Transport for London (TfL) covers every transport means possible from the iconic red double-deck buses to The Tube to trains and even ferries. Which means the person in charge of it all has a lot going on at any given moment. Andy Lord, Commissioner for TfL spent over 25 years in aviation before coming to transit in 2019 to run The Tube with then Commissioner Andy Byford. Sitting down with Paul, Andy about his career and the enormity of the job of managing nearly 30,000 people moving millions of people a day.

Andy tells Paul how the mix of contracting, direct operation, and concessions keeps everything moving across the entirety of London and beyond.

But most of all Andy sees himself as a steward for the future of TfL. You'll hear about his plans to hit zero emissions and keep a system that still has Victorian-era infrastructure up-to-date, safe, and efficient.

Next week on the show we have a transit leaders roundtable recorded live at TripSpark Ignite. This episode hits on the biggest issues facing transit today: budgets, the bus manufacturing crisis, hiring enough people, and cyber security.

Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo https://www.modaxo.com

• Host: Paul Comfort
• Producer: Paul Comfort
• Editor and Writer: Tris Hussey
• Executive Producer: Julie Gates

Special thanks to:

• Brand Design: Tina Olagundoye
• Social Media: Tatyana Mechkarova
• Marketing Content, Transit Unplugged Newsletter, & transit puns: Tris Hussey

If you have a question or comment, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.

Follow us on social media: LinkedIn - Twitter - Threads- Instagram - Facebook

Sign up for the Transit Unplugged Newsletter

00:00 Transit Unplugged Featuring Andy Lord, Commissioner of Transport for London

00:11 Introducing Andy Lord: London's Top Transport Official

00:27 A Year of Leadership: Andy Lord's Journey and Achievements

03:02 Inside TfL's Successes: From Surplus to the Superloop

05:16 The Scale of TfL: Operations, Fleet, and Staff

07:06 Funding and Structure: How TfL Operates Within London's Government

08:38 From Airlines to Underground: Andy Lord's Career Path

16:07 Innovations and Challenges: Moving Towards a Zero Emission Fleet

18:35 Congestion Charging and ULEZ: London's Approach to Traffic and Emissions

23:44 Looking Ahead: Technology, Accessibility, and Learning from Others

29:12 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Modaxo Inc., its affiliates or subsidiaries, or any entities they represent (“Modaxo”). This production belongs to Modaxo, and may contain information that may be subject to trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights and restrictions. This production provides general information, and should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. Modaxo specifically disclaims all warranties, express or implied, and will not be liable for any losses, claims, or damages arising from the use of this presentation, from any material contained in it, or from any action or decision taken in response to it.

This week we're celebrating the release of Paul's newest book, The New Future of Public Transportation, which is the sequel to The Future of Public Transportation published early in 2020. To say public transport faced an crisis or inflection point in the past four years is an understatement.

In this updated edition, Paul collected essays by 30 transit leaders from around the world covering every major topic facing transit today from workforce to safety, infrastructure to faring. On the show today Paul chats with two of the contributors, Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute, and Paige Malott, high speed rail researcher with the International Union of Railways about their chapters and their ideas on the future of public transit.

We conclude the episode with Paul talking about what's covered in each of the chapters of the book and the people who wrote them. Make sure you listen right to the end of the show so you don't miss it!

You can order the book on Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1468607618?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_1B7E4H4QFZVKHANFW7DS

Next week we have Andy Lord Commissioner for Transport for London (TfL). TfL is the largest public transport network in the world covering nearly every transport mode possible. It's a huge job and you get to hear not only about this massive system, but how Andy's experience in the aviation industry prepared him for the job.

If you have a question for Paul about anything related to public transit, zap him an email at paul.comfort@transitunplugged.com. Paul might even read and answer your question on a future episode of the podcast.

If you have a question or comment, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.

Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo and these fine folks:

• Paul Comfort, host and producer
• Julie Gates, executive producer
• Tris Hussey, editor and writer
• Tatyana Mechkarova, social media

Follow us on social media: LinkedIn - Twitter - Threads- Instagram - Facebook

Sign up for the Transit Unplugged Newsletter

00:05 Introducing The New Future of Public Transportation

02:29 Diving into Hot Topics with Dr. Karen Philbrick

17:38 Exploring High Speed Rail with Paige Malott

27:49 About the Book and Contributors

27:56 A Comprehensive Overview of Book Contributors

29:52 The Future of Public Transportation: A Global Perspective

33:31 Zero Emission Vehicles and the Future

34:35 Data, AI, and Cybersecurity in Transit

35:00 Funding, Faring, and the Fiscal Cliff

35:35 Geographic Futures and Global Insights

36:12 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged

In a previous episode we talked about SEPTA's innovative SCOPE (Safety, Cleaning, Ownership, Partnership, and Engagement) program -- https://transitunplugged.com/transit-unplugged-podcast/how-septa-is-making-a-difference-in-the-lives-of-vulnerable-people/ -- and how it was helping the city's most vulnerable people. This week we get the big picture from the woman at the head of it all.

Emily Yates reports right to CEO Leslie Richards and leads a team that's willing to take a risk on something new and if it doesn't pan out, learn from it and move on. Her recent pilot on using AI-powered cameras to detect weapons didn't turn out like people expected. But, Emily and her team have distilled what they've learned and are looking at new ways to accomplish the same goal--keep weapons off the system.

Emily's approach to innovation is very human-focused. She thinks about things like; "How do we make transit more welcoming for women and moms? Is there more we can do help our drivers feel physically and emotionally safe? Are we doing the right things to make it easier to take transit instead of a private car?"

In the interview Emily talks about programs like:

• Letting moms keep kids in strollers and not having to unpack shopping carts on buses
• Solar-powered, e-ink displays at stops to show route updates and next bus information
• Programs to help operator safety and mental health
• SEPTA's transition to a zero-emission fleet

Plus how she navigates the process of getting buy in for these initiatives inside and outside the agency.

Coming up next week we're celebrating the release of Paul's newest book The New Future of Public Transportation with two of the contributors Dr. Karen Philbrick and Paige Malott. You can pick up a copy on Amazon https://a.co/d/dqp2red

If you have a question or comment, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.

Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo and these fine folks:

• Paul Comfort, host and producer
• Julie Gates, executive producer
• Tris Hussey, editor and writer
• Tatyana Mechkarova, social media

Follow us on social media: LinkedIn - Twitter - Threads- Instagram - Facebook

Sign up for the Transit Unplugged Newsletter

00:00 Introduction to Emily Yates and SEPTA Innovations

00:22 Driving Innovation at SEPTA: A Deep Dive

05:19 Enhancing Rider Experience with Real-Time Data and Accessibility

10:35 Navigating the Approval Process for New Initiatives

13:21 Focusing on Operator Safety and Well-being

17:49 The Future of Transit: Zero Emission Buses and Workforce Development

24:10 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged