So that's something I look forward to seeing if we can.
Invest in something like that and,and bring that to reality here.
I love that.
Paul Comfort (16:35):
Outside the box thinking.
Yeah.
Kind of reshaping whatthe experience is, right?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (16:39):
Yeah.
And then, you know, and thenin re-imagining how we set up
the interior of a U.S. Okay.
You know, how do we move the masses whileat the same time creating an environment
that is soothing, inviting, interesting.
Productive and safe.
Paul Comfort (16:54):
I love that, Coree.
I hope you're able to do that.
That's amazing.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (16:57):
Thank you.
Paul Comfort (16:57):
Yeah.
Well, this has been great.
I love that we did thiswhole interview on a. Bus.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (17:01):
Oh, we did?
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (17:03):
I don't think we've ever done that before then.
A whole podcast on a bus.
Yeah.
You're a bus agency.
Why not, right?
Why not?
Right?
For now.
For now, but soon.
Rarely to come.
Right rail to come.
Yeah.
What's the timeline youthink, for everything?
I don't think we talked about that yet.
When is it phased?
Like it's gonna roll in like a waterfall.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (17:17):
It's a, it is definitely phased.
It's phased for myriadof reasons, obviously.
Paul Comfort (17:21):
Yeah.
You can't do everything at
Coree Cuff Lonergan (17:23):
one time.
You can't do everything at one time.
We'd overtax the organization andwe wouldn't be able to deliver.
Also, you know, we have tomeet the market where it is.
You know, we need contractors if then.
To support U.S. and so wecan't kind of pile on Yeah.
Uh, everything, but itis phased intentionally.
So as the projects roll over,we are learning from one, right.
Implementing those lessons learnedto the next one and keeping it
(17:44):
moving to the, to the next one.
Okay.
And so, um, the entire program isgonna be delivered over about 15 years.
Paul Comfort (17:51):
And what do you think is first coming online?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (17:52):
So the first one that's gonna come online
is our commuter rail project.
Oh, wow.
That's the first one.
Okay.
And then our bus, rapid transit.
On Oakland Park Boulevardwhere we were at.
Yeah, we were just there.
Yeah, we were just there.
And then our, our light rail project,which will connect our airport
seaport convention center, whichis where we're going right now.
Paul Comfort (18:11):
Alright.
That's great.
Well, this is awesome.
I know I've mentioned this, I thinkI've said it on the show, but I wanna
say it again as we close up, I don'tknow of any other agency doing this in
America, adding three brand new modes ofservice, all of one program of projects.
Amazing.
Coree.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (18:28):
Yeah.
You know, and, and thankyou for saying that.
And we're so lucky thatthe voters in 2018 Yeah.
Voted through their, through.
A majority of voters said, yes, we want toimprove mobility here in Broward County,
and we support Transit as that solution.
And we have a nine membercommission that is also supporting
(18:50):
that at the policy level.
Yeah.
So we're really lucky to havethe situation we have here.
That's
Paul Comfort (18:54):
wonderful.
Well, south Florida is blossoming.
You have so much stuff going on here.
You're so well coordinatedwith your neighbor.
In jurisdictions and their transitservices and uh, I love that
you're integrated in with countygovernment because you know, that's
where I got my start and I loveworking in county government.
I just wish you the best.
You're the right person at theright time to be doing this.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (19:13):
Well, that means the world.
Hearing that from you, Paul, thank you.
Paul Comfort (19:16):
Best of luck.
We look forward to checking back in withyou as you progress over the next decade.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (19:20):
Thank you.
Julie Gates (19:25):
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.
(19:47):
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.
This week on Transit Unplugged.
I'm with Coree Cuff Lonergan, the CEOof the Broward County Transit System
down there near Fort Lauderdale,Florida, just north of Miami.
I'm Paul Comfort, and on this episode werecorded the, uh, podcast live in person
and on the bus, because of course we did.
We recorded the whole interview, multiplepieces of it while we were riding
(00:29):
the bus, going all over the county.
Uh, working on filming an episodeof our Transit Unplugged TV show,
the companion piece, which willrun in August, Broward County.
The reason I wanted to go there is notjust because Coree Cuff Lanigan's a good
friend of mine and a great, tremendousleader, but they are involved in what I
think is the largest capital program I.
Anywhere on the east coast of theUnited States, one of the largest in the
(00:50):
nation, they have a $4.3 billion transitexpansion program called Primo, and
it is premium transit coming your way.
Three brand new modes.
That's right.
I don't know anybody adding threemodes or adding commuter rail.
Then bus, rapid transit,and then light rail.
Amazing.
It's part of a 15 year program.
It's already underway.
We go out and actually go to some ofthe sites where they'll be building.
(01:13):
Coree also shared, uh, while we weretalking on the bus, how they're using AI
to improve public engagement, and we talkabout the rider experience and she comes
at the end of this podcast with a prettyamazing idea of how we could improve,
uh, the customer experience on the busand make it feel totally different.
I think you're gonna want tohear that big vision, real
projects and the energy to match.
(01:34):
Coree Cuff Lonergan, man,she's all right in my book.
She's rocking downthere in Broward County.
I can't wait for you to hearthis interview on the bus
with Coree Cuff Lonergan.
Let's join.
Excited to be in Broward County todaywith Coree Cuff Lonergan, the CEO My good.
Friend, uh, Coree, thanksfor we're on your bus.
This is awesome.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (01:51):
Yeah.
We're so glad to have you here, uh,Paul, you and your team, and, um,
we're gonna, um, show you a good time.
Today's great s great because BrowardCounty is all about visitors and tourism,
and we love having visitors here.
We're so glad you're here with U.S.
Paul Comfort (02:04):
Well, thanks.
We were able to ride, uh, one ofyour express buses this morning
right up from downtown Miami.
$2 and 65 cents.
One way to come right inhere to a great parking ride.
I mean, it's a great connection you have.
Just to start off, you know, it's
Coree Cuff Lonergan (02:17):
a good connection.
And in fact, so many of ourcommuters use that daily, right?
So, if you can imagine traffic andsimilar to other parts of the country,
we are particularly, uh, traffic,uh, challenge and heavily congested.
And so much of our community and, andthe major arterials and I 95, which,
you know, goes all the way up thecoast, uh, to Maine, uh, is one of those
(02:38):
arterials that's heavily congested.
So we provide a, , nonstopservice from our Miramar Park
and Ride lot to downtown Miami.
So people who live.
In Broward County can,um, work in Miami-Dade.
They can take our systemdown to, uh, Miami-Dade.
They can relax, they cansit back, enjoy the ride.
They don't have the stressor oftraffic or any of those challenges.
(02:59):
Oh yeah, I saw the trafficcoming out this morning.
It's awful, isn't it?
We were coming out,
Paul Comfort (03:01):
that was great.
We were in the express lane.
Yep.
But the people coming in, Imean, it's a nightmare today.
I imagine it is
Coree Cuff Lonergan (03:06):
bumper to bumper, but you guys get in the
Paul Comfort (03:08):
express lane and can go right by.
Yep.
It the cruise on
Coree Cuff Lonergan (03:10):
by.
Paul Comfort (03:10):
That's great man.
And so we were just tellU.S. where we were just at.
You just showed me a pool facility,
Coree Cuff Lonergan (03:14):
so, so sure.
So we were just at our Lauder Hill.
Transit center.
And I gotta tell you, that is ourcrown jewel of our, of our system.
We are so proud of that location.
We have about 8,000 people that comethrough through there on a daily basis.
And we have five, um, uh, fiveroutes that come into there.
And so basically, um,there are major routes.
(03:36):
So from that central location, youcan go all the way down to Miami
or you can go up into Palm Beach.
Um, but what's the best part about it?
It's a relatively new, um, facility.
In, in that facility has, is thefirst of its kind in the country to
be named lead, uh, gold certified.
(03:56):
Wow.
And so we're so proud of that.
Um, and so we actually exportenergy from that facility.
I saw all the, uh, solar panels.
The solar panels, right.
So we are net positive.
That's great.
We get what we need there and thenalso contribute back to the grid.
So that's a huge accomplishment andit's so architecturally interesting too.
Yes.
It's got like, it's, it.
(04:17):
As a building, it looks like it'salmost moving with all the tiles.
Yeah.
We're gonna show it
Paul Comfort (04:22):
on the, on our companion TV show.
People get to see it.
Um, the other thing that we like,I like seeing was you have brake
facilities there for your drivers.
Yep.
So if they're on a break,tell me about that.
Sure.
So,
Coree Cuff Lonergan (04:32):
you know, with any, um, transit center, you wanna make sure
that you take care of your workforce.
And that was an important considerationfor U.S. when that was under design, is
that we had those, uh, accommodationsfor our operators who, you know,
are transferring or taking a break.
During, uh, their shift and theycan actually even start their
shift there if, if necessary.
(04:52):
Yeah.
But, um, you know, there's,there's lockers, there's uh, a
kitchenette, there's a refrigerator,there's vending machines.
Um, there's all kinds of stuff inthere, uh, for people to relax and Yeah.
And take a, take a break from the day.
Paul Comfort (05:04):
That's great.
Alright, we're gettingready to hop off the bus.
You're gonna show me acricket stadium, huh?
I'm gonna show you a cricket
Coree Cuff Lonergan (05:10):
stadium.
Paul Comfort (05:10):
That's amazing, man.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (05:12):
We actually have one of those in Briar County.
Paul Comfort (05:14):
That's great.
Yeah.
And if you wanna see it, you'llhave to watch our companion show.
Transit Unplug TV from Broward.
We'll be right back after this.
All right, we're back on thebus with Coree Lonergan, CEO
of Broward County Transit.
Coree, that was an amazing, uh, cricketfacility run by the county government.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (05:30):
Yeah, it is.
And we're so, uh, pleased to be able tohost World Cup events and be considered
in the co in one of the premiercricket stadiums in the entire country.
Paul Comfort (05:40):
And you guys serve that with transit, right?
And we served
Coree Cuff Lonergan (05:41):
that with Transit and we, uh, when there are, when we had the
World Cup event, we actually had specialservice for that, um, just to accommodate
all the people that were coming in.
Yeah.
Uh, to take.
See, uh, the event.
Paul Comfort (05:54):
That's amazing.
So let's, um, take a step back and,um, tell me about your transit system.
What do you got goinghere in Broward County?
So our, it's located where we're at.
We're just north of Miami, right?
We
Coree Cuff Lonergan (06:03):
are north of Miami and we are the second largest
transit system in the state of Florida.
Oh wow.
Behind Miami?
Um, behind Miami, yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
, And we're in the , process ofexpanding, but right now what we
have is a fixed route service aswell as our Paratransits top service.
And
We have an annual operating capitalbudget of roughly about $500 million.
(06:25):
Okay.
. We do have a, , workforceof, about 1300 people.
And, , the majority of that obviously isour operations team, where we have our
bus operators and mechanics, , and theyare the heart and soul of our system.
They keep our buses running,our customers happy.
We also have a very strongcustomer service, frontline
(06:46):
workforce that engages with ourcustomers on a daily basis as well.
Paul Comfort (06:50):
So, Fort Lauderdale is your big city, right?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (06:52):
Fort Lauderdale is.
One of the 31 cities here in Bro County.
Oh,
Paul Comfort (06:55):
wow.
Okay.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (06:56):
And populations wise, it is one of the largest
Paul Comfort (06:59):
total population of the county you're serving.
Our
Coree Cuff Lonergan (07:01):
county is about 1.9 to 2 million, and it fluctuates
some days, any given given day.
Right.
Million next day got hundredpoint spring breakers.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (07:11):
Wow.
By the way, is that, that'sa big deal steal here, right?
Spring break?
Yeah.
We
Coree Cuff Lonergan (07:14):
just hosted the spring break in Fort Lauderdale.
Okay.
A couple weeks ago.
And, and we were supporting , , the citywith some, , of their, , evacuation.
And activities in the, in the city.
And, you know, whenever they needour help, we're there to help them.
Paul Comfort (07:26):
So I know you came here from ADA with one goal in mind.
What's that goal?
What do you, what's yourbig thing you're doing here?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (07:32):
So the, the one thing that really made this job the
right fit for me was the opportunityto build out, uh, our primo program.
And when I started, , it was inthe planning stages and it was
wrapping up, uh, and being finalized.
We had identified 10 corridorsthat we wanted to put.
Different types of service on includinglight rail, commuter rail, bus, rapid
(07:55):
transit, and high frequency bus service.
And so now I'm so excited because,, it is a $4.3 billion program.
Um, we were able to, um, pull thoseearly planning efforts , together
very shortly after my arrival,, take it to our commission.
And the commission unanimously votedto approve it, , which was one of
(08:15):
my major first accomplishments.
I was so excited.
To be able to, uh, bring that to, yeah.
$4
Paul Comfort (08:20):
billion project.
Come on, Dan.
Yeah.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (08:23):
Yeah.
So, uh, since then of those 10projects, we have actually actively
working, uh, uh, three of them.
Okay.
Um, and what are they, which ones?
And the, the one, the commuter rail.
Okay.
Um, where's that gonna go?
That Broward Commuter Rail South is goingfrom, eventually it goes from Miami-Dade
(08:43):
all the way up to Fort Lauderdale.
Okay.
, And Miami-Dade is taking care of the.
Five stations within their county limits.
Okay.
And then we are adding on an additionalthree stations within our county.
, One will be located at, in the city ofHollywood, which you will see tomorrow.
Um, the second one will be locatedright at the airport, so it'll be
(09:03):
very convenient for people thatwanna, you know, use commute around.
Uh, and then we're also going to havea station at, uh, Broward Health,
which is South Wood Lauderdale.
Paul Comfort (09:12):
Okay.
And, uh, quickly, what are theother two projects you got the.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (09:16):
Rail Airport, Seaport Convention Center, which
is a light rail project that's,uh, going to connect the three.
We're gonna go see that, right?
Three major economic enginesfor Broward County and we also
have our Oakland Park BRT.
Paul Comfort (09:29):
Alright,
Coree Cuff Lonergan: bus Rapid Transit Lot. (09:29):
undefined
Paul Comfort (09:30):
Great.
We'll talk more aboutthat in just a minute.
We're right.
Ready.
Hop off the bus andtake another site here.
Julie Gates (09:38):
Hi, I am Julie Gates, executive producer at Transit Unplugged.
Thank you so much for listening.
You may have noticed Transit Unpluggedhas a brand new logo and a refreshed look.
After nearly a decade of telling Transit'sgreatest stories, we've made a number of
upgrades to keep pace with the industry.
This changing faster than ever.
Whether you listen to Transit Podcast forexecutive conversations, watch transit,
(10:01):
unplug TV for food, travel and transitadventures, or get your headlines with
the Transit Unplugged News Minute.
We're committed to telling transitstory in bigger and better ways.
Stay tuned.
There's even more coming later this year.
Thanks for being on this journey with U.S.
Paul Comfort (10:19):
So what do you like to do, like to recharge Coree?
When I, you know, I know beinga CEO is like a full-time job,
night, day, weekends, but yougotta have some time, right?
What do you do to.
Have fun, relax, recharge.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (10:30):
Yeah.
So you, you're right.
You know this, these jobs are intenseand, and they are somewhat 24 7, right?
But it is very important tobalance the work with life.
And, uh, one of the thingsthat I love to do is cook.
And, you know, prior to Covid, I didn'tcook very well or very often, but then
when we were all on lockdown, I startedto pay attention to, um, cooking.
(10:52):
And I, I couldn't order anything.
I couldn't eat out.
And so I started cooking myself.
I said, I can do that myself.
And so.
I started watching a lot of cookingshows and I bought gazillion cookbooks.
Oh wow.
And I really started to up mygame in the cooking department.
What I didn't know, which is funny,is how bad I was doing with my family.
(11:13):
I had no idea.
So before, prior to that, whenI would cook, it would always
be some kind of excuse why weweren't gonna eat or whatever.
But then after I got my skillsup, then everybody was running to
the table and curious about whatI was cooking, and that gave me.
Me a, you know, an interest in seeingwhat else I could do with that.
But it was so relaxing for me duringthat time and, uh, and it grounded me.
(11:38):
And so now even I'm very into itand, uh, that's how I, you know,
kind of relax and calm down.
, I do recipe development, so I'mexperimenting in the kitchen.
I'm an engineer, so I have this naturalinterest in chemistry and how things
work and why they work together.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Um, but applying that inthe food environment is.
(11:58):
Just, you know, unique anddifferent, but still a lot of fun.
And so I'm in the process ofdoing my recipe development.
Eventually, at some point in time,I would hope to be able to write a
cookbook, a compilation of my recipes,some of my family recipes as well.
Oh yeah, Coree's cookbook.
Coree's cookbook.
And, um, and, and so when I, I, Ireally enjoy the fact this weekend
(12:21):
I made some, I'm hosting a brunchand I made these sweet rolls and you
know, people say, oh, I can't see.
Stand the cook.
But I gotta tell you, there's somethingfor me at least with, , getting
your hands dirty, getting gettinginto that dough, needing that dough.
Oh yeah.
That's like
Paul Comfort (12:37):
therapeutic almost.
It's very therapeutic.
I
Coree Cuff Lonergan (12:39):
had no idea that that's how it worked, but
it's very therapeutic for me.
Uh, and then at the end Iget to create something.
I get something I can createand share that people enjoy.
That's wonderful.
So that's what makes me
Paul Comfort (12:49):
happy.
Do you have any likefavorites that you make?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (12:52):
I do.
So I, uh, I love to bake.
Okay.
And before I could never bake, , and.
And so, , one of my favoritethings to , make is pumpkin bread.
I love making pumpkin.
That's, it's delicious.
Uh, and I make that, especially at,uh, during the holidays, obviously.
, And there's , a skillet, a chickenskillet dish just with, uh, chicken
(13:13):
thighs and um, and potatoes and,you know, you cook them in the oven.
It's real quick, easydish, but it's delicious.
It's, it tastes That's awesome.
Kind of on the gourmet side,and I'm still experimenting.
I'm, I'm.
Doing French.
I do, uh, you know, just,uh, American cuisine.
I do soul food, I do southerncooking, , island cooking, all of it.
(13:34):
I'm just doing that very experimental,uh, time in my life and, and loving it.
That's
Paul Comfort (13:39):
awesome.
Coree, as we look forward to the future,what do you see for our industry?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (13:45):
You know, um, Paul, I see, uh, our industry
has a very bright future.
Uh, I think that we are in a good spacewhere we can look at ways to create
efficiencies within our organizations,while at the same time looking for
opportunities to grow and expand.
Um, I do think.
That from an innovation perspective,leaning into technology obviously is
(14:08):
one of the things that we have to do.
Uh, leveraging AI to its fullestcapability is something that
we also need to, to embrace.
Yeah, that's big and it's big, right.
You know, I was at, uh, TRB backin the fall and uh, they were
actually did a, uh, a segment onusing AI for stakeholder engagement.
(14:28):
And it was a fascinating seminar on that.
So we're looking at how we can.
Bridge, you know, AI and chat GPT tohelp U.S. with our public engagement.
It's still in the early stages of things,but it's something that we're definitely
looking at because particularly sincewe are doing a full born expansion
here, you know, with this, um, withour Premo program, we need to figure
(14:51):
out ways to engage with the publicbeyond what we traditionally do.
Obviously we still have todo that, you know, in person,
face-to-face conversations.
Those are very criticalwhen you're doing major.
Infrastructure investment projects, butnow let's leverage all those other tools
that we have out there for people whomay not be able to show up for a meeting,
but still wanna be part of the process.
(15:12):
That's
Paul Comfort (15:12):
very good.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (15:12):
Um, the last thing I wanted to also mention, and, and I think
this is, you know, where innovation also,uh, is important and, and where we can
create significant efficiencies is lookingat how we warehouse our goods and, uh,
and keep our materials and our supplies.
There is so much technology out thereto do it better than what we do.
(15:34):
Um, and I, and I'm looking at that forour Covin bus facility to see how we can
implement a different warehousing systemthat allows U.S. to be more efficient
while at the same time, , being ableto create, , a very clean and easy to
find material management environment.
So that's really like in the shop?
Like in the shop, yes.
Okay.
Yeah, absolutely.
(15:54):
Yeah.
And the other thing that I seeis, , something that I see in
the future and I, I know that.
This is way out there.
But I see that as a trueopportunity for U.S. is to
reimagine the experience on the bus.
Paul Comfort (16:08):
Okay.
Like we're on right now,
Coree Cuff Lonergan: like we're on right now. (16:10):
undefined
Right?
Yeah.
So let's just say that you get onthe bus and we were able to create a
spotlight experience on the bus thateither everybody's experiencing at the
same time as a common experience, oryou put your virtual reality glasses
on and you're in your own world.
Paul Comfort (16:27):
Wow.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (16:27):
So that's something I look forward to seeing if we can.
Invest in something like that and,and bring that to reality here.
I love that.
Paul Comfort (16:35):
Outside the box thinking.
Yeah.
Kind of reshaping whatthe experience is, right?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (16:39):
Yeah.
And then, you know, and thenin re-imagining how we set up
the interior of a U.S. Okay.
You know, how do we move the masses whileat the same time creating an environment
that is soothing, inviting, interesting.
Productive and safe.
Paul Comfort (16:54):
I love that, Coree.
I hope you're able to do that.
That's amazing.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (16:57):
Thank you.
Paul Comfort (16:57):
Yeah.
Well, this has been great.
I love that we did thiswhole interview on a. Bus.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (17:01):
Oh, we did?
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (17:03):
I don't think we've ever done that before then.
A whole podcast on a bus.
Yeah.
You're a bus agency.
Why not, right?
Why not?
Right?
For now.
For now, but soon.
Rarely to come.
Right rail to come.
Yeah.
What's the timeline youthink, for everything?
I don't think we talked about that yet.
When is it phased?
Like it's gonna roll in like a waterfall.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (17:17):
It's a, it is definitely phased.
It's phased for myriadof reasons, obviously.
Paul Comfort (17:21):
Yeah.
You can't do everything at
Coree Cuff Lonergan (17:23):
one time.
You can't do everything at one time.
We'd overtax the organization andwe wouldn't be able to deliver.
Also, you know, we have tomeet the market where it is.
You know, we need contractors if then.
To support U.S. and so wecan't kind of pile on Yeah.
Uh, everything, but itis phased intentionally.
So as the projects roll over,we are learning from one, right.
Implementing those lessons learnedto the next one and keeping it
(17:44):
moving to the, to the next one.
Okay.
And so, um, the entire program isgonna be delivered over about 15 years.
Paul Comfort (17:51):
And what do you think is first coming online?
Coree Cuff Lonergan (17:52):
So the first one that's gonna come online
is our commuter rail project.
Oh, wow.
That's the first one.
Okay.
And then our bus, rapid transit.
On Oakland Park Boulevardwhere we were at.
Yeah, we were just there.
Yeah, we were just there.
And then our, our light rail project,which will connect our airport
seaport convention center, whichis where we're going right now.
Paul Comfort (18:11):
Alright.
That's great.
Well, this is awesome.
I know I've mentioned this, I thinkI've said it on the show, but I wanna
say it again as we close up, I don'tknow of any other agency doing this in
America, adding three brand new modes ofservice, all of one program of projects.
Amazing.
Coree.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (18:28):
Yeah.
You know, and, and thankyou for saying that.
And we're so lucky thatthe voters in 2018 Yeah.
Voted through their, through.
A majority of voters said, yes, we want toimprove mobility here in Broward County,
and we support Transit as that solution.
And we have a nine membercommission that is also supporting
(18:50):
that at the policy level.
Yeah.
So we're really lucky to havethe situation we have here.
That's
Paul Comfort (18:54):
wonderful.
Well, south Florida is blossoming.
You have so much stuff going on here.
You're so well coordinatedwith your neighbor.
In jurisdictions and their transitservices and uh, I love that
you're integrated in with countygovernment because you know, that's
where I got my start and I loveworking in county government.
I just wish you the best.
You're the right person at theright time to be doing this.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (19:13):
Well, that means the world.
Hearing that from you, Paul, thank you.
Paul Comfort (19:16):
Best of luck.
We look forward to checking back in withyou as you progress over the next decade.
Coree Cuff Lonergan (19:20):
Thank you.
Julie Gates (19:25):
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.
(19:47):
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.
Popular Podcasts
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.