Lead Construction Manager
MTA New York City Transit
Leadership APTA Class of 2012

Technology is basically communications. My whole job is to implement the new model of giving people information before they get to the station—bringing all this information you would get standing on the platform to your mobile devices.

It’s changed how people behave physically in our system: they no longer have to lean over the tracks to see headlights to gauge when the next train is coming. I even get e-mails saying we have removed stress from riders’ lives! They also say that the waiting time is so much shorter when they know when the train is coming.

While some of these features are not new technologically, like Next Bus, they are new to us. We also benefit when we share our data over the Internet by having third-party developers use it to create more ways to move real-time information to the public.

Because we use a lot of different signage, if we have a service disruption, they know right away.

We as a transportation industry need to meet the demands of our customers. Right now, everyone’s lives are so busy, so this and other technologies allow people to not waste time.

The role of technology is to make our business processes and service delivery more efficient. It also helps eliminate mistakes, like human error—and cuts down on accidents. With fail-safe systems built in, we improve safety, efficiency, and productivity. We also receive the ancillary benefits associated with making transit people’s jobs and riders’ lives easier.