The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) hosted its TRANSform Conference and EXPO in Orlando, FL this year. This leading public transit industry event provides a space for attendees to contribute to workshops, embark on technical tours and grow their industry connections. Speakers and educational sessions covered a range of topics, including artificial intelligence (AI), updates from the federal government, partnerships to build social equity and much more.

4 Key Takeaways

Hundreds of public transportation officials from across North America came to discuss some of the most important happenings in public transit. Here are just a few key takeaways:

1. Reinvent the Rider Experience to Increase and Retain Ridership
   Public transit needs to elevate the experience of riders. Riders want safe, comfortable and reliable transportation options. A seamless experience will create repeat riders who are enthusiastic to use your service. Collecting data on these metrics and operationalizing them can improve the rider experience. Public transit agencies can incorporate new ways to get rider feedback, such as technology solutions or new means of structuring surveys.
   
   TripShot makes it easy to accept rider feedback. Any submitted feedback can be stored and then actioned and tracked within the TripShot admin experience. In addition, several rider engagement and communication tools are available to transportation managers through TripShot.
2. Infuse Technology to Enhance Convenience
   Part of reinventing the rider experience is implementing new technology to make public transportation more convenient, thus increasing and retaining ridership. Public transit agencies can move their fleets to cloud-based technology to allow for more flexibility to innovate when new technological capabilities become available. There are so many vendors selling similar products, so it’s important for agencies to know exactly what they want from a technology partner.
3. Improve Security 
   All forms of security should be imperative for public transportation systems. In particular, cyber security has become a growing area of concern. Public transit agencies need technology partners that are held to high standards. TripShot maintains high security protocols. 
4. Transition to a More Sustainable System
   Acting on climate change has never been more important than it is today. The public transportation industry can lead in promoting more sustainable, shared transportation, moving towards more electric vehicle (EV) adoption, and more. As a technology partner to many public transportation systems, TripShot supports sustainable transportation management by providing quality data that aids in reducing single-occupancy vehicles and supports our customers to use resources wisely, developing sustainable solutions and promoting rider peace of mind - knowing that traveling by transit is sustainable and helps support their community.

Transformational Transportation

This year’s TRANSform Conference & EXPO brought together hundreds of public transit professionals during a time of rapidly increasing investments in clean transportation and EV adoption. APTA continues to support a thriving public transportation industry in North America, guiding transit systems and their partners as we continue to meet the needs of riders.