The Transit Authority

How safe is it to ride transit amid the coronavirus pandemic? Our latest episode of APTA’s official podcast, The Transit Authority, explores this topic with guests Sam Schwartz and Daniel Schack, authors of the recently published report Public Transit and COVID-19 Pandemic: Global Research and Best Practices, which examined global data and research to determine whether there is a correlation between riding transit and the transmission of COVID-19.

APTA’s National Mentoring Month podcast series features leaders, mentors, and mentees across the nation and in Canada. This episode’s podcast guests all agree that mentors help to open doors and assist mentees in navigating the changing expectations and skills required to succeed in the industry. Organizations can retain staff by investing in workforce programs like mentoring. If your organization is ready to launch a program, Latinos In Transit (LIT) has a guide available for you to take the first steps (Mentor Program Guide), the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) has a proven model you can follow, and APTA provides the path for the next generation of leaders to gain access to national mentors in the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP). Part I of this podcast series has information that can help your organization tap into a mentoring as a workforce strategy.

In honor of National Apprenticeship Day, APTA is spotlighting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Elevators & Escalators Apprenticeship Program at New York City Transit (NYCT). With a dedicated team of 400 employees maintaining over 600 pieces of equipment, MTA’s program is an outstanding example of how to grow and sustain a skilled workforce.

This episode of The Transit Authority podcast to features:

• Assistant Chief, Damion Thomas, who began his career as an elevator and escalator apprentice and shares his journey;
• Supervisor (Lisette), maintainer (Robert), and an apprentice (Singh) to share their career journey ;
• Chief, Stephen Carson, who outlines the steps to launch an apprenticeship program, which include:
  • Conducting a needs assessment to identify the skills your organization requires.
  • Building relationships with local and state government officials to align with labor laws and codes.
  • Embedding mentorship into the program by pairing apprentices with maintainers, supervisors, and other seasoned professionals.

In this episode, we discuss shifting trends in mobility and how a transit organization can and must adjust to serve the public with guest Rolando Cruz, Chief Transportation Officer at Culver CityBus in California.

In this episode, Randy Clarke, President & CEO of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Austin, Texas, discusses how his agency is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Clarke also shares information on Project Connect, a bold transit plan for Austin that will be put before voters in November.