Episode 25

From Operator to Officer: Dwight Ferrell on Leading SMART Transit Across Southeast Michigan

From driving a bus in Dallas to leading one of the largest transit systems in the Midwest, Dwight Ferrell’s story is the blueprint for leadership rooted in experience. In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort rides along with Dwight, General Manager of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), for a candid look at how he’s transforming transit across Southeast Michigan.

With Modaxo Portfolio Leader Rod Jones on board, this episode covers:

  • How Dwight’s career from bus operator to CEO informs his leadership style
  • The explosive growth of SMART’s Flex microtransit service
  • Building a people-first culture through engagement (and literal gold stars)
  • Strategic planning, smarter mobility, and the challenge of doing more with less
  • And yes: a deep dive into Detroit-style pizza that gets a 6-star review

This episode is a companion to an upcoming Transit Unplugged TV episode featuring Detroit and its transit systems—premiering June 2025.


Credits

Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo


🎙️ Host & Producer: Paul Comfort

🎧 Podcast Manager & Newsletter Guy: Chris O'Keeffe

💼 Executive Producer: Julie Gates

Special thanks to:

🎨 Brand Design: Tina Olagundoye

📱 Social Media: Tatyana Mechkarova


Got a question or comment? Email us at info@transitunplugged.com


📰 Subscribe to the Transit Unplugged Newsletter:

transitunplugged.com/subscribe-to-the-transit-unplugged-newsletter


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.

Transcript
Paul Comfort:

Welcome to Transit Unplug, the podcast where we ride

Paul Comfort:

along with the boldest leaders, moving people and ideas across the globe.

Paul Comfort:

I'm your host, Paul Comfort, and in this episode, we're hitting the road literally

Paul Comfort:

with one of Transit's top leaders, Dwight Ferrell, general Manager of smart.

Paul Comfort:

That's the Suburban Mobility Authority for regional transportation.

Paul Comfort:

In Southeast Michigan on my recent trip to Detroit, I hopped on a smart bus

Paul Comfort:

with Dwight to talk about how Detroit and its surrounding communities are

Paul Comfort:

flipping the script on regional mobility.

Paul Comfort:

We dig into everything from game changing microt transit programs to how they're

Paul Comfort:

keeping their workforce engaged and what the future holds for a system

Paul Comfort:

covering more than 2100 square miles.

Paul Comfort:

Dwight's got vision, strategy, and a deep love for this region.

Paul Comfort:

And you'll hear how smart is stepping up to meet the evolving needs of

Paul Comfort:

writers across Southeast Michigan.

Paul Comfort:

And hey, what better way to wrap up a transit tour than with a hot,

Paul Comfort:

crunchy slice of Detroit style pizza?

Paul Comfort:

We'll do it today.

Paul Comfort:

So if you're in the real talk about innovation, leadership, and

Paul Comfort:

making transit work for everyone, this is the episode for you.

Paul Comfort:

And don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already, and

Paul Comfort:

leave us a quick review.

Paul Comfort:

It helps others discover these inspiring stories from transit

Paul Comfort:

leaders around the world.

Paul Comfort:

Now let's hop on board with Dwight Ferrell on Transit Unplugged from Detroit.

Paul Comfort:

Great to have you with us today on Transit and Unplugged.

Paul Comfort:

Excited to be in Detroit Motor.

Paul Comfort:

City with our friend Dwight Ferrell.

Paul Comfort:

Dwight, welcome to the show.

Dwight Ferrell:

Well, thank you for having me.

Dwight Ferrell:

And welcome to Southeast Michigan.

Paul Comfort:

Thank you.

Paul Comfort:

I love it.

Paul Comfort:

I've learned a lot already.

Paul Comfort:

Been here a day and, uh, , I know it sounds silly, but I didn't

Paul Comfort:

really realize how close Canada was, just across the river,

Dwight Ferrell:

as they say, a stones throw across the river.

Dwight Ferrell:

You're absolutely right.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

A beautiful city in a real period of resurgence here.

Dwight Ferrell:

Absolutely.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, the city of Detroit, it's comeback has been amazing.

Dwight Ferrell:

, the region.

Dwight Ferrell:

Is growing.

Dwight Ferrell:

So yes, it, it is really a nice place to work.

Dwight Ferrell:

A nice place to live.

Paul Comfort:

You and I have been friends for a long time.

Paul Comfort:

You've been a yeoman working around the industry.

Paul Comfort:

You and I were just talking to Rod Jones, my boss, about that.

Paul Comfort:

Tell us some about your background and what brought you here.

Dwight Ferrell:

Well, I started my career in Dallas a long, long

Dwight Ferrell:

time ago as a bus operator, and I've worked in seven cities, eight

Dwight Ferrell:

presidencies since I started my career.

Dwight Ferrell:

And in doing so, I've seen a lot of stuff and done a lot of.

Dwight Ferrell:

Things.

Dwight Ferrell:

And I think that that experience for all those years, , positions

Dwight Ferrell:

me to help, , transit in southeast Michigan, , positions me to help it grow.

Dwight Ferrell:

, Paul Comfort: and it's very interesting and unique.

Dwight Ferrell:

I think that you started out as a driver and worked your way up.

Dwight Ferrell:

There's very few people I know in the industry that have done that.

Dwight Ferrell:

I mean, Dottie.

Dwight Ferrell:

Down in Austin and a few of them.

Dwight Ferrell:

But, uh, how has that helped you, you think, and, and kind of starting right

Dwight Ferrell:

at the front lines of what we do?

Dwight Ferrell:

Well, it certainly helps.

Dwight Ferrell:

It has helped us in terms of recruitment.

Dwight Ferrell:

, we are fully staffed on bus operators in the first time and quite a long time.

Dwight Ferrell:

And a large part was because of experience that I had when I drove.

Dwight Ferrell:

, and recognizing the changes that employees expect today, uh, help with.

Dwight Ferrell:

That.

Dwight Ferrell:

, so we made some, negotiated some rule changes in our recent union

Dwight Ferrell:

contracts that have really helped us attract and retain talent.

Dwight Ferrell:

And I think that experience as a bus operator has certainly helped.

Dwight Ferrell:

I'll also say that I remember when we weren't involved in

Dwight Ferrell:

decisions about equipment, seats, a lot of those different things.

Dwight Ferrell:

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

You know, coming up, we, we got what we got.

Dwight Ferrell:

Right.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so now, uh, I make sure that our mechanic.

Dwight Ferrell:

Mechanics are involved in decisions that impact them.

Dwight Ferrell:

Bus operators are involved in the, what impacts them.

Dwight Ferrell:

I'll give you an example.

Dwight Ferrell:

When I first got here, I asked supervisors what kind of vehicles they wanted.

Dwight Ferrell:

They said they wanted something bigger.

Dwight Ferrell:

Well, we have Tahoes on order, on order.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so those are the kinds of things that having done, some of those positions

Dwight Ferrell:

along the way have helped me in terms of,

Dwight Ferrell:

listening and engaging.

Dwight Ferrell:

Aging and basically creating an environment that, that

Dwight Ferrell:

people wanna work

Dwight Ferrell:

in.

Dwight Ferrell:

. Paul Comfort: You mentioned, uh, vehicles.

Dwight Ferrell:

I might mention that we're recording this live in a vehicle.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, tell us about the vehicle and what service this is.

Dwight Ferrell:

This is flex.

Dwight Ferrell:

Flex is our micro transit, uh, service that this year carried.

Dwight Ferrell:

Its 1000000th passenger.

Dwight Ferrell:

Wow.

Dwight Ferrell:

Which is pretty extensive in the time that I've been here.

Dwight Ferrell:

I think we've tripled the fleet over the last four years.

Dwight Ferrell:

So the demand on it has been amazing.

Dwight Ferrell:

The demand, the growth in ridership here is outstrips everything else that we have.

Dwight Ferrell:

And one of the great things about it is it is post pandemic centric.

Dwight Ferrell:

Okay.

Dwight Ferrell:

In that, we'll talk about our smarter mobility program later,

Dwight Ferrell:

but in that we are looking at what travel patterns are now, and most

Dwight Ferrell:

people are not going more than five.

Dwight Ferrell:

Or six miles away from where they live.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so these big Am and PM rushes like we used to have, those are gone.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so micro transit like this allows us to be able to provide independence for

Dwight Ferrell:

people who can drive, don't want to drive, and particularly provides access to people

Dwight Ferrell:

who are disabled but don't live in within three quarters of a mile of a bus route.

Dwight Ferrell:

So now.

Dwight Ferrell:

They even have independence.

Paul Comfort:

So you have a whole zone wider than traditional a DA?

Paul Comfort:

Absolutely.

Paul Comfort:

Absolutely.

Paul Comfort:

That's great.

Paul Comfort:

And we're in a, uh,

Paul Comfort:

what is this?

Paul Comfort:

A Chrysler uh, minivan.

Dwight Ferrell:

This is a Chrysler minivan.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, this service, we contract with a company called Via,

Dwight Ferrell:

it's a turnkey solution.

Dwight Ferrell:

They provide the vehicles, the drivers, the software, and what

Dwight Ferrell:

have you, and it's been great.

Paul Comfort:

And how does this fit into the overall, , potpourri of

Paul Comfort:

offerings that Smart Transit offers?

Dwight Ferrell:

Well, we have some limited stop service.

Dwight Ferrell:

That we have, of course we got local service, but our service overall, we

Dwight Ferrell:

are reviewing right now to have that service mirror what people want today.

Dwight Ferrell:

That's wonderful.

Dwight Ferrell:

So the question is about frequency and span, uh, and even equipment.

Dwight Ferrell:

So ultimately our fleet will be more diverse in terms of size.

Dwight Ferrell:

Everything's not gonna be a 40 foot bus because everything

Dwight Ferrell:

doesn't require a 40 foot bus.

Dwight Ferrell:

So.

Dwight Ferrell:

All of that has been part of our, our smarter mobility assessment.

Dwight Ferrell:

And the I important thing about that is that we, we don't do anything in a vacuum.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so with smarter mobility, we talk to elected officials at every level,

Dwight Ferrell:

the federal level, the state level, the local level, key stakeholder groups,

Dwight Ferrell:

citizens to get their input in terms of what the service needs to look like.

Dwight Ferrell:

The challenge.

Dwight Ferrell:

That we face is that unfortunately we have people who want more service

Dwight Ferrell:

than what we have money to provide.

Dwight Ferrell:

Right?

Dwight Ferrell:

So that's a good thing and a bad thing.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

So Detroit itself has, uh, as I understand it, basically three

Paul Comfort:

different transportation providers.

Paul Comfort:

The RTA right operates the Q line, and they provide funding, kinda

Paul Comfort:

like in Chicago, the RTA does.

Paul Comfort:

To the other operations.

Paul Comfort:

And then you've got smart you guys and then DDOT in downtown city.

Paul Comfort:

I know you're gonna correct me there, but that's why I said

Paul Comfort:

that's how I understand it.

Paul Comfort:

You, you set the record straight here.

Dwight Ferrell:

So the RTA handles the formula funds our 53 0 7

Dwight Ferrell:

allocation between DDOT and us.

Dwight Ferrell:

They also oversee the 53 10 program, which we have an extensive 53 10

Dwight Ferrell:

program with well over 300 vehicles, uh, and probably over a hundred

Dwight Ferrell:

community partners that operate those.

Paul Comfort:

Wow.

Paul Comfort:

That's great.

Paul Comfort:

Uh,

Paul Comfort:

, Dwight Ferrell: but we are funded by a property tax that is assessed

Paul Comfort:

in Oakland County, Macomb County in portions of Wayne County.

Paul Comfort:

Like a millage rate for, yeah, like a millage rate.

Paul Comfort:

That's correct.

Paul Comfort:

We don't provide, or we do not tax in the city of Detroit.

Paul Comfort:

Okay.

Paul Comfort:

DDOT

Dwight Ferrell:

is funded through the city's general fund.

Dwight Ferrell:

I gotcha.

Dwight Ferrell:

So, and then the RTA who recently became the operator of the Q line gets

Dwight Ferrell:

some operating funding from the state.

Dwight Ferrell:

Now we get some operating funding from the state too, but the, RTA

Dwight Ferrell:

does not give us money except for that, that is just their 53 10.

Dwight Ferrell:

Right.

Dwight Ferrell:

Just

Paul Comfort:

the formula funding, that's yours anyway.

Paul Comfort:

Right.

Paul Comfort:

They serve like an MPO or something.

Dwight Ferrell:

Exactly.

Dwight Ferrell:

Okay, I gotcha.

Dwight Ferrell:

And then a 53 10.

Paul Comfort:

Gotcha.

Paul Comfort:

Very good.

Paul Comfort:

And how, like, tell us about your staff and.

Paul Comfort:

How many staff you have, you know, your services, vehicles, all that?

Dwight Ferrell:

We have close to a thousand employees right now.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, as I mentioned earlier, we are fully staffed on bus operators,

Dwight Ferrell:

so we've slowed our hiring down, but we're never gonna stop.

Paul Comfort:

Right.

Dwight Ferrell:

we have, in the time that I've been here, we've got a contracts in

Dwight Ferrell:

procurement department, safety department.

Dwight Ferrell:

We're about to bring online our program management department.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, we've got a strategic initiative department that we just started.

Dwight Ferrell:

It is going to help us with our.

Dwight Ferrell:

strategic planning and all of that.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, we are focused, changing our focus, from HR to talent management

Dwight Ferrell:

as it relates to our staff.

Dwight Ferrell:

I like that.

Dwight Ferrell:

And one of the things that I, I would note is one of the things I've learned

Dwight Ferrell:

over the years when I came here.

Dwight Ferrell:

I made some observations and there were some things that I wanted to change.

Dwight Ferrell:

There were people who were in leadership positions who chose

Dwight Ferrell:

to leave, and so from my original executive staff, I have two left.

Dwight Ferrell:

Wow.

Dwight Ferrell:

But everybody who is here, I promoted in this organization.

Dwight Ferrell:

The only person that I brought from the outside, and technically she's

Dwight Ferrell:

really not from the outside, is Tiffany Gunter, our deputy general

Dwight Ferrell:

manager and Chief operating officer.

Paul Comfort:

And, and you're welcome for me introducing her to you.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yes.

Dwight Ferrell:

Thank you.

Dwight Ferrell:

I appreciate that.

Dwight Ferrell:

Many years ago.

Dwight Ferrell:

That's right.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so, so, Tiffany is from this area.

Dwight Ferrell:

She, at one point worked at the RTA, she was deputy at the RTA.

Dwight Ferrell:

She was deputy at the MPO.

Dwight Ferrell:

And I set my sights on hiring Tiffany as soon as I got here.

Dwight Ferrell:

Took me a minute, but.

Dwight Ferrell:

You like bring her back home.

Dwight Ferrell:

Right.

Dwight Ferrell:

So the, so the idea is that when you bring in a lot of different people

Dwight Ferrell:

from the outside, they all bring in their different perspectives

Dwight Ferrell:

and you have to try to mesh those.

Dwight Ferrell:

That's

Paul Comfort:

right.

Dwight Ferrell:

That's just way too much work, way too much work when

Dwight Ferrell:

you have a big task ahead of you.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so the other thing it does is it creates an environment where people see

Dwight Ferrell:

that we can grow, that we're appreciated.

Dwight Ferrell:

And at the end of the day, that's what we do.

Dwight Ferrell:

If we don't have employees who believe in what we do and engage

Dwight Ferrell:

in what we do, we are not gonna be able to put out the product that

Dwight Ferrell:

the citizens expect from us to do.

Dwight Ferrell:

It's just that simple.

Paul Comfort:

So, um, you mentioned you've got your new strategic plan

Paul Comfort:

you're working on and you have something called smarter mobility.

Paul Comfort:

You wanna talk about that and why it's a game changer.

Paul Comfort:

Right?

Dwight Ferrell:

Right.

Dwight Ferrell:

I mentioned that, uh, in the, uh, earlier piece when I was talking about

Dwight Ferrell:

all the outreach that we've done.

Dwight Ferrell:

To get customer input about what service needs to look like in the future.

Dwight Ferrell:

And that service is not going to be a MPM Peaks coming into downtown.

Dwight Ferrell:

It's gonna be a lot more micro transit, a lot more cross town service.

Dwight Ferrell:

And the challenge that we have, quite frankly, with the funding

Dwight Ferrell:

limitations that we have is a question of span or frequency.

Dwight Ferrell:

Right?

Dwight Ferrell:

Oh,

Paul Comfort:

that's the classic one, isn't it?

Paul Comfort:

Man, that's always, that's always, yeah.

Paul Comfort:

Started in Houston,

Dwight Ferrell:

right?

Dwight Ferrell:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yes, it's either, either you're gonna have a span of service, that's right,

Dwight Ferrell:

it's infrequent, or you're gonna have a shorter window that is, um, less frequent.

Dwight Ferrell:

Now the thing about micro transit, I think that helps us is the cost to

Dwight Ferrell:

provide that service is a lot less.

Dwight Ferrell:

Than a, a, a lot of 40 foot buses.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

You know, it's funny, some people think Microt Transit is more expensive, but

Paul Comfort:

when you do the math and you compare it, if there's an area that doesn't

Paul Comfort:

really warrant a 40 foot bus, you can send in a minivan like this, pick up

Paul Comfort:

six people in a day, it's a lot cheaper.

Paul Comfort:

It

Dwight Ferrell:

is a lot cheaper.

Dwight Ferrell:

The capital costs is a lot cheaper.

Dwight Ferrell:

The operating costs are a lot cheaper.

Dwight Ferrell:

And quite frankly, you don't have to have people who have to have a CDL in order

Dwight Ferrell:

to be able to provide the service, which makes it easier to be able to recruit.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

So.

Dwight Ferrell:

Those are all things that, uh, work in our favor and we want to be smarter

Dwight Ferrell:

at smart in that transit and customer expectations and employee expectations

Dwight Ferrell:

are not the same as they were when I started eight presidencies ago.

Dwight Ferrell:

And I'll let you guys do the math on that.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so now it is very much.

Dwight Ferrell:

About how service impacts your life, the quality of your life, and it's not

Dwight Ferrell:

about those people, it's about everybody.

Dwight Ferrell:

And recognizing that the next generation, the generation that is ultimately

Dwight Ferrell:

going to be paying for this generation X, millennial, and Z, they have a

Dwight Ferrell:

completely different approach to transit than their parents and grandparents.

Dwight Ferrell:

And that's the thing that we are trying.

Dwight Ferrell:

Trying to take advantage of, to provide service that works for them.

Paul Comfort:

So you're, it sounds like you're pushing for a more connected

Paul Comfort:

regional transit system and Absolutely.

Paul Comfort:

What's been your biggest challenge there?

Dwight Ferrell:

Changing minds.

Dwight Ferrell:

changing people's thought process, which is a challenge for transit everywhere,

Dwight Ferrell:

not just in southeast Michigan.

Dwight Ferrell:

getting people to see that.

Dwight Ferrell:

If you want your region to grow, if you want to attract talent, attract jobs,

Dwight Ferrell:

you must invest in multimodal transit.

Dwight Ferrell:

You can't do it by just buses, or buses and micro transit.

Dwight Ferrell:

So one of the wonderful things about this, this area is that obviously

Dwight Ferrell:

was built for the automobile.

Dwight Ferrell:

So you have very wide streets, and I mean these boulevards with wonderful medians.

Dwight Ferrell:

That would be great for fixed guideway, BRT.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, that doesn't cost nearly as much as rail, uh, that would

Dwight Ferrell:

be able to connect the region.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so the other thing is quite frankly, is getting people to

Dwight Ferrell:

be, to see a different future.

Dwight Ferrell:

I don't know that we have done that as well as we could have.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so that's what we are trying to talk about now is not what's

Dwight Ferrell:

gonna be good a year from now, two years from now, five years from now.

Dwight Ferrell:

What about 20 years down the road, 30 years down the road?

Dwight Ferrell:

and then getting people to see the importance of a sustainable funding model.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, that's good.

Dwight Ferrell:

That, that, that really is the key.

Dwight Ferrell:

And this is all great, but if you don't have any cash, it's,

Dwight Ferrell:

it's, it's just a great idea.

Dwight Ferrell:

I.

Paul Comfort:

So we're, I'm driving here.

Paul Comfort:

I was fascinated to see, we just drove past the Henry Ford Center with all the

Paul Comfort:

flags out there, and I thought about, you know, the guys that started this

Paul Comfort:

town really booming right back when the auto automotive industry came here.

Paul Comfort:

But now you have a whole new economic development engine,

Paul Comfort:

and I know public transportation is involved in that attracting

Paul Comfort:

talent and employers to Michigan.

Paul Comfort:

Tell us about that.

Dwight Ferrell:

the state and southeast Michigan in particular wants to

Dwight Ferrell:

diversify its economy, so it's not so.

Dwight Ferrell:

Heavily reliant on just manufacturing.

Dwight Ferrell:

There are a number of, uh, aerospace jobs that are in Macomb County, for example.

Dwight Ferrell:

and one of the things that I'd like to make sure that we're clear on is

Dwight Ferrell:

that there is no conflict between automobile manufacturers and transit.

Dwight Ferrell:

They're supportive of what we're trying to do because they recognize

Dwight Ferrell:

that some of their future employees don't necessarily wanna own cars.

Dwight Ferrell:

Right.

Dwight Ferrell:

So that's a, uh, a big shift.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, if, if, if you would.

Dwight Ferrell:

So I think quite frankly that Michigan, uh, Southeast Michigan, the state of the

Dwight Ferrell:

state as a whole is on the, uh, upside.

Dwight Ferrell:

We are trying to compete with other states in the Midwest for jobs, whether

Dwight Ferrell:

that be Ohio, Indiana, or whoever it is.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so that's the piece where transit comes in and that's where we come

Dwight Ferrell:

in at Smart, is making sure that we communicate that, because we look at

Dwight Ferrell:

the region in this totality, not just, even though we don't operate in, we

Dwight Ferrell:

do provide some service into Detroit.

Dwight Ferrell:

And even though that's not our primary focus, we do know that two

Dwight Ferrell:

thirds of the customers who ride ddo transfer to SMART every day.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so they're going to jobs.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

So this us connecting the region is absolutely essential.

Paul Comfort:

And we just pulled into the John Dingle Transit Center.

Paul Comfort:

Tell us about this.

Dwight Ferrell:

Isn't it beautiful?

Dwight Ferrell:

It is.

Dwight Ferrell:

I love it.

Dwight Ferrell:

So, uh, obviously this is a place where we do transfers and, and that sort of thing.

Dwight Ferrell:

passenger rail is here as well.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so hopefully, you can, let's see.

Dwight Ferrell:

Oh look, is this an Amtrak station too?

Dwight Ferrell:

It is.

Dwight Ferrell:

Wow, that's great.

Dwight Ferrell:

So nice.

Dwight Ferrell:

Interm modalism.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yes, it is.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so as you can see, there's a lot of vibrancy around here.

Dwight Ferrell:

There's a lot of development around here.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, so this is today what it could look like in the future.

Dwight Ferrell:

Very different.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, it would be great if we could share track with Amtrak to be able to connect

Dwight Ferrell:

Southeast Michigan to Lansing or, yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

Or, or wherever.

Dwight Ferrell:

That's wonderful.

Dwight Ferrell:

Um, so, but again, it all goes back to one, one basic thing.

Dwight Ferrell:

Cash.

Paul Comfort:

There you go.

Paul Comfort:

Oh, we're gonna hop outta the vehicle and we'll come back and talk to you

Paul Comfort:

a few more minutes, uh, after this.

Paul Comfort:

Okay.

Paul Comfort:

Alright, now we're back, uh, with Dwight Ferrell, who's the head of Smart now we're

Paul Comfort:

downtown at the Rosa Parks Transit Center.

Paul Comfort:

, tell our listeners a little bit about what's going on down here when

Paul Comfort:

it comes to resurgence of the city.

Dwight Ferrell:

Well, over to my left, and, and anybody who wants to Google

Dwight Ferrell:

this can, it's the Western Book Cadillac.

Dwight Ferrell:

So that building is celebrated.

Dwight Ferrell:

Its 100th year.

Dwight Ferrell:

Last year for a number of years it was.

Dwight Ferrell:

Not used, and they have redeveloped this into a four star hotel.

Dwight Ferrell:

The president of the United States stays here, or anybody who was running

Dwight Ferrell:

for president, in the NFL draft that we had, uh, last year, all of

Dwight Ferrell:

the draft picks were at this hotel.

Dwight Ferrell:

Okay.

Dwight Ferrell:

So it is the spot to be, and it's a, it's mixed use because there are condos on

Dwight Ferrell:

floors 24 through 30, and so that's more,

Paul Comfort:

and it's served right here by transit in the middle things.

Dwight Ferrell:

Absolutely.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, as a matter of fact, the express busted, uh, the

Dwight Ferrell:

RTA runs starts right there

Dwight Ferrell:

. Paul Comfort: Is that right?

Dwight Ferrell:

This is the book tower, which is across the street.

Dwight Ferrell:

This has come online within the last year.

Dwight Ferrell:

These are, uh, high-end apartments, okay.

Dwight Ferrell:

If you, get a chance while you're here, Washington Boulevard, which is a block

Dwight Ferrell:

over from here, has been complete.

Dwight Ferrell:

Redone and so downtown you can live, you can work, you can play.

Dwight Ferrell:

There are tons of restaurants in downtown Detroit, and it's not just Detroit, but

Dwight Ferrell:

the, but Southeast Michigan as a whole.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

But the perception that people have that, you know, Detroit is some,

Dwight Ferrell:

you know, third world country.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

That is simply not true.

Paul Comfort:

All

Dwight Ferrell:

right,

Paul Comfort:

so now we're in your famous Buddy's pizza.

Paul Comfort:

What are we gonna get here?

Dwight Ferrell:

We're gonna get some good pizzas.

Dwight Ferrell:

What we're gonna do to warm us up on this nice brisk spring day.

Dwight Ferrell:

There you go.

Paul Comfort:

All right.

Paul Comfort:

I'm gonna, uh, I'm gonna ask my boss here, rod.

Paul Comfort:

So Rod Jones is here with us.

Paul Comfort:

First time he's been with us on a, on a video shoot.

Paul Comfort:

Thank you for coming, rod.

Paul Comfort:

you've eaten this pizza before, right?

Paul Comfort:

What am I expecting here?

Paul Comfort:

Now?

Paul Comfort:

I hear it's deep dish and crusty.

Paul Comfort:

, Rod Jones: it is.

Paul Comfort:

I mean, uh, I don't know how much, uh, I want to disclose before you taste.

Paul Comfort:

Okay.

Paul Comfort:

All right.

Paul Comfort:

Uh, but there are some, purists who have a hard time with Detroit style.

Paul Comfort:

So Really?

Paul Comfort:

Uh, yeah.

Paul Comfort:

So why is that?

Paul Comfort:

Well, I, I think, you know, Chicago has a, feels a certain

Paul Comfort:

way about their own deep dish.

Paul Comfort:

Oh, yeah.

Paul Comfort:

Uh, we're, we're different.

Paul Comfort:

, I'm a big fan of it and actually this is my first time in this location.

Paul Comfort:

I've, I spent more time in, in , in Southfields, , buddy location.

Paul Comfort:

So, uh, so it's pretty cool.

Paul Comfort:

Alright, I can't wait.

Paul Comfort:

We're gonna come back , after we taste it, we'll all give our, uh, our reviews.

Paul Comfort:

So, uh, okay.

Paul Comfort:

Dwight, this is great.

Paul Comfort:

One thing that's cool, we haven't really set it on the podcast here

Paul Comfort:

is how we're right down near one of your, where your sports stadiums are.

Paul Comfort:

Tell us about that.

Dwight Ferrell:

Oh yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

This is, Detroit is unique in that you can walk to the football stadium, the baseball

Dwight Ferrell:

stadium and the basketball hockey arena.

Dwight Ferrell:

They're within three blocks.

Dwight Ferrell:

They're within three blocks of one another.

Dwight Ferrell:

It's amazing.

Dwight Ferrell:

It's absolutely, the baseball stadium and the football stadium are literally

Dwight Ferrell:

across the street from each other.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah, I'm just looking at it right now.

Dwight Ferrell:

Not the freeway, the street.

Paul Comfort:

So you serve a large area, smart does, and, um, talk to us

Paul Comfort:

about that and how you make sure that your, your services are aligned with

Paul Comfort:

the real needs of the whole community.

Paul Comfort:

Right here from Detroit all the way out to McComb.

Dwight Ferrell:

So we serve a 2100 square mile area.

Paul Comfort:

That's massive.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yes, that is.

Dwight Ferrell:

It is, , 500 square miles larger than DC system.

Dwight Ferrell:

, so our focus really is not so much about meeting the needs of today, but

Dwight Ferrell:

meeting the needs of the future.

Dwight Ferrell:

And with that, in order to be able to do that, that's gonna require sustainable

Dwight Ferrell:

funding that allows for us to be able to.

Dwight Ferrell:

Take advantage of all the technology that's out there.

Dwight Ferrell:

It makes it easier for people to be able to switch between systems.

Dwight Ferrell:

So we are doing some of that now.

Dwight Ferrell:

, even right now, we have a, a joint agreement with, , the Detroit Department

Dwight Ferrell:

of Transportation ddo, for transferring between one system to the other.

Dwight Ferrell:

Okay.

Dwight Ferrell:

And same thing with the, . The Q line.

Dwight Ferrell:

Q line, yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

So, which is like a street car, right?

Dwight Ferrell:

It's a street car, yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

So we're just gonna build on that.

Dwight Ferrell:

, Paul Comfort: the last thing I wanna talk to you a little bit more,

Dwight Ferrell:

which I really love what you do.

Dwight Ferrell:

You and I are both people focused and, uh, you're known for engaging your team with

Dwight Ferrell:

gold stars and a culture of appreciation.

Dwight Ferrell:

We saw that today.

Dwight Ferrell:

We got on , your articulated bus, 60 foot long with photos of all your

Dwight Ferrell:

employees, their names, and how many years they've worked at your agency.

Dwight Ferrell:

I've never seen that before.

Dwight Ferrell:

What a wonderful tribute to your employees.

Dwight Ferrell:

Tell us about how important internal morale is to external service.

Dwight Ferrell:

employees make the difference.

Dwight Ferrell:

They provide the service, they do the work.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so they don't, if they're not engaged, then we don't have a good product.

Dwight Ferrell:

They are the product.

Dwight Ferrell:

So the gold stars started about, uh, if you think back to when you were a kid, I,

Dwight Ferrell:

you know, you wanted to have a gold star.

Paul Comfort:

That's

Paul Comfort:

right.

Paul Comfort:

I remember when I took piano lessons, she would give me a gold

Paul Comfort:

star in my book when I played good.

Paul Comfort:

And it is crazy, but it made me feel good.

Dwight Ferrell:

Well, it, you'd be surprised at what it does to adults.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so that's how we came, that's how I came up with the Gold Star.

Dwight Ferrell:

So we have gold star pens, they've got the, , smart logo on them.

Dwight Ferrell:

And there was a book, The one minute manager back in the nineties.

Dwight Ferrell:

Oh yeah, I remember that.

Dwight Ferrell:

Yeah.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so that book was talking about management by one, walking around.

Dwight Ferrell:

And most of the time people are walking around looking for something wrong.

Dwight Ferrell:

I walk around looking for something.

Dwight Ferrell:

Right.

Dwight Ferrell:

And so those gold stars are those, those one minute rewards.

Dwight Ferrell:

, it makes a difference.

Dwight Ferrell:

And I if you'll note that, on one of the other side of the bus.

Dwight Ferrell:

Uh, one of our employees who has 44 years of service has three.

Dwight Ferrell:

He wants to, he's a three star general, wants to do something so he can get four.

Dwight Ferrell:

He is absolutely, and that engagement, , you can tell by just

Dwight Ferrell:

being in the environment where there's much more conversation,

Dwight Ferrell:

, between hourly employees and staff.

Dwight Ferrell:

, when I go to the facilities they say, Hey, Dwight, how you doing?

Dwight Ferrell:

Or Mr. Ferrell, or whatever the case may be.

Dwight Ferrell:

So they know who I am.

Dwight Ferrell:

I know who they are, and it makes a difference.

Paul Comfort:

That's wonderful.

Paul Comfort:

Anything else you wanna share before we wrap up?

Dwight Ferrell:

Smart's a great place to work

Dwight Ferrell:

and

Dwight Ferrell:

smart's on the move.

Paul Comfort:

All right, so we're back.

Paul Comfort:

Just as a little coda to the podcast.

Paul Comfort:

We all just had the pizza, and I'm gonna tell you it's fantastic.

Paul Comfort:

I should have recorded that guy.

Paul Comfort:

When he was saying what it was about, what struck you the most Rod, about the pizza?

Paul Comfort:

Uh, you've been eating it for many years.

Rod Jones:

Uh, well, first off, I don't get any.

Rod Jones:

Chance to, to, to dine here all that often.

Rod Jones:

So it was a nice reminder.

Rod Jones:

I, I think the cheese, the texture, uh, I had the Detroiter.

Rod Jones:

So for those of you who are trying it for the first time, you gotta

Rod Jones:

do the Detroiter at Buddy's Pizza.

Rod Jones:

So I loved it.

Rod Jones:

I had a great time.

Paul Comfort:

Yeah.

Paul Comfort:

And what, uh, they, they press the dough daily, fresh.

Paul Comfort:

They make it here.

Paul Comfort:

It's uh, it's deeper dish, it's crusty, uh, and it's got a delicious flavor.

Paul Comfort:

So.

Paul Comfort:

Fantastic.

Paul Comfort:

We give, I give it five stars.

Paul Comfort:

Do you?

Rod Jones:

Yeah.

Rod Jones:

Six stars.

Rod Jones:

Six stars outta five.

Paul Comfort:

There you go.

Paul Comfort:

All right.

Paul Comfort:

Now you know.

Julie Gates:

Thank you for listening to this week's episode

Julie Gates:

of the Transit Unplugged Podcast.

Julie Gates:

We're so glad you're here.

Julie Gates:

My name is Julie Gates.

Julie Gates:

I'm the executive producer of the show, and our goal is to create

Julie Gates:

programs that promote the great things going on in the transit industry

Julie Gates:

by providing you with behind the scenes access with industry executive

Julie Gates:

leadership so we can work together to find innovative industry solutions.

Julie Gates:

We would love to have you be a part of the Transit Unplugged community by

Julie Gates:

having you sign up for our newsletter.

Julie Gates:

Head to the show notes to find the link.

Julie Gates:

Thanks for listening to Transit Unplugged with Paul Comfort, our favorite transit

Julie Gates:

evangelist, and we'll catch you next week.

Julie Gates:

Thanks for tuning in.

All Episodes Previous Episode

About the Podcast

Show artwork for Transit Unplugged
Transit Unplugged
Leading podcast on public transit hosted by Paul Comfort, SVP Modaxo.

Listen for free