Americans For Transit's Andrew Austin

Just two weeks young, Americans For Transit (A4T) is dedicated to organizing and mobilizing transit riders. According to A4T Executive Director Andrew Austin, the organization hopes to build rider and community engagement on key transit issues, particularly funding and ballot initiatives. In this conversation, Andrew and CT Podcast host Scott Bogren talk mobilizing strategies and the potential impact organized transit riders can have on local, state and federal transit investment, as well as the need for flexible transit operating assistance to combat fare increases and service cuts.

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National Roadeo Driver of the Year Ron Stewart

Community and public transportation drivers are the face of the transit industry. In this podcast, Scott Bogren talks with Ron Stewart, a driver with the Baldwin Rural Area Transit System in Robertsdale, Ala., and winner of the 2012 National Community Transportation Roadeo's Otis Reed Jr. Driver of the Year. Stewart discusses how competing in the roadeo prepares him for his job, getting to know his passengers and the special care that must be taken with seniors, people with disabilities and dialysis patients.


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The NRC's Chris Zeilinger and Sheryl Gross-Glaser

CTAA has long been advocate for the virtues of coordination, cooperation, collaboration and partnership in the community and public transit field. This discussion with the National Resource Center on Human Service Transportation Coordination's (NRC) Director Chris Zeilinger and Coordination Specialist Sheryl Gross-Glaser focuses on Performance Measures in coordination. How can we measure -- both quantitatively and qualitatively -- the real impact of successful coordination endeavors. Here, we cover results, outcomes and tangible benefits. To visit the Performance Measures webinars discussed in this podcast, click here. For a list of United We Ride Coordination Ambassadors, click here.

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Reconnecting America's Sasha Forbes

Two weeks ago, Reconnecting America released an excellent report, Putting Transit to Work in Main Street America: How Smaller Cities and Rural Places are Using Transit. Sasha Forbes, a Policy Associate at Reconnecting America, is one of the co-authors of the report and she joined CT Podcast host Scott Bogren to discuss its findings, the key takeaways and how the report has been received. From risk taking to community development challenges to the need for additional resources, Sasha offers a wide range of insight.

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Treasure Valley Transit's Terri Lindenberg

CTAA's 2012 Rural Community Transportation System of the Year is Treasure Valley Transit, an 8-county transit system serving Southwest Idaho. Joining the CT Podcast today is Treasure Valley Transit's Executive Director Terri Lindenberg, where we discuss passengers as advocates, the meaning of true coordination, key mobility challenges in areas like Idaho and even Medicaid non-emergency transit.

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Jarrett Walker, Author, Human Transit

Jarrett Walker, author of the book, Human Transit, as well as the Human Transit blog, takes some time out of his travel schedule to talk with Scott Bogren about the re-emerging human elements in transit service design and implementation, and extols the truth in the geometry of transit. We discuss Portland's confluence of leadership and strong, clear decision about public transit 30 years ago -- and where the next Portland might be found. Any conversation with someone who describes their core professional pleasure as, "seeing transit working well in the real world," is bound to be a fascinating conversation. Jarrett Walker did not disappoint.

Listen here (24:36)