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00:00:05Veronica Vanterpool is the Acting Administrator of the U.
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00:00:08S.
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00:00:08Federal Transit Administration, and we talked to her on today's episode
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00:00:12of the Transit Unplugged podcast.
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00:00:14I'm Paul Comfort, and I thought it was important for us to kind of have
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00:00:17a wrap up of the last four years of the Biden Administration before we
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00:00:21head into the Trump Administration.
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00:00:23Talk about what the FTA has been doing and Veronica tells us about their new
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00:00:28programs they've been running such as the Low and No Emission Program,
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00:00:31the Rail Vehicle Replacements, the All Stations Accessibilities, the
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00:00:35Ferry Program, the Tribal Transit.
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00:00:37We dive into all of it in detail and actually, Veronica explains how the
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00:00:41FTA works and the role of the regional administrators and how they operate in
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00:00:46this system here in the United States.
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00:00:48Plus we take a look at what we think the future of public transportation will hold.
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00:00:51All that on this episode of Transit Unplugged with Veronica Vanderpool,
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00:00:56the Acting Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.
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00:01:00Enjoy.
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00:01:04Great to have with us on the program today, my friend, Veronica Vanterpool,
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00:01:07who is Acting Administrator of the U.
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00:01:09S.
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00:01:09Federal Transit Administration.
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00:01:11Veronica, thanks for being on the show.
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00:01:12Well, thank you for having me.
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00:01:14Yeah, so I thought, you know, we ought to have you on to talk about
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00:01:18the last four years of what's been going on in public transportation.
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00:01:22I mean, it's been some of the most challenging years coming out of
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00:01:25the pandemic, but also some of the most eventful years with all the
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00:01:29money coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the movements.
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00:01:32And it seems like every week, Veronica, you've been in a different city, you know,
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00:01:36cutting a ribbon or giving a big check and your predecessor, the same thing.
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00:01:39It's been a lot going on, hasn't there?
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00:01:41There sure has been a lot to be proud of, a lot that we're glad to
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00:01:46be touting and noting its progress so much over the past four years.
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00:01:51We're leaving quite a legacy behind.
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00:01:53As you and I are recording this, which will be one week from when we air
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00:01:56it it's the Monday when we've got a big snowstorm coming, the first big
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00:02:00snow we've had in years, and there's hundreds, if not thousands, of people
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00:02:04joining you in Washington, D.C.
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00:02:05For the TRB conference and all the receptions that are going to go on.
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00:02:08And we were going to do this in person in your office, which I appreciate the
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00:02:11invite, but with all the snow coming this morning, I'm, like, locked in here
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00:02:15at my house, but public transportation, the reason I bring that up is because
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00:02:18public transportation really plays a key, essential role in communities, especially
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00:02:23in times of crisis or storms, natural disasters, those kind of things, right?
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00:02:27And we've seen it do that over the last four years of your term.
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00:02:30That is exactly right.
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00:02:31In fact, we've seen some unprecedented events.
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00:02:33So I've lived in DC now just about three and a half years.
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00:02:36This is the first major snowfall that I've seen.
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00:02:39And as you noted, this is a very big week in DC because of the TRB conference and
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00:02:45activities and events are still ongoing.
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00:02:47And I have no problem getting to my venue later because I'll
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00:02:51be using WMATA's metro system.
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00:02:53Right.
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00:02:54And while federal offices are closed in the city and schools are closed
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00:02:58and many businesses are closed, TRB is able to continue on because we
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00:03:03have a functioning, strong, and well funded and invested transit network
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00:03:08in the metro system operated by WMATA.
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00:03:10So, I expect to have no problems getting in, but transit continues
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00:03:15to serve as that lifeline.
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00:03:17So, so many individuals who have to rely on a personal vehicle, you know,
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00:03:22may not have that option of a transit system in their community, but those of
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00:03:26us that do have that privilege and that option and that proximity, we're very
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00:03:31fortunate to be able to say, I'm going to walk to my nearest metro station
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00:03:35and hop on, you know, the next train.
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00:03:37And it has actually allowed me, as the senior most official or the most official
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00:03:42senior transit person in the country to not own a vehicle because I live in
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00:03:48a community where I can take transit, I can walk, I can bike and when and if
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00:03:54needed, I can use a rideshare vehicle.
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00:03:57So I have a lot of options, but I recognize communities across the United
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00:04:01States don't always have those options, and that's really what the Federal
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00:04:05Transit Administration tries to do.
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00:04:07Yeah, let's talk about that.
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00:04:09Yes, our mission is to improve America's communities through public transportation.
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00:04:14So, We are a very unique structure in this country.
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00:04:18Many countries do not have a federalized agency that is supporting
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00:04:23public transportation in the ways that we do across 50 different
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00:04:28states, different territories, across different geographies and certainly
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00:04:32many different constituencies and abilities and modes of public transit.
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00:04:37We use taxpayer dollars, federal funds, to support over 3, 500 recipients.
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00:04:45So that is mostly transit agencies or state departments of transportation or
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00:04:51metropolitan planning organizations.
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00:04:53So we do not support non profits generally.
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00:04:57There's some programs within FTA that do support those entities, but by and
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00:05:03large, most of our funding goes to those three agencies groups of recipients.
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00:05:08And we work with them to make sure that they are delivering
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00:05:12their projects on time.
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00:05:13So we also have sort of, our grant funding buckets are competitive,
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00:05:19but they're also through formula.
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00:05:21So formulas are set by Congress and they're based on population and
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00:05:25vehicle miles traveled and communities throughout the United States
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00:05:29receive those funds automatically.
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00:05:32But on the grant program side those different entities compete for very
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00:05:37limited dollars and very competitive programs for funding to support let's
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00:05:44say a new rail extension, or a new bus rapid transit route, or to plan
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00:05:51for transit oriented development.
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00:05:53So we are really changing mobility throughout the United States by the
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00:05:57way that we direct our federal funds.
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00:05:59That's something.
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00:06:00You know, in a lot of countries, the federal government might be involved
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00:06:03only in capital dollars coming to, for instance, Canada was until the
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00:06:07pandemic where they only gave capital dollars but it's different in the U.
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00:06:11S.
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00:06:11in that there are operating dollars coming to, to support that.
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00:06:14That's very interesting.
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00:06:15There are operating dollars to support communities throughout the United States,
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00:06:19but not in some of the larger cities.
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00:06:21So operating support.
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00:06:23Does not go to cities with a population of 200, 000 or more.
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00:06:28So that would cover many of our major metropolises.
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00:06:31Of course, the New York Cities and the Philadelphias and the
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00:06:34Chicagos and the Los Angeles.
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00:06:36But what's notable is that many of these communities are looking at ways
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00:06:42to support the operating side, and operating is incredibly important.
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00:06:45It is really the day to day.
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00:06:47It supports salaries, it supports maintenance, it supports fuel it
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00:06:52supports you know, a number of the expenses associated with getting vehicles
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00:06:58out on the road to move, you know, millions of people every single day.
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00:07:01But we do support a good amount of communities that are smaller than
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00:07:05200, 000 with operating assistance.
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00:07:08Yes.
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00:07:08You know, I remember I used to
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00:07:09get some money and I, I appreciated it.
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00:07:11And, you know, I'm glad that, that you note that Paul, because these are the
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00:07:15communities that are really providing bus workhorse for many of these rural
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00:07:21communities or tribal communities where, you know, we are able to ensure
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00:07:27that there is some sustenance into the day to day operations of these smaller
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00:07:32systems across the United States.
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00:07:34Yeah.
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00:07:34And, you know, state of good repair and the capital investments that we
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00:07:38have seen a lot of money come out over the last four years to help us with.
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00:07:42I mean, that's really what what's going on in New York City right now.
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00:07:44I don't know if you want to comment on it, but this is a very interesting week
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00:07:47as well, because it's the first week for congestion charging to come to the U.
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00:07:51S.
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00:07:51Of course, they have it in London.
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00:07:52I've seen it there in operation.
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00:07:54I've been to Singapore and seen it in operation there and heard from Jeremy
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00:07:57Yap and how it invests, that investment in their system is so key and important.
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00:08:01And in big cities, like you mentioned, that don't get it.
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00:08:03Operating dollars, they still have even bigger needs for capital investments.
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00:08:07And that's where all the money, right, from the congestion charging
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00:08:10is supposed to go in New York City.
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00:08:12Indeed.
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00:08:13In fact New York City is my home.
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00:08:15I was born and raised and, in fact, have lived most of my life in New York.
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00:08:19I actually moved from New York in 2020, so not that long ago and, and I have
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00:08:25a special relationship with public transportation, not just as a user of
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00:08:29the system all of my life having grown up in The Bronx, one of the five boroughs
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00:08:33of New York City, but having been an advocate for public transportation
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00:08:38since 2007, and funny enough, I was an advocate for congestion pricing.
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00:08:43That's how I started my career.
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00:08:45Is that right?
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00:08:45In public transportation at the time Mayor Bloomberg was in office
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00:08:49and he had proposed a sweeping environmental blueprint plan NYC.
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00:08:54And congestion pricing was just one of 127 initiatives proposed at the time.
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00:09:00So I have been working as many advocates have since that time and even before 2007
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00:09:07when it was first introduced or, you know, some would even say reintroduced because
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00:09:12it's a concept that had been debated in New York City and the region for decades.
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00:09:17But yes, a pivotal moment for New York City as it launched this congestion
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00:09:22pricing program just yesterday, and I served on the board of New York's MTA,
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00:09:27which is the largest transportation network in this country, for just about
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00:09:31four years, so I'm, and also gave the deciding vote to launch congestion pricing
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00:09:37when I was really, I didn't know that.
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00:09:39Wow.
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00:09:39So,
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00:09:40A very interesting and exciting moment for those of us to strongly believe in raising
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00:09:46dedicated funds for public transportation and looking at ways of improving
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00:09:50road safety and reducing congestion and improving environmental quality.
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00:09:55So for many of us who believe in you know, that program, it's certainly.
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00:10:00It's nice to see it take off, but to your point, Paul, transit systems do
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00:10:03need dedicated support for the capital programs of public transportation.
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00:10:09That is what really helps provide more service to more people in
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00:10:14cities across America through the expansion of existing transit or
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00:10:18the launch of new transit projects.
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00:10:21And you need capital dollars and New York, as many states in this country,
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00:10:25Washington State recently passed some legislation to invest significantly
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00:10:31in public transportation, but New York State, Washington State many others
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00:10:36have really committed to funding public transportation on the capital side and
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00:10:41it does need a combination of federal support, state support, and local support.
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00:10:47Yeah, I do want to comment on that.
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00:10:49I think you know, but for five years, I worked in Washington, D.C.
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00:10:52As a contractor with MV Transportation running the paratransit system,
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00:10:56the ADA paratransit, and it was you know, one of the highlights of my
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00:10:59career, and I was so happy that, you know, you guys have funded it.
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00:11:03Almost a hundred stations across America to upgrade them, making
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00:11:06them accessible for the very first time for people with disabilities.
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00:11:09These were stations that were built before the ADA was passed in 1990.
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00:11:13But I want to thank you because I'm a passionate advocate for the needs of
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00:11:16people with disabilities and the elderly.
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00:11:18I feel like they're the ones that really need our services the most,
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00:11:21and so we need to give them the most.
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00:11:24You know, we need to reach out to them further.
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00:11:26There may be other folks who say, here, we're going to make sure that
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00:11:28you definitely can use this because without it, you could be stuck.
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00:11:31You know, you could be like, you know, it's like a lot of people are today.
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00:11:34Like I am right now, not able to get out of my house.
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00:11:36So, but with that investment that has made, you know, probably hundreds
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00:11:41of thousands of more people able to use public transportation.
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00:11:44Absolutely, and I appreciate you noting accessibility.
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00:11:47That has been a priority and a goal of this administration, but frankly,
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00:11:51it should be a priority and a goal of every administration, of every federal
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00:11:57transit program, because what it does, it strengthens our economies to make sure
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00:12:02All members of our communities can be active members of their their society.
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00:12:07They can participate in church activities and school activities and
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00:12:10connect with each other, and especially connecting with everything that matters.
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00:12:14And through our All Stations Accessibility Program, the one that you largely
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00:12:19referenced, We have been able to update nearly 100 stations across the country.
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00:12:24Many of them are still in development in progress, but putting these
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00:12:28funds, particularly towards some of these stations and communities
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00:12:32that have the oldest rail and train infrastructure, makes a big difference.
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00:12:37You know, this, this means that someone who may be mobility impaired
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00:12:42doesn't have to skip three station stops in order to get to work or to
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00:12:49connect to their doctor appointment.
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00:12:50It may mean that they can walk to the station stop in their
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00:12:54neighborhood and get on a train there.
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00:12:57That's right.
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00:12:57This is a time savings, but it's also important again to making
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00:13:01sure that people have access to opportunities, that they can work at
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00:13:05their local library if they chose.
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00:13:07And while this is particularly important for those who are older, those living
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00:13:12with disabilities, it's important for people who've just broken their
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00:13:15foot and are in crutches for the day.
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00:13:17Or a parent who is pushing a stroller and wants to take, you know, their child to
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00:13:23the zoo and does not want to drive, right?
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00:13:26So, this, these deliver benefits for so many individuals beyond those who are
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00:13:33most reliant on public transportation, and we're really proud of that.
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00:13:36Let's talk for a minute about, if you would, about the
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00:13:38low and no emission grants.
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00:13:40That's been another key initiative of the Biden administration and DOT and FTA.
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00:13:45I mean, five billion dollars.
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00:13:46Come on now.
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00:13:47That's a significant investment, Paul.
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00:13:50And it's really an investment in reducing pollution in communities across America,
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00:13:56in every size community, whether you're a small rural community, to one of the
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00:14:01biggest cities across the United States and reducing pollution is everyone's goal.
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00:14:06No one wants to be in a community or live in a community or work in a
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00:14:10community where air quality is bad.
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00:14:13And you certainly don't want to be a user of a city.
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00:14:16So we have a system um, where you have outdated vehicles, right?
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00:14:21Our personal vehicles have been upgraded with the latest and cleanest technology.
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00:14:26We've seen cars get cleaner over generations.
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00:14:29And we are now investing in buses and other transit modes to get cleaner
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00:14:35in the same way with new technology.
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00:14:37So we've spent a lot of money, 5 billion, and on buses and in buses to upgrade
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00:14:43to the newest cleanest technology.
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00:14:46In doing so we're supporting an American base of manufacturing buses domestically
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00:14:51producing in the United States.
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00:14:54So in this administration we would have had nearly 6, 000 buses
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00:14:59either operating on the on the ground ordered or manufactured.
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00:15:03It's almost 6, 000 in that those three buckets.
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00:15:07From our 5 billion investment.
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00:15:10And, you know, what that means is we are making it easier for communities
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00:15:16to achieve so many goals and again, making sure that our communities remain
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00:15:20healthy communities for everyone.
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00:15:22So very, very proud of that investment, very proud to support domestic
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00:15:27manufacturing in this country.
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00:15:29American made buses is a very big deal but then again, really proud to be reducing
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00:15:34pollution in the ways that we have been.
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00:15:36One last specific program I want to call out because it means a lot to me.
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00:15:40I started my career in rural, right here in Queen Anne's County, Maryland,
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00:15:43in rural America, running a small bus system, but another one that doesn't get
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00:15:47a lot of attention is tribal transit.
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00:15:49My good friend Kendra Sue McGady Scott Bogen, of CTAA, all them, you know the.
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00:15:53This is their passion.
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00:15:54Obviously, Kendra works there Pelavan Transit and you all have increased
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00:15:58funding by 31 percent to help tribal transit, and this is an area, again,
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00:16:03where without this service people could be stuck and not be able to have any
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00:16:07mobility, and we know that mobility equals life, so you've got to have
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00:16:10mobility to really live a full life and to enjoy all that life has to offer,
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00:16:15and, and you've helped make that happen.
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00:16:16Thank you, Veronica.
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00:16:17Thank you, Paul.
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00:16:18And, you know, I want to note quite a few things on this.
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00:16:21So, Scott and Kendra, I know well.
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00:16:23They are wonderful, wonderful advocates for rural and tribal communities.
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00:16:28We're so glad to have had their partnership in so many of our
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00:16:31initiatives and glad to see them advance so much of their work.
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00:16:35We have really put a great deal of emphasis on making it
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00:16:39easier for tribal communities to successfully compete for this money.
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00:16:45So one way we've done that is we've actually eliminated the local match for
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00:16:51tribal communities because typically when the federal government invests
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00:16:56and FTA invests, we do an 80 20 split and we expect local communities to to
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00:17:03contribute 20 percent of the project cost.
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00:17:06We want to know that there is local support for our federal investment,
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00:17:12but for tribal communities that can be more challenging for them
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00:17:14to generate that local match.
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00:17:16So we very successfully in this administration waived that local
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00:17:21match for tribal communities.
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00:17:22So what that means is they're able to keep the federal dollars without the
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00:17:26pressure of having to meet that match.
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00:17:29We've also made it so much easier to apply for these funds.
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00:17:33So we have reformatted the tribal application so it is so much simpler.
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00:17:39We've reduced the word count.
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00:17:41We've taken out the jargon.
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00:17:43We have made it an easier fillable PDF and that's important because what we've
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00:17:48learned in many tribal communities is.
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00:17:51They're all different sizes with all different sorts of resources.
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00:17:55Some of the bigger tribes have resources for grant writing.
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00:17:59Some of the smaller sometimes they close because of salmon fishing season.
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00:18:04And they need to get to that point.
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00:18:07So they are not working and competing for federal grants during that time.
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00:18:11So, you know, we, we recognize that we want to get this money
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00:18:16into these tribal communities.
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00:18:18I've had the privilege and the benefit in my role to travel
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00:18:22across the United States.
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00:18:23And I was able to visit Coeur d'Alene in Idaho and a transit service
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00:18:29that's provided by a tribe there and the connection of that service
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00:18:35to the local reservations, right?
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00:18:37Without this service that is supported by Federal Transit Administration, there
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00:18:42would not be a bus to bring members of the community to very needed employment
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00:18:48in the reservations and elsewhere.
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00:18:50Without that bus, They would have to find an alternative means that
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00:18:54would be more costly because it would largely depend on, you know, a private
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00:18:59vehicle or sharing a vehicle, etc.
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00:19:01We're really proud of that.
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00:19:03We're proud of making those connections, particularly in our
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00:19:06tribal and rural communities.
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00:19:08We could talk about so many more of the things that have been done, but
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00:19:10let's dive into a little bit about your background and maybe a little
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00:19:13bit more, if you don't mind, about the structure of the FTA and how it works,
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00:19:16what the role of the administrator is, what are these regional administrators?
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00:19:20I know people in Australia may not understand that, but we've got
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00:19:23the country broken into regions.
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00:19:25Can you walk through that some a little bit and then
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00:19:26let's go into your background?
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00:19:27What do you do day to day as the administrator?
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00:19:29Let's start with that.
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00:19:30What's your role?
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00:19:31My day to day is working with a really talented team across the United
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00:19:35States of 700 plus FTA employees.
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00:19:38We have a dedicated team of individuals who come from all sorts of backgrounds,
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00:19:44legal, planning, Advocacy, non profit, financial, who all share in the same
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00:19:51mission, and that's really, again, to improve America's communities
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00:19:54through public transportation.
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00:19:55So, we are headquartered in Washington D.C.
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00:19:58In the Department of Transportation headquartered building, and within
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00:20:03the Department of Transportation, I'll start very high level.
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00:20:05There's nine different agencies, if you will.
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00:20:08Federal Transit is one of those nine Federal Aviation is another of those
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00:20:12nine, Federal Rail, et cetera, and we, we partner across many initiatives.
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00:20:17There's obviously a lot of intersectional work amongst all of the nine, but FTA is
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00:20:22broken into 10 regional offices across the United States, and each of those
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00:20:27regional offices handles many states.
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00:20:29And each office is based in a hub.
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00:20:32So, we have hubs, for example, in Denver, Colorado, or Los Angeles,
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00:20:38California Washington, D.C., as I noted, Chicago, Illinois.
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00:20:42And our regional administrators lead a team.
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00:20:45And the team varies in size you know, anywhere from, you know,
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00:20:4820 to 60 members of the team.
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00:20:51And what that regional team led by the regional administrator does is
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00:20:56they guide our federal investment in that region across those states
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00:21:00that they're responsible for.
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00:21:02So they're really working closely with those recipients of federal
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00:21:07transit administration funds.
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00:21:09So again, those Transit agencies, those state departments of transportation,
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00:21:14those metropolitan planning organizations, and they're working with them to make
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00:21:18sure that they are meeting all the federal requirements, such as our
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00:21:21environmental regulations under NEPA, our National Environmental Policy Act.
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00:21:27They're making sure that they're meeting civil rights obligations.
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00:21:31They're making sure they're meeting the legal requirements of the grants.
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00:21:34But they're also doing some hand holding.
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00:21:37answering very technical questions from the project sponsors.
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00:21:41So our teams are comprised of experts who are engineers, who are experts
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00:21:46in project management and oversight, who are experts in legal work, who
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00:21:51are working with Transit Agency X to fulfill the requirements of the grant.
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00:21:57To deliver the best project for the community and to answer questions
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00:22:03that make them competitive for the next grants that they're applying for.
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00:22:08You'll remember that I said we give out money in two buckets.
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00:22:11Automatic formula funding and then The competitive funding, and many of these
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00:22:16transit recipients want to continue to compete successfully for the next,
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00:22:23you know, competitive grant cycles, and our team in the regions know them
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00:22:27intimately and work closely with them.
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00:22:29In many ways, they're their advocates.
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00:22:31Our regional administrator and teams, they want to see these projects done
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00:22:36well, and I think that's something that's incredibly important.
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00:22:39Many people see federal government as bureaucratic and sometimes oppositional,
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00:22:45but our team is really the best advocate for transit projects in their region.
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00:22:51They want to see those projects delivered well because we've made
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00:22:54an investment and we like to see a good ROI on our investment and we
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00:22:58like to see successful projects.
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00:23:00That's good.
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00:23:00I think one other note to make is that they're not politically appointed, right?
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00:23:04They're, they are, what do you call that?
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00:23:06Civil service, right?
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00:23:07Yes.
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00:23:08They're civil servants.
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00:23:09They're career employees and many of them bring decades and
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00:23:14many of them are new to the work.
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00:23:16But yes, they are there politically.
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00:23:17over many, many years, so they've acquired a good deal of expertise,
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00:23:22but local regional knowledge that we in headquarters don't have.
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00:23:26So many times I am out on the road, people will come over to me and say, I have
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00:23:32this very specific question, or I am not sure how to do X, and my first question
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00:23:37to them is, well, have you met and or engaged with your regional administrator?
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00:23:42Because they're the first place you should start and we in headquarters
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00:23:47are not making decisions without engaging with our regional team.
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00:23:51They're the experts in the region.
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00:23:53Like one you recently hired, Kerry Butler in Region 7, an expert who's
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00:23:56been CEO of a number of agencies.
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00:23:58When I visit these transit association conferences across the country where I
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00:24:02speak, there almost always is a regional administrator there as one of the main
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00:24:06speakers explaining all the latest down into the nitty gritty details about how
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00:24:11to apply for grants, what's available.
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00:24:13It's one of the most popular sessions of every state transit association conference
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00:24:17is when the Regional Administrator talks because they're explaining to
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00:24:20them, you know, how to access and tap into those federal resources.
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00:24:23That's right.
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00:24:24And when we're selecting these regional administrators, and I've been involved
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00:24:28in a number of interviews over these four years, we're selecting the very
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00:24:32best individuals who know public transit well and come with stellar
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00:24:37credentials, because we expect them to make decisions that reflect my
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00:24:42decision or the administrator's decision during any given, you know, tenure.
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00:24:47Yes.
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00:24:47And they have to reflect.
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00:24:49So, to reflect what overall FTA and what's coming from headquarters,
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00:24:53they need to reflect and execute that at the regional level.
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00:24:55So, we have the most exceptional leaders and I want to note that most
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00:25:01of our leaders in the headquarters across the region are women.
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00:25:05In fact FTA, a stat I'm very proud of more than 50 percent
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00:25:09of our total workforce is women.
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00:25:12That's
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00:25:12really reflected in our leadership roles.
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00:25:15Yeah.
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00:25:15So, another thing, talking about a background experience, if
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00:25:18you've got a few more minutes, let's talk about your background.
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00:25:21So, I love the fact that you worked, you know, in transit not only the,
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00:25:24what you've talked about in New York City, but I think I first became aware
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00:25:27of you when you were working with my friend John Sisson in Delaware.
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00:25:31You know, right next to where I'm at, I've, I've been very involved with
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00:25:33Delaware Transit for many years, and being enrolled in Maryland and all.
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00:25:37So, tell us something about your background, how you ended up first
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00:25:39becoming the deputy and now acting.
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00:25:41Well, you know, a very interesting path.
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00:25:44My background is in environmental It always is, isn't
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00:25:46it?
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00:25:46Always.
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00:25:47In transit, man.
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00:25:48Our careers are wild.
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00:25:49Well, I, my background is in environmental science and policy, and of course, we know
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00:25:54the intersection there, but that's what I went to school for, and my early jobs
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00:25:58were in environmental policy, but I, as I mentioned earlier, I'm a born and bred
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00:26:02New Yorker, born and raised in The Bronx.
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00:26:05I love saying that.
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00:26:06I took three buses each way to high school and that was important for me.
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00:26:12I, I knew the importance of public transportation because I relied on it.
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00:26:17So that was very critical and crucial to the formation of my
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00:26:21appreciation for public transportation.
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00:26:24I, as I noted earlier, I actually transitioned into transportation
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00:26:28in 2007 for a small non profit headquartered in Manhattan.
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00:26:33And I started working on sustainable transportation broadly
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00:26:37in the New York Metro Region.
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00:26:39So that was all of New York State, New Jersey, Connecticut.
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00:26:42And we looked at, of course, public transportation, but how
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00:26:45to reduce deaths on our roadway.
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00:26:48From, you know, vehicular collisions.
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00:26:51How to invest sustainably in roads and bridges and fix it first.
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00:26:55As opposed to, you know, expanding this infrastructure without investing
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00:26:59in the existing infrastructure.
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00:27:01So, I really developed a strong appreciation for the whole of the
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00:27:05transportation network and providing a lot of different options for people to
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00:27:10move around and why that so important important from, of course, tapping into
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00:27:15my background in environmental science, right, important from issues of equity
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00:27:20and accessibility, making sure everyone contributes in their communities and has
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00:27:24ways of doing that but making sure that our economies were sound the economy of
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00:27:29New York City, the economy of Chicago, of Philadelphia, of so many cities across
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00:27:34the United States, and small ones as well.
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00:27:37is dependent and or intertwined with public transportation when you
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00:27:43make those investments, they matter.
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00:27:45So I have always sought out work in public transportation.
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00:27:50I did go from New York into Delaware.
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00:27:53I served as its first Chief Innovation Officer at the
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00:27:56Delaware Transit Corporation.
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00:27:58And that was important because it gave me insight into launching a new transit
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00:28:04service in a rural community that was agricultural that had a lot of migrant
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00:28:10workers and why that was important.
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00:28:12And then from there I moved into the role at FTA, but I come from the side of
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00:28:18community engagements, public advocacy institutional coalition building, public
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00:28:24policy campaigns, and working with every stakeholder, whether you're a community
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00:28:29resident, or you're a governor, or you are a member of the federal delegation,
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00:28:34my role was to engage with everyone.
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00:28:36On these topics that are so important about mobility.
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00:28:39And then here I am now at FTA in an acting administrator role because
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00:28:44my predecessor Administrator Nuria Fernandez retired after an illustrious
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00:28:5040 years plus in the transit industry.
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00:28:53And I stepped up given that I was deputy to serve as acting throughout
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00:28:58the remainder of this administration.
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00:29:01It's wonderful.
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00:29:01Well, thank you for spending some time with us today.
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00:29:04Summary of what you feel like, you know, you've done so far, or look ahead
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00:29:08into what you think is coming next.
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00:29:10I want to note that in this administration, we've invested the
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00:29:14most ever in public transportation.
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00:29:1715.
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00:29:175 billion dollars.
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00:29:20This has been an unprecedented time with unprecedented vision,
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00:29:24unprecedented commitment, Unprecedented execution to so many shared goals
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00:29:30across this country, strengthening communities, strengthening economies,
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00:29:35providing opportunities for people.
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00:29:37And that's what public transportation really does.
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00:29:39So I am really proud to now lead a team that has been led by strong leaders before
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00:29:46at this moment with the biggest investment in public transportation, thanks to
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00:29:51the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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00:29:53Candidly, but 15.
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00:29:555 billion over four years invested to improve America's
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00:29:59communities through public transit.
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00:30:01I'm really proud of what we've accomplished, but I'm proud
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00:30:04of the stories that I hear.
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00:30:05I've traveled a lot.
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00:30:06I've talked to a lot of people.
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00:30:08I've ridden on buses with bus riders and asked them, what do
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00:30:11you like about your commute?
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00:30:13What don't you like about your commute?
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00:30:15And that comes from my advocacy side as well, that connecting to people.
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00:30:19But I hear you.
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00:30:20The benefits of our investment from the people who use the systems
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00:30:23themselves, and it is work that I'm really, really proud of.
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00:30:27It is work that's in my blood.
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00:30:29I am very proud of our team who's worked really hard to deliver four new programs
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00:30:35and get so much more money out the door.
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00:30:38We've made changes in this country and we expect those changes to
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00:30:42continue to be made moving forward.
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00:30:45That's wonderful.
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00:30:45Well, Veronica, thank you for the role you've played over the last many years
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00:30:49at FTA and before that, and I'm sure whatever the next chapter in your career
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00:30:54holds, you'll continue to be a passionate advocate for public transportation.
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00:30:58Thank you, Paul, and thank you for all of your work to highlight success stories
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00:31:02of this industry, but for connecting so many people across the globe to make
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00:31:07sure that we're connecting people to what matters through public transportation.
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00:31:11Oh, thank you very much.
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00:31:12Take care and have a good rest of your uh, TRB conference there in DC.
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00:31:16Stay safe.
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00:31:17Stay
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00:31:17Thank you, Paul.
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00:31:21Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Transit Unplugged with our
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00:31:25special guest, Acting Administrator of the FTA, Veronica Vanterpool.
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00:31:29Hi, I'm Tris Hussey, editor of the podcast, and coming up next week, we
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00:31:34actually continue this conversation about serving others, and the role of transit in
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00:31:40society with the CEO of UZURV Ned Freeman.
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00:31:44Ned shares his passion for UZURV and the job it does, connecting people with public
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00:31:49transit regardless of their abilities.
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00:31:52Hey, do you know we have a really large and active community on LinkedIn?
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00:31:57You should check it out.
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00:31:58You can check out the newsletter, you can answer a poll, and you know we always
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00:32:03post something interesting about the episodes, either the podcast or Transit
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00:32:08Unplugged TV as soon as they come out.
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00:32:11Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo.
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00:32:13At Modaxo, we're passionate about moving the world's people, and at
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00:32:17Transit Unplugged, we're passionate about telling those stories.
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00:32:21So until next week, ride safe and ride happy.
