In our final regular episode of Transit Unplugged for 2023 we have Paul Skoutelas, President & CEO of APTA, and Petra Mollet, VP of Strategic International Programs at APTA talking with Paul about the year that was in 2023 and what we should be looking forward to in 2024.

The boost in infrastructure funding was, of course, the big news of the year, but it's somewhat overshadowed by ongoing funding issues at many agencies across North America.

But it's not all bad, because Taylor Swift's Eras Tour introduced a whole new audience to transit this year. In city after city, the Eras Tour triggered massive transit use to get to the concerts.

Heading into 2024, everyone is optimistic that we're finally shaking off the focus on ridership numbers and moving towards what is the service we're offering, and are we serving everyone we should?

Before we completely close out the year, we have a very special episode. We've traded episodes with the Talking Headways podcast and bringing you a special episode on the philosophy of planning our cities to be more accessible and inclusive. Learn more at https://theoverheadwire.com/.

We kick off the New Year with Rep. Earl Blumeneaur talking about his over fifty years of public service and his life-long advocacy for better transit.

If you have a question or comment email us at info@transitunplugged.com.

0:00 Year end wrap up with Paul Skoutelas and Petra Mollet

00:02 Introduction and Guest Overview

00:50 Reflecting on the Success of Transit Unplugged in 2023

03:00 Discussion with APTA Leaders: Reflecting on 2023 and Looking Ahead to 2024

03:52 Insights from Paul Skoutelas on APTA and Public Transit

05:47 Discussion on Public and Private Sector Collaboration

07:26 Challenges and Successes in Public Transit in 2023

15:06 International Perspectives on Public Transit

15:17 Insights from International Study Missions

19:50 Looking Ahead: Trends and Predictions for 2024

26:53 Closing Remarks

27:51 Coming up next on Transit Unplugged