Public transport has been hit hard by COVID-19. With ridership significantly down, leading to considerable financial distress for public transport operators. The good news: there is growing evidence that public transport riders do not face higher infection risk than anyone else. Since the beginning of the pandemic, most public transport operators have quickly stepped up and taken concrete action to make transit systems COVID-safe for staff and passengers. Paul Comfort, an expert on leadership, transportation infrastructure and trends, and former CEO of the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), explains how we must keep the momentum going to preserve the appeal of public transport, for the sake of public health, economic recovery, and environmental sustainability.

About our Guest Paul Comfort

Paul Comfort is an expert on leadership,transportation infrastructure and transit trends. As  former CEO of the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), he most recently led a revolutionary change from a 50-year-old school transit system to the world class BaltimoreLink, an efficient, high-frequency, connected rail and bus transit system in Baltimore, Maryland.

Paul has spent a career in public transport and local government, having served as County Administrator for two suburban counties in Maryland, and was elected as a County Commissioner. He has also worked in business development and operations management for many public and private transit operations. He is currently Vice President of Business Development for Trapeze Group, serving as a brand ambassador to the transit industry, ensuring C-level success with their technology products and services and speaking and writing on transit trends and solutions. He also hosts the well-known podcast “Transit Unplugged”, interviewing top Public Transportation Leaders about their work, operations and transit trends. He is author of the highly recommended bestseller "Future of Public Transport" and a children’s book on Public Transport from steam locomotives to hyperloop and beyond The Future of public transportation by Paul Comfort Paul Comfort's official website More about Paul Comfort Long term implications of the covid-19 pandemic on transit Transit Unplugged Podcast