Citizens for Modern Transit hosted a “Candid Conversation with Commuters” online forum in partnership with Metro Transit and the St. Clair County Transit District officials on Wednesday, March 6, via Zoom. The event provided a platform for transit riders and the community at-large to directly connect with local industry leaders about Metro Transit’s quarterly service change on March 18 and other topics of interest.
The discussion featured Charles Stewart, Chief Operating Officer of Metro Transit; Ken Sharkey, Managing Director of the St. Clair County Transit District; Jessica Gershman, Assistant Executive Director of Planning & Systems for Metro Transit; and Tom Curran, Executive Vice President of Administration at Bi-State Development. The conversation was moderated by Kimberly Cella, Executive Director of Citizens for Modern Transit.
Quick introductions were made by each panelist before they collectively addressed live questions and those received in advance of the forum. Questions covered, but were not limited to, topics that included two service changes going into effect, the availability of Metro Call-A-Ride and micro-transit services like Via, changes being made to Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs), security/gating system installation vs. timing for fare collection upgrades as part of the $52 million Secure Platform Plan (SPP), updates on how Metro Transit is working in collaboration with the disabled community, renovations taking place at several MetroLink Stations, a customer travel survey that will soon get underway, new light rail vehicles expected to arrive in three years, the proposed Green Line, and more.
Click here or watch below to view the event in its entirety:
CMT’s “Candid Conversation with Commuters” is a spin-off of its quarterly “Talking Transit” events, which are designed to keep members, elected officials, stakeholders, transit riders and others in the loop on issues and efforts influencing the local transit system. These educational gatherings feature guest speakers and panel discussions that address a wide range of topics, including transit-oriented development, safety and security, best practices, service changes and more.