Transit Is a People Business—Here’s What It Takes to Run One

We’re still buzzing from a few days together at ThinkTransit in Boston—and not just because of the sessions. It’s the physical stuff you forget about: Sharpies and Post-its spread across tables, holding the elevator for someone mid-conversation, wheeling out a five-foot cake (yes, that really happened). For all the talk of AI, data, and the future of mobility, the reminder was simple: this industry still runs on people. The best ideas don’t just happen in dashboards—they happen in rooms, in passing conversations, in the moments between.

*Giant cake photo for proof

This Week on The Podcast

Paul Comfort talks with Patrick Preusser, Chief Operations Officer of Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD), to unpack the reality of delivering transit service across one of the largest and most complex systems in the U.S. Serving over 3 million people across 2,000+ square miles, RTD operates a multimodal network of bus, light rail, commuter rail, paratransit, and emerging microtransit services—all coordinated under a $1.3 billion operation.

PREMIERE: St. Pete/Clearwater

Pinellas County, Florida is so much more than beautiful beaches — it’s a place where Tarpon Springs boasts one of the largest Greek American populations in the country, bagpipes echo through the Scottish-rooted town of Dunedin, and the Toronto Blue Jays have called the same spring training home for 50 years. Host Paul Comfort takes you there on ferries, trolleys, and electric buses, courtesy of PSTA (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority) — one of the most innovative transit systems in the country. Along the way, he digs into grouper sandwiches at Frenchy’s, flaming saganaki and baklava cheesecake at Hellas in Tarpon Springs, and a cold craft pour at Dunedin Brewery — Florida’s very first microbrewery.

ICYMI: Shofi Ull Azum

We continue our “The Doers” series—highlighting the transit leaders who are not just setting strategy, but delivering results on the ground. 

We chat with Shofi Ull Azum, Chief Planning and Development Officer at Cherriots in Salem, Oregon—a mid-size agency achieving something few systems have managed: ridership that exceeds pre-pandemic levels by more than 12%. Shofi shares a tactical, inside look at how his team is turning planning, innovation, and partnerships into measurable growth—and what other agencies can learn from their approach.