The Secret to Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Ridership

We’re writing this one in motion. 

After an energizing few days at the 2026 ThinkTransit Conference in Boston, the team is spread across Amtrak cars, MBTA Commuter Rail seats, and flights heading home—a true multimodal decompression day. There’s nothing like being in a room with people who are actively building the future of transit.

We’ll have a breakdown of what we saw, heard, and learned in next week’s newsletter.

This Week on The Podcast

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.

COMING SOON: St. Pete/Clearwater

Pinellas County, Florida has it all — the #1 beach in America, a thriving Greek American community in Tarpon Springs, Scottish heritage and bagpipes in Dunedin, and 50 years of Blue Jays spring training. Host Paul Comfort rides ferries, trolleys, and electric buses with PSTA to show you why this is one of Florida’s most exciting — and most transit-friendly — destinations. Full episode coming soon!

ICYMI: Amanda Vandegrift

Paul Comfort talks with Amanda Vandegrift, Deputy CEO of Finance & Administration and Chief Financial Officer at WeGo Public Transit in Nashville. This conversation is part of our “The Doers” series—highlighting transit leaders who are not just setting vision, but actively delivering results on the ground.

Amanda shares her unique journey from private-sector consultant—where she helped design Nashville’s “Choose How You Move” ballot initiative—to becoming the executive responsible for implementing it inside the agency.