Michael Smith
Program Manager-Safety and Security
Member Services Department

What are the three job elements you focus on the most (your primary responsibilities)?
My biggest responsibility is working on the modal safety audit programs for rail, commuter rail, and bus. I’m currently training to be a full-fledged staff auditor—not only for those, but on audits where I serve more of a support role when we audit public transportation agencies on their system safety program plans. For commuter rail properties in particular, the focus is regulatory compliance. For other agencies, it can be both regulatory-based and out of their own “due diligence” to show that they are improving safety.

I also assist the APTA security standards working groups and the peer review program.

And I serve as a staff advisor to the APTA Bus Safety and Rail Safety committees and the Safety Coordinating Council.

Do any of those give you direct contact with APTA members? If so, please talk about two recent times you’ve helped out a member.
I’m currently focused on a project for a large agency where our team is taking a look at all the open findings and recommendations for the past 10 years—it amounts to hundreds. What we’re doing is helping to consolidate findings into a more manageable package by categorizing and prioritizing so that they aren’t overwhelmed.

I’m also working on the quality service initiative of APTA, begun in 2005 by a service quality task force, so I interact directly with the people on that task force. The hope is, in the near future, to help actual public transit systems in implementing their quality management programs and sharing best practices. The distinction is—it’s supposed to go beyond your typical quality assurance, which is something that most systems already have. This is more in line with continual improvement, based on the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001 standard.

What initiatives, projects, or programs have you been part of at APTA that you have taken particular pride in completing?
I put together the bus safety awards that are presented at every bus conference, recognizing a diverse group of agencies in different size categories for their outstanding safety initiatives and programs. I take pride in that in particular because I get to see firsthand what different agencies are doing—and they aren’t just the “big ones.”

For example, Go West Transit in Illinois designed an award-winning security initiative, and they were competing against much larger systems. So it was really neat not only to see them win, but also to encourage other folks in the industry to start applying some of their effective practices.

How did you “land” at APTA?
I applied to a posting I saw on APTA’s web site.

How long have you worked here? Nearly 1-1/2 years.

Have you held other jobs in the public transportation industry (besides working at APTA)?
I’ve been in the public transportation industry for 10 years, starting as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia (UVA). I share something in common with our president & CEO, Michael Melaniphy, in that we both drove buses as undergraduate students. I started very young, but I really care about what I do. I’ve fallen in love with the field and it was always my intention to progress my career in public transportation.

In addition to driving buses, I’ve been a dispatcher, street supervisor, a trainer—for both UVA and the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC). I also briefly worked for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, serving in a quality assurance role.

What are your professional affiliations?
World Safety Organization.
Project Management Institute.

Is there something readers would be surprised to learn about you?
I have a commercial driver’s license that I keep up to date, because I never know when I might be called upon to drive a bus! Along those lines, John Lewis, now CEO at LYNX, used to be my boss at GRTC. I drove him and other “higher-ups” around one day on a 40-foot transit bus. Also, in 2007 I competed in the Virginia State Roadeo, winning honors for the highest combined score in safety.

Make sure you see Michael Smith's video, now that you've read this!