Episode 35

Kevin Desmond – TransLink

“We're all here for one reason, to provide service to a customer.” 

TransLink is the recipient of APTA’s 2019 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award. TransLink’s CEO, Kevin Desmond, discusses their impressive 18% growth in ridership from 2016-2018, and how their customer-centric mindset was paramount in winning this prestigious award.  

Desmond also talks about their open innovation call and some recent innovations they’ve introduced. He shares his thoughts on the foundation for a successful transit agency (land use and transit hubs). Finally, he suggests that “the decade of the 2020s is liable to see massive disruptive change in our industry,” and how that plays into the three primary focuses for TransLink’s future – expansion, partnering with disrupters, and electrification of their fleet.   

If you want to know more about TransLink, check out their website.  

Remember to check out transitunplugged.com to learn from top transit professionals and stay up to date to catch all the latest episodes. 

About the Podcast

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