What Transit Leaders Need Now: Voices from the SWTA Conference

🎙️ This Week on Transit Unplugged

On the Road in New Orleans: SWTA Summer Conference Spotlight

In this special conference edition of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort is on location at the SWTA Summer University Conference in New Orleans, where he dives deep into the challenges and opportunities facing small and mid-sized transit systems across the Southwest.

🎧 Main Interview:

Perri D’Armond – Director, Fort Bend Transit (Fort Bend County, TX)

Perri shares how one of America’s fastest-growing and most diverse counties is reimagining transit service. She discusses:

Fort Bend's explosive growth from 350,000 to nearly 900,000 residents since 2000

The success of their new downtown Houston commuter service, even post-COVID

A real-world use of transit for seniors and ADA riders — including the memorable line: "I don’t care if I’m taking you to play bingo…"

How local context shapes flexible service models, from park-and-ride to rural demand response

Her career path from ag education to economic development to transit leadership

🎤 Special Guests:

Rich Sampson – Executive Director, Southwest Transit Association (SWTA)

Rich gives us a front-row seat to the key challenges and trends for transit in the SWTA region, including:

Calls to raise federal match ratios for smaller systems

Changing ridership patterns in post-pandemic suburban networks

What makes SWTA’s events stand out — and what’s next for the organization

Dinero’ Washington – CEO, SporTran & Chair, LPTA (Louisiana Public Transportation Association)

Dinero’ outlines Louisiana’s big transit wins:

A new $23M admin center and multimodal hub in Shreveport

Statewide investment in ferry programs, CNG, and BRT

The importance of unified support from DOTD and agencies alike

This episode captures the energy of transit leaders on the ground, collaborating across state lines and service types to deliver real solutions — with community impact front and center.

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🎧 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

🎨 Brand Design: Tina Olagundoye

📱 Social Media: Tatyana Mechkarova

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