In this special roving-reporter edition of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort takes you inside the 2025 CTAA Expo in San Diego, where he caught up with some of the brightest minds in community and rural transit. From paratransit operations to industry journalism to frontline safety, these conversations reflect the energy, challenges, and innovation happening beyond the big-city systems.
Featuring:
Megan Perrero – Editor in Chief, Mass Transit Magazine
On shaping the next era of industry media, supporting up-and-comers through the 40 Under 40 program, and the evolving role of transit journalism.
Rudy Salo – Transportation Finance Attorney, Writer, and Podcast Host
On reclaiming your commute as creative time, what we lose in car culture, and how LA is preparing its transit network for the 2028 Olympics.
Maximilien Duvra – Transit Operations Manager, Prince George’s County, MD
On balancing zero-emission goals with rural realities, operating a mixed-propulsion fleet, and the pros and cons of fare-free service.
Ashley Carriker – CFO, Queen City Transit Solutions
On the growing demand for driver protection, the evolution of bus barrier design, and putting frontline worker safety at the forefront.
John Duklewski – Executive Director, Transportation Association of Maryland
On the importance of statewide transit associations, electrification readiness, and what to expect at TAM’s 2025 fall conference.
Paul also shares reflections from his decades attending CTAA, and why this conference continues to be essential for agencies outside the biggest metros.
Resources & Links:
- Mass Transit Magazine
- Good Is In The Details Podcast
- Prince George’s County Mobility Services
- Queen City Transit Solutions
- Transportation Association of Maryland
- CTAA – Community Transportation Association of America
Subscribe & Stay Connected:
Like what you heard? Subscribe to Transit Unplugged on your favorite podcast platform, or sign up for the newsletter at TransitUnplugged.com for weekly updates from the field.
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
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Paul Comfort (00:00):
So we were in San Diego.
(00:02):
At the Community TransportationAssociation of America Annual Conference
and Expo just a couple months ago.
And we had a couple preset interviewswith, uh, public transit CEOs that
we've already played on the air.
And while we're there, uh, ChrisO'Keefe, uh, my, um, producer, he
and I both produce a show together.
, He had an idea, why don't we goaround on the floor and just interview
(00:23):
people, uh, you know, transitleaders that you know, et cetera.
And I said, that's a great idea.
You know, I've kind of touchedon that maybe in the past, but
never did a whole episode on it.
So that's what today is.
I'm Paul Comfort.
This is, uh, America's number one publictransportation podcast, transit unplugged.
And today we're gonna diveinto roving reporter mode.
I'm gonna, I roam around thehalls of the, of the, uh.
(00:45):
CTA expo, you know, Scott Bogans, uh,CTAA, he's the executive director, and we,
I caught up with some incredible people incommunity and rural public transportation.
By the way, I've been going to theCTAA Expo for, you know, 25 years
off and on, and, uh, more than that,probably 30, 35 years actually.
Uh, I was a state delegate, uh,from Maryland when they used to
have that to CTAA and stronglybelieve in what they're doing.
(01:07):
And so this is a great chance to catchup with people and learn, et cetera.
I got to speak while we were there aswell, and some great entertainment they
had for U.S. Uh, so on our first guest,let's just dive into our first guest.
I, I walked over to the booth of, uh,mass Transit Magazine, our industry's
top, uh, public transportation magazine.
That and Metro Magazineare the two big ones.
Uh, and I talk with Megan Perro,she's the editor in chief.
(01:30):
Of Mass Transit Magazine.
She's also the board secretaryfor Latinos in Transit.
And you know, we all knowMass Transit Magazine.
Well, thankfully I got onthe cover one time, actually.
, It is a great magazine.
Uh, Misha Wonk Libman, theformer longtime executive editor.
I. Left about a year or so ago,and Megan has picked up right where
she left off and is taking it.
(01:51):
. She's doing a wonderful job.
And I talked to her about, um,what's next for the magazine?
What are they doing?
What are the hot topics?
Take a listen to this one.
Alright, I'm playing Roving Reporter todayat the CTA Expo on the floor, and I'm
with my friend Megan Pereira, who is theeditor in chief of Mass Transit Magazine
.Hey, by the way, you're doing a great job.
Meagan Perrero (02:08):
Thank you so much, Paul.
I really appreciate that.
Yeah, you
, Paul Comfort (02:10):
You're not only a printed magazine, now you
have like a big online presence
, . Meagan Perrero: That's correct.
Yes.
So we have a daily news website.
Every day you come on there,you'll find brand new content.
We have our daily newsletter Mondaythrough Friday, straight into your inbox.
All the industry news you needright there curated for you.
. Paul Comfort (02:26):
You all are the number one source for news and
information from a magazineperspective, I think, in the country.
Right.
Meagan Perrero (02:32):
I would agree with that statement.
. Paul Comfort: And uh, as we were talking about beforehand, you had
big shoes to fill with Misha there.
She was there for quite awhile as editor and you stepped
in and, um, , kept it going.
Yeah, the Misha really set U.S. up for a great success.
She really curated and built a brandthat's known and seen across the
industry, and I'm really excited tocontinue the legacy she built for U.S.
, Paul Comfort (02:52):
You know, I post something about the transit industry every day
on my LinkedIn where I've got 26,000followers and, um, I use Mass Transit
daily updates at least once a week.
'cause you've got the breaking news.
What are you breaking now?
Like what are the hot storiesin the industry right now?
Meagan Perrero (03:07):
So obviously we have the supply chain, , specific
to BUS and the North America market,uh, with the vendors and the OEMs.
There's obviously in the spareparts, you know, that's a huge thing.
The other thing that I've been hearinga lot is about procurement and contracts
and specifically updating those termsand conditions to kind of better balance
out the, , liability and the risk thatcomes with those types of really big.
(03:29):
Years long contracts.
Paul Comfort (03:30):
What have you got in the future coming from mass Transit
that people wanna know about?
Meagan Perrero (03:34):
Oh, that's a great question.
Coming in the future, you know, Ithink we're gonna be doing a little
bit more focus on paratransit.
Obviously technology is alwayssomething that we want to loop in.
Um, our infrastructure technology podcastis actually really taken off and we
have some great conversations in there.
Really delving into the actualtools on the ground that are.
Helping people do theirday-to-day operations.
Paul Comfort (03:53):
Where can people find that podcast?
Meagan Perrero (03:55):
Anywhere you stream your podcast.
And also, if you come to our website,mass transit mag.com, just look up
the Infrastructure Technology podcast.
All the links are right there for you.
Paul Comfort (04:04):
That's great.
And the magazine is free, right?
Meagan Perrero (04:06):
Yep.
A hundred percent free.
Paul Comfort (04:07):
almost nothing's free anymore.
Meagan Perrero (04:08):
I know, right?
It's a great deal.
All you gotta do is justsend U.S. your information.
We verify you and you're set.
Paul Comfort (04:14):
The other thing I thought I should mention is you, you run a program
every year called Top 40 under 40.
Which has become kind of like,you know, that's a big deal.
I remember when I was in Baltimoreas CEO, Kevin Quinn was my director
of planning, and I remember he wonit that year and I got to present
it to him in front of all the staff.
We had a, we had a frame for him.
You know, I mean, that's a big deal.
Tell U.S. about that.
Meagan Perrero (04:33):
Yeah.
It's one of our, , flagship programs.
Every year we get nearly.
200 submissions of peoplewanting to have that recognition.
, It warms my heart reading all theapplications and just the pure
passion and dedication that theseyoung people bring to our industry.
And, uh, I think we're close to a goodcouple hundred, , nominees from our past
that have been honored with that award.
I see people on LinkedIn,they keep that in their bio.
(04:55):
I mean, there's a lot of pride inhaving this recognition and, um, I
take a lot of pride and respect inthe effort that they bring to the
table for U.S. to recognize them.
Paul Comfort (05:03):
Yeah, we did for a number of years.
I've interviewed peopleafter they win that award.
It's so fun, isn't it, to see, you know,they're not really young people, right?
If they're 38 years old, but,but they're younger than me.
And, uh, to see the passion theyhave, uh, and a lot of them have gone
on to top, top jobs in the industry.
Meagan Perrero (05:18):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
It's really awesome tofollow their trajectory.
Or I'll see 'em out on the show floorand I'm like, I know so much about
you because I just read two years ago.
You're a whole bio.
And I just, it's a really goodway to build a network and get.
To know the up and comers and uh, justthe really cool, innovative things
that a lot of these agencies are doing.
Paul Comfort (05:35):
Well, congratulations, Megan, on the great job you're doing.
We wish you the very best at MassTransit Magazine going forward.
Meagan Perrero (05:40):
Thank you so much, Paul.
I appreciate it.
Paul Comfort (05:42):
Up next, I, uh, we met up with Rudy Salo.
. Rudy is a partner in infrastructureand transportation finance at
a big law firm , based in LosAngeles, Nixon, Peabody, LLPI.
He's also a prolific writer, a speaker andeducator and co-host of a great podcast
called Good is in the Details podcast, Rudy actually came down and had lunch
with U.S. um, there at the conference.
(06:04):
And Rudy talked aboutcommuting as creative time.
He.
What we're losing in car culture.
And uh, Rudy's got a greatbackground in public transportation
and he shares all that.
And we talked to you a littlebit about it in my interview.
what is being taken away from U.S.when we're driving in our car,
stuck in traffic for two hoursa day, going to work and back.
I mean, that's kinda whatyou're talking about here.
That's
Rudy Salo (06:23):
exactly what I'm talking about.
Yeah.
What it is is.
Call, and you and I are thinklife, it's a mindset shift.
If you, if you view the timethat you're driving in the car
as like, oh, this is great.
It's my personal time.
I can listen to the radio, Ican do this, I can do that.
Yeah.
But you also need to drive safelyand you're, you're a good citizen.
You don't want to, you know.
(06:44):
Take away.
You can't really be lookingat your phone, you can't be
doing anything you're driving.
That's all what you're doing.
That should be the only thing that you'redoing when you're writing public transit.
What you're doing is you're delegatingthe driving to somebody else and then
you have that time back to yourselfto do whatever you want to read, to
listen to a Transit Unplugged podcast.
Boom, baby.
I didn't pay him for that either.
(07:05):
To, to to write, you know,everybody in the world.
Paul wants to write that book or write.
That's right.
Write that script.
Or do that thing thatthey always wanted to do.
You wrote a script whileriding several, the bus, right?
Several.
I've written several scripts.
I've written books, I've written,you know, done the Forbes thing.
If, if there's something in yourmind that you want to do, the only
thing that's stopping you is time.
Yes.
So what you gotta do is.
(07:26):
Think differently about how youcommute, delegate the driving
to somebody else and take publictransit and take your time back.
I mean, the fact that we havesmartphones these days and the amazing
things that you could do on them,that it, you can pretty much achieve
anything that you want to achieve.
And I, and I mean thatI, it's not hyperbole.
If you think a little bit differentlyabout your time and how you're
(07:47):
using it, there's no stoppingyou and what you could achieve.
Rudy, what do you think about the Olympicscoming up to LA and the connection?
Mayor Bass has suggested thatshe's working for a. You know,
a car free as much as possible.
Olympics a, a transit first.
That's what the folks at Metro told me.
You know, it's a transit first Olympics.
What are your thoughts on that?
You have a lot of experience intransit there, both as a rider and
(08:08):
as an observer, a rider about it.
Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm excited.
I, I think that, , there's someunfortunate things, for example,
in, in the city of Inglewood wherethere's a number of stadiums.
Now there's the SoFi Stadiumand, and the Intuit Dome.
Unfortunately, there won't be any kindof, uh, you know, connector that's
gonna be completely built that'lltake you directly to the station.
(08:31):
But there will be, there's gonna be two,,transit stations that are gonna be within
a mile, and they're gonna have like busesthat'll, that'll shuttle you through.
I use that when I go to the Ramsgames on Sunday, so I'm used to
taking the bus to those stations.
So I think people need tohave their expectations.
Of, yes, we'll be using publictransit, but you, but it's
not just gonna be trains.
There will be some bus transfers.
(08:52):
So just kind of, you know, for thepeople internationally that are listening
to the show, just realize there's,in a lot of places, you're not gonna
be able to just take one piece oftransportation to a particular stadium.
Um, some stadiums, they'll be fine.
Some stadiums, there'll be sometrains right outside of it.
Uh, if you go back and look at thehistory of the Olympics in Los Angeles,
this is gonna be our third, the1984 Olympics was really interesting
(09:15):
because what they did there whenwe had zero public transportation,
that was when, the first time whenthey experimented with, , turning
Olympic and Pico into one way streets.
And they plan on doing a littlebit of that again this time around.
Oh, interesting.
They're gonna be turn, they're gonnabe converting some streets to one ways.
Just for the Olympics, and itworked very, very well in 84.
The 84 was one of the mostsuccessful Olympics ever.
(09:35):
It was profitable things wereable to move around very well.
Yeah.
So I'm really excitedfor the 2028 Olympics.
Yeah, that'd be great.
Um.
And we recently, as you know, dida show in LA Transit Unplugged
tv, where we talked to Conan, theCOO and a bunch of staff about how
they're getting ready for that.
So it is a hot topic.
Um, anything else that you'd like toshare with U.S. about what's going on
in your world of public transportation?
(09:56):
.Rudy Salo: I'm really, really excited.
For the new station's gonna be openingup right outside of, um, LAX airport.
Oh,
yeah, yeah,
yeah.
And that's gonna connect the, uh, theKline to the Eline and, and, and it's
gonna be, I'm very, very excited.
That's when I plan to start usingpublic transportation again.
When my system, 'cause I live in theSouth Bay of Los Angeles, gets reconnected
back to the rest of the system.
(10:18):
So I'm looking forward to the future ofpublic transportation in Los Angeles, too.
Very good.
Well, thanks for being on the show today.
Again, you're one of ourfew second time guests.
It's an honor.
It really, really is an honor.
Thank you very much.
Paul Comfort (10:29):
up next, uh, after Rudy, who I always enjoy talking to.
You might remember, by the way, Rudywas our, our, uh, futurist guest on
the December 31st episode of 2024 as weheaded into this year and did a great job.
I may have him back again next year 'causehe's always got his finger on the pulse of
what's happening, you know, in the future.
Uh, but next we, uh, caught up tosomebody from Maryland, my home state.
(10:51):
Um, I saw Maximilian Dover there andI asked him, Hey man, uh, what's going
on in Prince George's County, Maryland?
You may know Prince George's Countyis right next to Washington dc.
Um, and, uh, I used to work in thecounty, uh, when I was, um, helping manage
paratransit service for Washington Metro.
Uh, Metro Access at Serve PrinceGeorge's County, as well as
some other jurisdictions there.
(11:11):
And he is the Transit Operations Managerfor Paratransit and Microtransit in
Prince George's County, Maryland.
He oversees a fleet of 50vehicles, including a mix of
electric, gas and propane.
And we talked about zero emissiongoals with real world needs in
a county like there, especiallyrural areas of the county.
And why fair free service can beboth a blessing and a challenge.
(11:33):
Um.
So great to have somebodyfrom Maryland there.
I actually lived in Prince George's Countyback when I was a kid, uh, real young.
Uh, when we first moved up here fromum, Virginia, where I was born, I
lived in a community called Kettering.
There.
If you're from the area, you'llknow it, but let's dive in and
see what Maximilian has to say.
All right.
We're walking outside of the mainhotel in San Diego and I happen
(11:55):
to run into a friend of mine,Maximilian, who runs up, uh, the
Transits by Prince George's County.
. So Maximilian, tell U.S. um, firstoff, give U.S. give U.S. kind of.
You got a long title?
I won't try to.
Say it.
Yes.
, Maximilien Duvra (12:05):
I'm the Transit Operations Manager for Prince
George's County Department of PublicWorks and Transportation Mobility.
, Paul Comfort (12:10):
I saw you out there.
We just stepped aside from the bus show.
They have a lot of buses here this year.
Maximilien Duvra (12:15):
Yes, they do.
Paul Comfort (12:16):
Yeah.
Were you able to look through 'em?
Maximilien Duvra (12:17):
I, I'm almost done with it.
I haven't gone through everything.
Yeah.
But there are quite a bitof nice ones out there.
Paul Comfort (12:21):
What do you think the, where do you think we're going now?
You know, 'cause the new administrationof Washington has basically said, the
secretary was at, um, APTA and he said,look, we're not against battery elect.
This is what I heard.
He said, yeah, we're notagainst battery Electric.
We're just not for mandates.
We're for local choice.
. I was just talking toa guy from Minnesota.
He said, we're all in on CNG.
Right.
So compressed natural gas, you'vegot ideas going for propane.
(12:42):
Some are low emission,some are no emission.
Uh, where, where do you thinkwe're headed as an industry there?
,Maximilien Duvra: I, I definitely think that the local
operations should have a choice.
Everybody says if you see one transitagency, you've seen one transit.
That's, that's a great thing.
So everybody only has, hastheir, the options that they
need to do for their business.
In Prince George's County, we havea lot of rural areas, so sometimes
battery electric isn't the best option.
One trip could be 45 miles, and, youknow, the range of 120 means you're gonna
(13:06):
be looking for a charger right away.
Uh, so we need other options, uh, tomake sure that we can do our trips.
So tell U.S. about your system.
Serves that county.
, Maximilien Duvra (13:14):
On the paratransit side, uh, on the
mobility side, we have 50 vehicles.
Uh, a mixture of, uh,different propulsions.
We utilize it to, , provide microtransitservice as well in designated areas.
We do a lot of senior trips, dialysis,uh, just taking care of our community
and getting them where they need to go.
Paul Comfort (13:30):
Do you do any fixed route?
, Maximilien Duvra (13:31):
Not on my side.
I don't oversee any of the fixed route.
But that is actually run by RATP Dev.
Paul Comfort (13:35):
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
They're my buds.
So, you know, I used to workat Washington Metro for mv.
Okay.
And we, I, I was in charge of theparatransit system, Metro Access.
Which actually serves some yes.
In your county.
, So how do you differentiate betweenwho rides on Metro Metro Access and
who rides on your paratransit service?
Maximilien Duvra (13:53):
Well, Metro Access will take people across the county line.
So we only service, uh,prince George's County.
Okay.
Uh, that's one differentiator.
And we are also fair free.
Uh, so people don't need topay a fare when they ride
with U.S. I didn't know that.
But we also do have.
Limited hours.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (14:06):
So you're maxed out, I bet you right?
Maximilien Duvra (14:08):
Yes, we are.
Yeah.
Uh, anything that's free, it's for me.
, Paul Comfort: That's great.
well thanks for being on the show, max.
Yeah.
Thank
you very much, Paul.
from Maryland, we had to North Carolina,we're headed to Charlotte, North Carolina,
where we talked to Ashley character.
I saw her outside.
Um, and we interviewed her rightin front of the buses there.
They had a great outdoor expo with,I don't know, 50 different vehicles
there, probably from manufacturers.
(14:29):
She's the chief financial officer atQueen City Transit Solutions, and they're
a company focused on something whichhas gotten really big post pandemic,
which is transit safety and equipment,especially bus driver barriers.
You know, that plastic wall thing therethat, um, keeps them from having somebody
throw coffee in their face or whatever.
Which happened when I was CEO of MTA.
And we, uh, we eventually workedwith Union to get that done.
(14:52):
She's been in this rolefor almost 10 years.
She's passionate aboutprotecting frontline workers as a
thoughtful human-centered design.
Uh, you know, back in the day, uh, whenI first introduced them, there wasn't
universal acceptance of them in Baltimore.
Uh, but now the agencies I'mtalking to say their unions want
them, uh, and they wanna put 'emin too to keep their drivers safe.
(15:13):
And so let's talk about that.
All right, we're out here in the busdisplay area and there are dozens of
buses here, and I'm with Ashley, ERfrom Queen City Transit Solutions.
Ashley, you guys do the barriers, right?
Ashley Carriker (15:25):
That's correct.
We do.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (15:26):
What's the story there?
Ashley Carriker (15:27):
So, we are an engineering company and when COVID hit,
we worked with our, uh, local transf.
Agency, North Carolina PublicTransportation Agency to design,
manufacture, assemble, and installdriver barriers for safety, not
only from COVID, but driver assault.
Paul Comfort (15:43):
That's a big thing now, isn't it?
Ashley Carriker (15:45):
Yes.
75% of the agencies that were askedduring the CTAA, uh, discussion panels
said that 75% of those agencies foundthat driver barriers are protecting their
drivers, as well as, , taking out the.
assault aspect of drivingin the operator position.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (16:05):
I remember when I was CCEO of MTA, Baltimore, people
were, this was before the pandemic.
People didn't want 'em.
Ashley Carriker (16:12):
No.
Paul Comfort (16:12):
Some of our employees were like, oh no,
I'll be claustrophobic and all.
Now they're demanding them.
Ashley Carriker (16:17):
Yeah, so in Charlotte we've had three operators killed, and
it's all because of either driver rage,irritability, mental health issues.
So if you can't get to a pilot inairplane, why should you be able to
get to an operator inside of a bus?
They're here to provide service.
They're not here to beputting themself out.
(16:39):
To be attacked, to bespit on, to be harassed.
And this provides at least a small levelof protection or a divider between them
and people that are oncoming down thebus that may have some ill intentions.
Yeah.
I
Paul Comfort (16:50):
I, every major transit system I'm aware of now is,
is thinking about or doing this.
Ashley Carriker (16:55):
Yes.
And we're hopeful that we'll also get abullet resistant barrier Oh, interesting.
That we're coming out with, um, andjust trying to provide the best.
Operator solutions to at least havesome type of protection between them
and anyone that wants to do harm.
Paul Comfort (17:09):
That's great.
Thank you.
great to hear from Ashley.
And finally come back to Maryland, my homestate, because I got to see another friend
of mine there, John Duke Luki, who is theexecutive director of the Transportation
Association of Maryland or tam.
, That's Maryland's statewideTransit Association.
They represent over 130 organizations.
My friend Jeff Barnett, uh, wasthe past chair of it, and he told
(17:31):
me John's just amazing doing awonderful job as executive director.
Uh, and I know it because I've been to acouple of the conferences since he's been
executive director and they're fantastic.
And that's what we talk about, theirupcoming conference on Kent Island,
which is in my home county, queen AnneCounty, and the big topics on their
plate, like state and federal regulationsin the march toward electrification.
(17:51):
I really believe in state transitassociations as a matter of fact.
Um, this fall, I'll bespeaking at a couple of them.
The Kentucky one
And I'll also be speaking at the MidwestTransit Association Conference, uh,
this fall, which is, uh, in Kansas City.
Last year I spoke at the Missourione, and, uh, this is a larger
one representing multiple states.
Looking forward to seeingthem there as well.
and I used to be president of one.
(18:12):
I was president of Tam.
I was the second president of ourassociation back in the nineties.
Uh, and it's a great way for.
You know, local, rural, suburbantransit systems to interact with each
other, to learn from one another.
John, heads up a greatone here in Maryland.
I'm with John Leski, who is the head ofTransportation Association of Maryland.
Tell U.S. a little aboutTransportation Association of Maryland.
John Duklewski (18:33):
So, TAM is the Statewide Transit Association
for All of Transit and Maryland.
We have over 130 members representingevery single transit agency from Garrett
in the Appalachians to the west, thetown of Ocean City in the east, and every
jurisdiction, county and city in between.
As well as over 50 non-profitspecialized transit providers.
Paul Comfort (18:50):
That's great, man.
I, when I was younger, I was veryinvolved with, with Tam, as you know,
and was president for a couple years.
Um, so, but every year you guys, I'vebeen coming for the last couple years.
I was out for a while.
And then your conferencesthough, man, John, you do a
fantastic job setting them up.
You've got a big one coming up.
Tell U.S. about it.
John Duklewski (19:06):
So October 7th to ninth at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club.
It's right there on Kent Island,right there with beautiful
view of the Bay Bridge.
Just as you pass over.
We're gonna have close to 300attendees, over 40 exhibitors,
two and a half days of world classsessions, networking and transit.
So hope everyone can make it.
Paul Comfort (19:22):
That's great, man.
Thanks for sharing with U.S. about it.
Any big, um, hot topicsin Maryland and Transit?
John Duklewski (19:28):
It's definitely the regulatory environment.
It's electric vehicles.
It's figuring out what's coming next fromour friends of the federal government.
It's figuring out what the state'splans are for overall electrification.
. Paul Comfort (19:38):
Well, best wishes to you.
I hope to see you at theconference this year.
John Duklewski (19:40):
Absolutely.
Paul Comfort (19:42):
All right, well that wraps up, uh, my roving reporter.
First time ever on TransitUnplugged, uh, tour of the CTA Expo.
A big thank you to all the guestsand Scott Bogan and everyone at
CTAA for putting on such a greatevent and for working with U.S.
We did one of the interviews.
At a booth at the TripSpark booth,uh, and there was a DJ there and they
shut off the music for U.S. for about20 minutes while we did the interview.
(20:04):
So I really appreciate themworking with U.S. on it.
Hey, if you like what you heardtoday, make sure to subscribe to
the podcast wherever you're at.
Just click subscribe, whatever yourfavorite platform is, whether it's
Apple, Spotify, or now we have a hybridversion with some video on, uh, YouTube.
And visit our website@transitunplug.comto see it all.
And if you wanna see it once aweek, kind of a wrap up summary
(20:24):
of everything we're doing.
Then sign up for our weekly newsletter.
It comes out on Fridays and you'llnever miss what's going on on our
TV show on live events we havecoming up on the podcast and more.
Final thoughts wouldbe, I love the CTA expo.
As I mentioned earlier, I've been going totheir conferences for over 30 years now.
Uh, CTA represents small, urban,rural, suburban and tribal transit.
(20:46):
They're very important to these agencies.
Um, as APTA represents the larger ones.
Uh, CTA represents the small urbanones to make sure you know that
they get, that their specific needs.
I love what I kind of a quote that weall quote in the industry, which is,
if you've seen one transit system.
You've seen one transit system.
They're all so different, right?
They, they, they're from their fundingsources to their organization, how they
(21:09):
got started, whether city, county, youknow, agency statewide, agency nonprofit,
um, you know, there's so many differentways that they're organized and how
they operate and how they're funded,that it's important for a conference
like TTA Expo to bring them all togetherwhere they can share best practices.
I hope to see you at anupcoming conference as well.
Julie Gates (21:29):
Thanks for listening to Transit Unplugged.
I'm executive producer Julie Gates,and this episode was created by host
and producer Paul Comfort, producerChris O'Keefe, associate producer Cindy
Raskin and podcast intern Des Gates.
Transit Unplugged is being broughtto you by Modaxo, passionate
about moving the world's people.
If you wanna dive deeper behind thetransit headlines and get boots on the
(21:51):
ground intel on important updates likethe Trump Administration's transit
priorities, or how to get fundingcheck out Transit Unplugged Insider,
our new YouTube show where Paul andI take you inside today's hot topics.
Paul knows what's going on inWashington DC and has the inside scoop.
He's taking a lot of meetings witha lot of people and we wanna make
sure you know what's going on.
(22:12):
You can watch and subscribe to TransitUnplugged Insider on the Transit
Unplugged Podcast page on YouTube.
Thanks for listening, and we'll catch youon the next episode of Transit Unplugged.
So we were in San Diego.
(00:02):
At the Community TransportationAssociation of America Annual Conference
and Expo just a couple months ago.
And we had a couple preset interviewswith, uh, public transit CEOs that
we've already played on the air.
And while we're there, uh, ChrisO'Keefe, uh, my, um, producer, he
and I both produce a show together.
, He had an idea, why don't we goaround on the floor and just interview
(00:23):
people, uh, you know, transitleaders that you know, et cetera.
And I said, that's a great idea.
You know, I've kind of touchedon that maybe in the past, but
never did a whole episode on it.
So that's what today is.
I'm Paul Comfort.
This is, uh, America's number one publictransportation podcast, transit unplugged.
And today we're gonna diveinto roving reporter mode.
I'm gonna, I roam around thehalls of the, of the, uh.
(00:45):
CTA expo, you know, Scott Bogans, uh,CTAA, he's the executive director, and we,
I caught up with some incredible people incommunity and rural public transportation.
By the way, I've been going to theCTAA Expo for, you know, 25 years
off and on, and, uh, more than that,probably 30, 35 years actually.
Uh, I was a state delegate, uh,from Maryland when they used to
have that to CTAA and stronglybelieve in what they're doing.
(01:07):
And so this is a great chance to catchup with people and learn, et cetera.
I got to speak while we were there aswell, and some great entertainment they
had for U.S. Uh, so on our first guest,let's just dive into our first guest.
I, I walked over to the booth of, uh,mass Transit Magazine, our industry's
top, uh, public transportation magazine.
That and Metro Magazineare the two big ones.
Uh, and I talk with Megan Perro,she's the editor in chief.
(01:30):
Of Mass Transit Magazine.
She's also the board secretaryfor Latinos in Transit.
And you know, we all knowMass Transit Magazine.
Well, thankfully I got onthe cover one time, actually.
, It is a great magazine.
Uh, Misha Wonk Libman, theformer longtime executive editor.
I. Left about a year or so ago,and Megan has picked up right where
she left off and is taking it.
(01:51):
. She's doing a wonderful job.
And I talked to her about, um,what's next for the magazine?
What are they doing?
What are the hot topics?
Take a listen to this one.
Alright, I'm playing Roving Reporter todayat the CTA Expo on the floor, and I'm
with my friend Megan Pereira, who is theeditor in chief of Mass Transit Magazine
.Hey, by the way, you're doing a great job.
Meagan Perrero (02:08):
Thank you so much, Paul.
I really appreciate that.
Yeah, you
, Paul Comfort (02:10):
You're not only a printed magazine, now you
have like a big online presence
, . Meagan Perrero: That's correct.
Yes.
So we have a daily news website.
Every day you come on there,you'll find brand new content.
We have our daily newsletter Mondaythrough Friday, straight into your inbox.
All the industry news you needright there curated for you.
. Paul Comfort (02:26):
You all are the number one source for news and
information from a magazineperspective, I think, in the country.
Right.
Meagan Perrero (02:32):
I would agree with that statement.
. Paul Comfort: And uh, as we were talking about beforehand, you had
big shoes to fill with Misha there.
She was there for quite awhile as editor and you stepped
in and, um, , kept it going.
Yeah, the Misha really set U.S. up for a great success.
She really curated and built a brandthat's known and seen across the
industry, and I'm really excited tocontinue the legacy she built for U.S.
, Paul Comfort (02:52):
You know, I post something about the transit industry every day
on my LinkedIn where I've got 26,000followers and, um, I use Mass Transit
daily updates at least once a week.
'cause you've got the breaking news.
What are you breaking now?
Like what are the hot storiesin the industry right now?
Meagan Perrero (03:07):
So obviously we have the supply chain, , specific
to BUS and the North America market,uh, with the vendors and the OEMs.
There's obviously in the spareparts, you know, that's a huge thing.
The other thing that I've been hearinga lot is about procurement and contracts
and specifically updating those termsand conditions to kind of better balance
out the, , liability and the risk thatcomes with those types of really big.
(03:29):
Years long contracts.
Paul Comfort (03:30):
What have you got in the future coming from mass Transit
that people wanna know about?
Meagan Perrero (03:34):
Oh, that's a great question.
Coming in the future, you know, Ithink we're gonna be doing a little
bit more focus on paratransit.
Obviously technology is alwayssomething that we want to loop in.
Um, our infrastructure technology podcastis actually really taken off and we
have some great conversations in there.
Really delving into the actualtools on the ground that are.
Helping people do theirday-to-day operations.
Paul Comfort (03:53):
Where can people find that podcast?
Meagan Perrero (03:55):
Anywhere you stream your podcast.
And also, if you come to our website,mass transit mag.com, just look up
the Infrastructure Technology podcast.
All the links are right there for you.
Paul Comfort (04:04):
That's great.
And the magazine is free, right?
Meagan Perrero (04:06):
Yep.
A hundred percent free.
Paul Comfort (04:07):
almost nothing's free anymore.
Meagan Perrero (04:08):
I know, right?
It's a great deal.
All you gotta do is justsend U.S. your information.
We verify you and you're set.
Paul Comfort (04:14):
The other thing I thought I should mention is you, you run a program
every year called Top 40 under 40.
Which has become kind of like,you know, that's a big deal.
I remember when I was in Baltimoreas CEO, Kevin Quinn was my director
of planning, and I remember he wonit that year and I got to present
it to him in front of all the staff.
We had a, we had a frame for him.
You know, I mean, that's a big deal.
Tell U.S. about that.
Meagan Perrero (04:33):
Yeah.
It's one of our, , flagship programs.
Every year we get nearly.
200 submissions of peoplewanting to have that recognition.
, It warms my heart reading all theapplications and just the pure
passion and dedication that theseyoung people bring to our industry.
And, uh, I think we're close to a goodcouple hundred, , nominees from our past
that have been honored with that award.
I see people on LinkedIn,they keep that in their bio.
(04:55):
I mean, there's a lot of pride inhaving this recognition and, um, I
take a lot of pride and respect inthe effort that they bring to the
table for U.S. to recognize them.
Paul Comfort (05:03):
Yeah, we did for a number of years.
I've interviewed peopleafter they win that award.
It's so fun, isn't it, to see, you know,they're not really young people, right?
If they're 38 years old, but,but they're younger than me.
And, uh, to see the passion theyhave, uh, and a lot of them have gone
on to top, top jobs in the industry.
Meagan Perrero (05:18):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
It's really awesome tofollow their trajectory.
Or I'll see 'em out on the show floorand I'm like, I know so much about
you because I just read two years ago.
You're a whole bio.
And I just, it's a really goodway to build a network and get.
To know the up and comers and uh, justthe really cool, innovative things
that a lot of these agencies are doing.
Paul Comfort (05:35):
Well, congratulations, Megan, on the great job you're doing.
We wish you the very best at MassTransit Magazine going forward.
Meagan Perrero (05:40):
Thank you so much, Paul.
I appreciate it.
Paul Comfort (05:42):
Up next, I, uh, we met up with Rudy Salo.
. Rudy is a partner in infrastructureand transportation finance at
a big law firm , based in LosAngeles, Nixon, Peabody, LLPI.
He's also a prolific writer, a speaker andeducator and co-host of a great podcast
called Good is in the Details podcast, Rudy actually came down and had lunch
with U.S. um, there at the conference.
(06:04):
And Rudy talked aboutcommuting as creative time.
He.
What we're losing in car culture.
And uh, Rudy's got a greatbackground in public transportation
and he shares all that.
And we talked to you a littlebit about it in my interview.
what is being taken away from U.S.when we're driving in our car,
stuck in traffic for two hoursa day, going to work and back.
I mean, that's kinda whatyou're talking about here.
That's
Rudy Salo (06:23):
exactly what I'm talking about.
Yeah.
What it is is.
Call, and you and I are thinklife, it's a mindset shift.
If you, if you view the timethat you're driving in the car
as like, oh, this is great.
It's my personal time.
I can listen to the radio, Ican do this, I can do that.
Yeah.
But you also need to drive safelyand you're, you're a good citizen.
You don't want to, you know.
(06:44):
Take away.
You can't really be lookingat your phone, you can't be
doing anything you're driving.
That's all what you're doing.
That should be the only thing that you'redoing when you're writing public transit.
What you're doing is you're delegatingthe driving to somebody else and then
you have that time back to yourselfto do whatever you want to read, to
listen to a Transit Unplugged podcast.
Boom, baby.
I didn't pay him for that either.
(07:05):
To, to to write, you know,everybody in the world.
Paul wants to write that book or write.
That's right.
Write that script.
Or do that thing thatthey always wanted to do.
You wrote a script whileriding several, the bus, right?
Several.
I've written several scripts.
I've written books, I've written,you know, done the Forbes thing.
If, if there's something in yourmind that you want to do, the only
thing that's stopping you is time.
Yes.
So what you gotta do is.
(07:26):
Think differently about how youcommute, delegate the driving
to somebody else and take publictransit and take your time back.
I mean, the fact that we havesmartphones these days and the amazing
things that you could do on them,that it, you can pretty much achieve
anything that you want to achieve.
And I, and I mean thatI, it's not hyperbole.
If you think a little bit differentlyabout your time and how you're
(07:47):
using it, there's no stoppingyou and what you could achieve.
Rudy, what do you think about the Olympicscoming up to LA and the connection?
Mayor Bass has suggested thatshe's working for a. You know,
a car free as much as possible.
Olympics a, a transit first.
That's what the folks at Metro told me.
You know, it's a transit first Olympics.
What are your thoughts on that?
You have a lot of experience intransit there, both as a rider and
(08:08):
as an observer, a rider about it.
Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm excited.
I, I think that, , there's someunfortunate things, for example,
in, in the city of Inglewood wherethere's a number of stadiums.
Now there's the SoFi Stadiumand, and the Intuit Dome.
Unfortunately, there won't be any kindof, uh, you know, connector that's
gonna be completely built that'lltake you directly to the station.
(08:31):
But there will be, there's gonna be two,,transit stations that are gonna be within
a mile, and they're gonna have like busesthat'll, that'll shuttle you through.
I use that when I go to the Ramsgames on Sunday, so I'm used to
taking the bus to those stations.
So I think people need tohave their expectations.
Of, yes, we'll be using publictransit, but you, but it's
not just gonna be trains.
There will be some bus transfers.
(08:52):
So just kind of, you know, for thepeople internationally that are listening
to the show, just realize there's,in a lot of places, you're not gonna
be able to just take one piece oftransportation to a particular stadium.
Um, some stadiums, they'll be fine.
Some stadiums, there'll be sometrains right outside of it.
Uh, if you go back and look at thehistory of the Olympics in Los Angeles,
this is gonna be our third, the1984 Olympics was really interesting
(09:15):
because what they did there whenwe had zero public transportation,
that was when, the first time whenthey experimented with, , turning
Olympic and Pico into one way streets.
And they plan on doing a littlebit of that again this time around.
Oh, interesting.
They're gonna be turn, they're gonnabe converting some streets to one ways.
Just for the Olympics, and itworked very, very well in 84.
The 84 was one of the mostsuccessful Olympics ever.
(09:35):
It was profitable things wereable to move around very well.
Yeah.
So I'm really excitedfor the 2028 Olympics.
Yeah, that'd be great.
Um.
And we recently, as you know, dida show in LA Transit Unplugged
tv, where we talked to Conan, theCOO and a bunch of staff about how
they're getting ready for that.
So it is a hot topic.
Um, anything else that you'd like toshare with U.S. about what's going on
in your world of public transportation?
(09:56):
.Rudy Salo: I'm really, really excited.
For the new station's gonna be openingup right outside of, um, LAX airport.
Oh,
yeah, yeah,
yeah.
And that's gonna connect the, uh, theKline to the Eline and, and, and it's
gonna be, I'm very, very excited.
That's when I plan to start usingpublic transportation again.
When my system, 'cause I live in theSouth Bay of Los Angeles, gets reconnected
back to the rest of the system.
(10:18):
So I'm looking forward to the future ofpublic transportation in Los Angeles, too.
Very good.
Well, thanks for being on the show today.
Again, you're one of ourfew second time guests.
It's an honor.
It really, really is an honor.
Thank you very much.
Paul Comfort (10:29):
up next, uh, after Rudy, who I always enjoy talking to.
You might remember, by the way, Rudywas our, our, uh, futurist guest on
the December 31st episode of 2024 as weheaded into this year and did a great job.
I may have him back again next year 'causehe's always got his finger on the pulse of
what's happening, you know, in the future.
Uh, but next we, uh, caught up tosomebody from Maryland, my home state.
(10:51):
Um, I saw Maximilian Dover there andI asked him, Hey man, uh, what's going
on in Prince George's County, Maryland?
You may know Prince George's Countyis right next to Washington dc.
Um, and, uh, I used to work in thecounty, uh, when I was, um, helping manage
paratransit service for Washington Metro.
Uh, Metro Access at Serve PrinceGeorge's County, as well as
some other jurisdictions there.
(11:11):
And he is the Transit Operations Managerfor Paratransit and Microtransit in
Prince George's County, Maryland.
He oversees a fleet of 50vehicles, including a mix of
electric, gas and propane.
And we talked about zero emissiongoals with real world needs in
a county like there, especiallyrural areas of the county.
And why fair free service can beboth a blessing and a challenge.
(11:33):
Um.
So great to have somebodyfrom Maryland there.
I actually lived in Prince George's Countyback when I was a kid, uh, real young.
Uh, when we first moved up here fromum, Virginia, where I was born, I
lived in a community called Kettering.
There.
If you're from the area, you'llknow it, but let's dive in and
see what Maximilian has to say.
All right.
We're walking outside of the mainhotel in San Diego and I happen
(11:55):
to run into a friend of mine,Maximilian, who runs up, uh, the
Transits by Prince George's County.
. So Maximilian, tell U.S. um, firstoff, give U.S. give U.S. kind of.
You got a long title?
I won't try to.
Say it.
Yes.
, Maximilien Duvra (12:05):
I'm the Transit Operations Manager for Prince
George's County Department of PublicWorks and Transportation Mobility.
, Paul Comfort (12:10):
I saw you out there.
We just stepped aside from the bus show.
They have a lot of buses here this year.
Maximilien Duvra (12:15):
Yes, they do.
Paul Comfort (12:16):
Yeah.
Were you able to look through 'em?
Maximilien Duvra (12:17):
I, I'm almost done with it.
I haven't gone through everything.
Yeah.
But there are quite a bitof nice ones out there.
Paul Comfort (12:21):
What do you think the, where do you think we're going now?
You know, 'cause the new administrationof Washington has basically said, the
secretary was at, um, APTA and he said,look, we're not against battery elect.
This is what I heard.
He said, yeah, we're notagainst battery Electric.
We're just not for mandates.
We're for local choice.
. I was just talking toa guy from Minnesota.
He said, we're all in on CNG.
Right.
So compressed natural gas, you'vegot ideas going for propane.
(12:42):
Some are low emission,some are no emission.
Uh, where, where do you thinkwe're headed as an industry there?
,Maximilien Duvra: I, I definitely think that the local
operations should have a choice.
Everybody says if you see one transitagency, you've seen one transit.
That's, that's a great thing.
So everybody only has, hastheir, the options that they
need to do for their business.
In Prince George's County, we havea lot of rural areas, so sometimes
battery electric isn't the best option.
One trip could be 45 miles, and, youknow, the range of 120 means you're gonna
(13:06):
be looking for a charger right away.
Uh, so we need other options, uh, tomake sure that we can do our trips.
So tell U.S. about your system.
Serves that county.
, Maximilien Duvra (13:14):
On the paratransit side, uh, on the
mobility side, we have 50 vehicles.
Uh, a mixture of, uh,different propulsions.
We utilize it to, , provide microtransitservice as well in designated areas.
We do a lot of senior trips, dialysis,uh, just taking care of our community
and getting them where they need to go.
Paul Comfort (13:30):
Do you do any fixed route?
, Maximilien Duvra (13:31):
Not on my side.
I don't oversee any of the fixed route.
But that is actually run by RATP Dev.
Paul Comfort (13:35):
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
They're my buds.
So, you know, I used to workat Washington Metro for mv.
Okay.
And we, I, I was in charge of theparatransit system, Metro Access.
Which actually serves some yes.
In your county.
, So how do you differentiate betweenwho rides on Metro Metro Access and
who rides on your paratransit service?
Maximilien Duvra (13:53):
Well, Metro Access will take people across the county line.
So we only service, uh,prince George's County.
Okay.
Uh, that's one differentiator.
And we are also fair free.
Uh, so people don't need topay a fare when they ride
with U.S. I didn't know that.
But we also do have.
Limited hours.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (14:06):
So you're maxed out, I bet you right?
Maximilien Duvra (14:08):
Yes, we are.
Yeah.
Uh, anything that's free, it's for me.
, Paul Comfort: That's great.
well thanks for being on the show, max.
Yeah.
Thank
you very much, Paul.
from Maryland, we had to North Carolina,we're headed to Charlotte, North Carolina,
where we talked to Ashley character.
I saw her outside.
Um, and we interviewed her rightin front of the buses there.
They had a great outdoor expo with,I don't know, 50 different vehicles
there, probably from manufacturers.
(14:29):
She's the chief financial officer atQueen City Transit Solutions, and they're
a company focused on something whichhas gotten really big post pandemic,
which is transit safety and equipment,especially bus driver barriers.
You know, that plastic wall thing therethat, um, keeps them from having somebody
throw coffee in their face or whatever.
Which happened when I was CEO of MTA.
And we, uh, we eventually workedwith Union to get that done.
(14:52):
She's been in this rolefor almost 10 years.
She's passionate aboutprotecting frontline workers as a
thoughtful human-centered design.
Uh, you know, back in the day, uh, whenI first introduced them, there wasn't
universal acceptance of them in Baltimore.
Uh, but now the agencies I'mtalking to say their unions want
them, uh, and they wanna put 'emin too to keep their drivers safe.
(15:13):
And so let's talk about that.
All right, we're out here in the busdisplay area and there are dozens of
buses here, and I'm with Ashley, ERfrom Queen City Transit Solutions.
Ashley, you guys do the barriers, right?
Ashley Carriker (15:25):
That's correct.
We do.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (15:26):
What's the story there?
Ashley Carriker (15:27):
So, we are an engineering company and when COVID hit,
we worked with our, uh, local transf.
Agency, North Carolina PublicTransportation Agency to design,
manufacture, assemble, and installdriver barriers for safety, not
only from COVID, but driver assault.
Paul Comfort (15:43):
That's a big thing now, isn't it?
Ashley Carriker (15:45):
Yes.
75% of the agencies that were askedduring the CTAA, uh, discussion panels
said that 75% of those agencies foundthat driver barriers are protecting their
drivers, as well as, , taking out the.
assault aspect of drivingin the operator position.
Yeah.
Paul Comfort (16:05):
I remember when I was CCEO of MTA, Baltimore, people
were, this was before the pandemic.
People didn't want 'em.
Ashley Carriker (16:12):
No.
Paul Comfort (16:12):
Some of our employees were like, oh no,
I'll be claustrophobic and all.
Now they're demanding them.
Ashley Carriker (16:17):
Yeah, so in Charlotte we've had three operators killed, and
it's all because of either driver rage,irritability, mental health issues.
So if you can't get to a pilot inairplane, why should you be able to
get to an operator inside of a bus?
They're here to provide service.
They're not here to beputting themself out.
(16:39):
To be attacked, to bespit on, to be harassed.
And this provides at least a small levelof protection or a divider between them
and people that are oncoming down thebus that may have some ill intentions.
Yeah.
I
Paul Comfort (16:50):
I, every major transit system I'm aware of now is,
is thinking about or doing this.
Ashley Carriker (16:55):
Yes.
And we're hopeful that we'll also get abullet resistant barrier Oh, interesting.
That we're coming out with, um, andjust trying to provide the best.
Operator solutions to at least havesome type of protection between them
and anyone that wants to do harm.
Paul Comfort (17:09):
That's great.
Thank you.
great to hear from Ashley.
And finally come back to Maryland, my homestate, because I got to see another friend
of mine there, John Duke Luki, who is theexecutive director of the Transportation
Association of Maryland or tam.
, That's Maryland's statewideTransit Association.
They represent over 130 organizations.
My friend Jeff Barnett, uh, wasthe past chair of it, and he told
(17:31):
me John's just amazing doing awonderful job as executive director.
Uh, and I know it because I've been to acouple of the conferences since he's been
executive director and they're fantastic.
And that's what we talk about, theirupcoming conference on Kent Island,
which is in my home county, queen AnneCounty, and the big topics on their
plate, like state and federal regulationsin the march toward electrification.
(17:51):
I really believe in state transitassociations as a matter of fact.
Um, this fall, I'll bespeaking at a couple of them.
The Kentucky one
And I'll also be speaking at the MidwestTransit Association Conference, uh,
this fall, which is, uh, in Kansas City.
Last year I spoke at the Missourione, and, uh, this is a larger
one representing multiple states.
Looking forward to seeingthem there as well.
and I used to be president of one.
(18:12):
I was president of Tam.
I was the second president of ourassociation back in the nineties.
Uh, and it's a great way for.
You know, local, rural, suburbantransit systems to interact with each
other, to learn from one another.
John, heads up a greatone here in Maryland.
I'm with John Leski, who is the head ofTransportation Association of Maryland.
Tell U.S. a little aboutTransportation Association of Maryland.
John Duklewski (18:33):
So, TAM is the Statewide Transit Association
for All of Transit and Maryland.
We have over 130 members representingevery single transit agency from Garrett
in the Appalachians to the west, thetown of Ocean City in the east, and every
jurisdiction, county and city in between.
As well as over 50 non-profitspecialized transit providers.
Paul Comfort (18:50):
That's great, man.
I, when I was younger, I was veryinvolved with, with Tam, as you know,
and was president for a couple years.
Um, so, but every year you guys, I'vebeen coming for the last couple years.
I was out for a while.
And then your conferencesthough, man, John, you do a
fantastic job setting them up.
You've got a big one coming up.
Tell U.S. about it.
John Duklewski (19:06):
So October 7th to ninth at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club.
It's right there on Kent Island,right there with beautiful
view of the Bay Bridge.
Just as you pass over.
We're gonna have close to 300attendees, over 40 exhibitors,
two and a half days of world classsessions, networking and transit.
So hope everyone can make it.
Paul Comfort (19:22):
That's great, man.
Thanks for sharing with U.S. about it.
Any big, um, hot topicsin Maryland and Transit?
John Duklewski (19:28):
It's definitely the regulatory environment.
It's electric vehicles.
It's figuring out what's coming next fromour friends of the federal government.
It's figuring out what the state'splans are for overall electrification.
. Paul Comfort (19:38):
Well, best wishes to you.
I hope to see you at theconference this year.
John Duklewski (19:40):
Absolutely.
Paul Comfort (19:42):
All right, well that wraps up, uh, my roving reporter.
First time ever on TransitUnplugged, uh, tour of the CTA Expo.
A big thank you to all the guestsand Scott Bogan and everyone at
CTAA for putting on such a greatevent and for working with U.S.
We did one of the interviews.
At a booth at the TripSpark booth,uh, and there was a DJ there and they
shut off the music for U.S. for about20 minutes while we did the interview.
(20:04):
So I really appreciate themworking with U.S. on it.
Hey, if you like what you heardtoday, make sure to subscribe to
the podcast wherever you're at.
Just click subscribe, whatever yourfavorite platform is, whether it's
Apple, Spotify, or now we have a hybridversion with some video on, uh, YouTube.
And visit our website@transitunplug.comto see it all.
And if you wanna see it once aweek, kind of a wrap up summary
(20:24):
of everything we're doing.
Then sign up for our weekly newsletter.
It comes out on Fridays and you'llnever miss what's going on on our
TV show on live events we havecoming up on the podcast and more.
Final thoughts wouldbe, I love the CTA expo.
As I mentioned earlier, I've been going totheir conferences for over 30 years now.
Uh, CTA represents small, urban,rural, suburban and tribal transit.
(20:46):
They're very important to these agencies.
Um, as APTA represents the larger ones.
Uh, CTA represents the small urbanones to make sure you know that
they get, that their specific needs.
I love what I kind of a quote that weall quote in the industry, which is,
if you've seen one transit system.
You've seen one transit system.
They're all so different, right?
They, they, they're from their fundingsources to their organization, how they
(21:09):
got started, whether city, county, youknow, agency statewide, agency nonprofit,
um, you know, there's so many differentways that they're organized and how
they operate and how they're funded,that it's important for a conference
like TTA Expo to bring them all togetherwhere they can share best practices.
I hope to see you at anupcoming conference as well.
Julie Gates (21:29):
Thanks for listening to Transit Unplugged.
I'm executive producer Julie Gates,and this episode was created by host
and producer Paul Comfort, producerChris O'Keefe, associate producer Cindy
Raskin and podcast intern Des Gates.
Transit Unplugged is being broughtto you by Modaxo, passionate
about moving the world's people.
If you wanna dive deeper behind thetransit headlines and get boots on the
(21:51):
ground intel on important updates likethe Trump Administration's transit
priorities, or how to get fundingcheck out Transit Unplugged Insider,
our new YouTube show where Paul andI take you inside today's hot topics.
Paul knows what's going on inWashington DC and has the inside scoop.
He's taking a lot of meetings witha lot of people and we wanna make
sure you know what's going on.
(22:12):
You can watch and subscribe to TransitUnplugged Insider on the Transit
Unplugged Podcast page on YouTube.
Thanks for listening, and we'll catch youon the next episode of Transit Unplugged.
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