WELCOME TO EXPO
APTA Immediate Past Chair and Foothill Transit Executive Director Doran Barnes; APTA Acting President & CEO Richard A.
White; and APTA Chair and Jacksonville Transportation Authority Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. gave opening
remarks at the APTA EXPO opening general session.
ocal leaders and leaders of APTA
welcomed conference attendees to
APTA EXPO and the focus was on
what the industry’s future holds and
how it will evolve.
Richard A. White, acting president
& CEO, APTA, said this year’s EXPO
was designed around transformational
change. “It’s happening already,” he said.
“Th ere’s been dramatic growth we’ve seen
since we’ve started our careers … If we’re going
to remain not just relevant, but central to
serving the public, we must evolve our services
and business models.”
“Our industry is evolving at a pace we’ve
never seen before,” echoed APTA Chair and
Jacksonville Transportation Authority Chief
Executive Offi cer Nathaniel Ford Sr. While
the diff erent technologies, diff erent service
providers and diff erent modes are disruptive
to our business, the evolution is underway.
He stressed that the industry will need to use
technology and innovation to make our transformational
change sustainable.
AECOM Chief Growth Offi cer, Design and
Consulting Services Group, Vahid Ownjazayeri,
P.E., said by 2050, two-thirds of the world
population is expected to be living in cities and
the challenges facing cities is expanding exponentially.
Th e connected, automated, accelerating
the use of technology to solve complex
challenges will be the smartest cities, he said.
Bringing Transformation
to Atlanta
As backdrop to EXPO, the city of Atlanta has
seen an evolution itself, with many large businesses
expanding or moving to the Atlanta region,
6 | Expo Daily | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | OCTOBER 10, 2017
in part because of the convenient access
to public transportation, said Atlanta Mayor
Kasim Reed. “More companies are choosing
to locate on MARTA lines, near MARTA
stops,” he said. “Th e national and international
business communities are bullish on Atlanta
because they know we’re serious about improving
our transportation network.”
In 2014 Clayton County voted to join the
MARTA system and last year, voters agreed
to expand the system. Reed said, “It’s not just
a collection of bus routes or rail lines, it is
indeed a life line.
“People at home are ahead of where the
politicians are. Th ey understand they key to
their success and livelihood is aff ordability
and mobility.”
Over the last few years, MARTA has developed
a regional transportation plan, expanding
multi-modal transit and the airport
is undergoing a $6 billion expansion. Reed
said, “Mobility, wherever you are, will help
you be a leading city.
“Move faster, farther over the next 10, 15,
20 years.”
L
Leah Harnack/Mass Transit
Transformational
Times for Transportation
By Leah Harnack
