PUBLIC TRANSIT – NORWALK CTTRANSIT DISTRICT
by Kathryn Hebert, Principal
Public transit is a transportation resource that plays a critical role in our economy, job creation and retention and housing access. Over the last several years public transportation has been changing to a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable transportation system. We have seen this accelerated and evident during the pandemic. Public Transit, mobility, and the essential service it provides is often forgotten and taken for granted. Largely funded by federal and state dollars, public transit organizations play a critical role in moving people around.
The perception is that of the ‘fixed route’ system, standing at bus stop waiting for a bus in all types of weather. While the fixed route system is the core service and a large component of the transit operation, transit organizations have expanded by providing important mobility services crossing all demographics.
The public transit mobility service has been highlighted and become increasingly more evident as an important and critical mobility resource during the pandemic. Right now bus transportation activity is down between 50-60% compared to the previous year, but as more people get vaccinated, rider comfort levels will increase as will overall activity with the expectation that ridership will continue to increase as more people are vaccinated and start to resume normal activities. By comparison, train ridership is down between 80-90% and it not expected to recover for several years. Rail commuting was more impacted by work from home social distance guidance and policies. Many of the people that commuted on the train had white collared type of jobs (out of town) which they are now performing from home. Public bus transit is more local, providing transportation for essential and safety workers, residents, seniors, ADA, and students. People feel more comfortable and safer going a shorter distance.
The perception of public transit is changing as behaviors have changed rapidly to pivot and adjust due to COVID-19. Here are predictions that are happening now in the public transit world:
1. Funding - Increased Federal funding to implement much needed transit initiatives. Transportation is a priority for President Biden which includes a $20.0 Billion proposal to ensure that public transit is safe, equitable, convenient, and available and continues to serve critical populations.
2. Enhanced customer and rider focus – Safety and cleanliness - the new rider experience will be based on the perception of reduced risk. Public transit has been one of the few mobility options during the pandemic that remains safer and cleaner than other forms of transportation. However, this needs to continue and to be communicated to the public which will include sharing information on all platforms and creating transparent communication networks.
3. Mobility on demand and micro mobility – enhanced digital capacity, convenience, and mobile applications – this will require developing partnerships to deliver improved services to diverse demographics including expanded areas, routes, and extended hours of operation.
4. Sustainability – environmental and behavior initiatives - electrifying the bus fleet to help reduce environmental and noise pollution. Installing priority bus lanes and signalization to enhance and increase user activity to help reduce congestion by changing behavior away from a car driven society.
5. Public Transit seat at the table –private, city, state collaborations and partnerships –Strategic partnerships related to planning, development and infrastructure projects are critical to meet the access and mobility needs of the community to provide mobility equity, economic development, activity, and growth-related to housing opportunities and job creation.
After retiring from the City of Norwalk, CT as the Director of Transportation Mobility and Parking, I was hired by the Norwalk Transit District as a consultant to manage Special Projects coordinating between internal and external teams and organizations while helping to positioning the Norwalk Transit District as a critical mobility leader, that serves diverse demographics. These include transit representation on citywide development, developing communication platforms, advancing technical and infrastructure upgrades and updates to provide improved transit mobile services, and to increase and improve ridership through technical advances and partnerships.
The Norwalk Transit District is about moving and connecting people, places, business, and neighborhoods in and around the Greater Norwalk area and beyond. They serve many demographics through fixed route, paratransit, commuter, and micro transit systems helping people get from one place to another. They continuously seek to improve and increase ridership through technology and partnerships.
The Norwalk Transit District has undergone so many changes since it was created in 1978 by State Statute. Since then, it has grown from a small Norwalk bus service out of a small building to a citywide bus service and an expanded regional service providing hospital, college and commuter shuttles and paratransit. And including the successful micro transit (Wheels2U) on demand shuttle program since 2017 which continues to win national awards and accolades.
I sat down with Kimberlee Morton, CEO, to discuss the Norwalk Transit District and the future of public transit during and post COVID-19. Kim and her team have been working tirelessly during this COVID-19 era to continue to provide the much-needed bus transit system in Norwalk, CT and regionally while complying with safety requirements and the Governor’s executive order changes.
Kim is a dynamic and respected leader throughout the transit industry. Kim’s career is all about transit, she lives and breathes transit. She has been working and intensely involved with all things transit for over 35 years. Before joining the NTD as CEO, she held Director and Executive positions at Greater Hartford Transit District and Connecticut Transit (CT Transit), She worked for the Greater Bridgeport Transit District in various positions, including Director of Paratransit Services, Director of Administrative Services, Chief Operating Officer
Kim leads a team of 133 people with an annual operating budget of $14.5 million, largely funded through State revenues with some revenues from municipal budgets and the fare box collections. And a capital investment budget that averages $2.0 million per year which includes investments in building and land infrastructure, fleet, communications, and technology. The capital budget is 80% funded by Federal Funds and 20% funded by State Funds. She and her team are forward thinking while developing and implementing initiatives within the federally funded regulatory compliance guidelines. Under her leadership, the Norwalk Transit District has been instrumental in pivoting the perception of ‘public transit’, enhancing, and increasing ridership through multiple service delivery modalities and positioning the NTD as a mobility leader and manager while continue to contribute in an essential capacity to economic and community development.
Question: Is Public Transit being reimagined and rebranded?
Kim Morton: Public Transit is being reimagined by rebuilding service delivery by expanding transit options and through coordinated community, business, and government partnerships. Public Transit is rebranding as mobility leaders and managers as more consumer choices are available to service different demographics while sustaining core fixed route service.
Question: How do you see this reimaging, rebranding, and rebuilding unfolding?
Kim Morton: PreCovid, the transit industry was already transitioning to becoming Mobility Leaders and Managers. Now more than ever, public transit has taken the lead and stepped up quickly to provide critical and safe public transportation services during the pandemic. We are rebuilding and changing to more of an on-demand type of service model while keeping the core fixed route service unimpaired. The partnerships and service expansions and ridership increases will come from providing services whereby consumers will have good mobility choices. There will be an expansion of riders where users of Public Transit areas are not dominant which will require a delicate balance of all public transit services to accommodate consumer choice.
We are already seeing that these choices are based on safety, convenience, cost, and the status of the economy. The pandemic has impacted unemployment, businesses and in turn transportation. We do not know when or how people’s daily lives will balance out, when the economy will recover and what the new workforce will look like. We all must adjust and continue to rebuild and provide these essential transportation services.
Question: How did you get into public transit world/what attracted you to Norwalk?
Kim Morton : I started with transit right out of college and continued to grow my career in the transit industry. I held several Director and Executive positions throughout CT in the transit industry, and with each promotion I learned a great deal. I came to Norwalk 6 years ago. When I came to Norwalk, I restructured the organization to improve efficiency and customer response; implemented critical technologies; updated financial and procurement systems to improve federal and state auditing, funding reporting and regulation compliance; developed long term planning; established collaborative community partnerships and created sustainable systems to ensure continued stability and future viability.
Question: How did you and your team accomplish so much in a short period of time bringing an entrepreneurial outlook while complying with federal and state regulatory requirements.
Kim Morton: The Norwalk Transit District and the Public Transit industry is about people, it is about serving people and making sure that they have a way to get from one place to another in the most cost effective, safe, and convenient way. The job is very rewarding and very satisfying. It is very dynamic, and it is about being creative, thinking outside the box and figuring out how to provide these services and help people from different demographics get from one place to another. It’s about getting people to their jobs, transporting essential medical and safety workers, getting students to school, providing first and last mile transportation, providing transportation choices for shoppers, diners, and entertainment. It is about being available during critical, emergency periods.
Question: What are some of the programs and projects that you see moving through this transition and into the future?
Kim Morton: There is much going on and much is accelerated due to the pandemic. We are working on several important projects and programs that will help NTD position itself in the post covid world:
· Statewide mobile integration to provide ‘one stop shop’ rides through the different municipalities and around the state.
· Mobile payment options through contactless technology
· Enhanced safety measures through social distancing and disinfecting methods on buses and buildings.
· Improved communication tools through multiple methods including digital platforms to better inform the public.
· Implement on demand rider choices for paratransit and commuter services through mobile application platforms.
· Electrifying the fleet and installing priority bus routes and signalization that will help the environment through reduced carbon emissions.
Question: How do we get there?
Kim Morton: We get there through creative ideas, continuously communicating with our existing customers, reaching out to new markets and customers, and coordinating with multiple partners. Public transit is an important transportation resource. We need to do a better job to communicate the benefits of taking public transportation and how it can integrate into everyone’s life.
For more information about the Norwalk Transit District
203-852-0000