Welcome back to METROspectives. Today, Scott Bogren, Executive Director for the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), joins METRO’s Executive Editor Alex Roman.

Topics include:

What issues CTAA members are currently facing, including procurement and vehicle availability.
New (and old) mobility approaches to better serve communities.
The ongoing funding issues for smaller transit agencies even after the IIJA infusion.
Workforce challenges, the fare-free conversation, marketing, and more.

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⏱ Timestamps ⏱

00:00 Intro
00:35 Podcasts and the Pandemic

2:05 Who the CTAA Represents and How it Helps Membership

3:10 Unique Challenges Facing CTAA Members

4:15 What It’s Like to be at CTAA for 35 Years

5:50 Procurement and Supply Chain Issues

7:52 Running a Lean Operation

9:20 New Mobility Models vs What Small and Rurals Have Always Done

11:50 Post-COVID Ridership

13:30 Do Smaller Agencies Have the Capacity to Embrace Technology?

14:38 The Fare-Free Conversation

16:30 Funding Approaches for Smaller Transit Agencies

18:13 The Changing Community Dynamic and Ballot Measures

20:40 IIJA as a Positive Step

21:48 Future Proofing Public Transit

24:20 Addressing the Workforce Shortage/Insuring Operator Safety

The short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on public transit and its ridership with Nicole Recker and Tom Ryden

METROspectivesBy METRO MagazineJul 24, 2020