Reliability over Ridership: Stop Measuring Your System Against 2019
From Transit Unplugged by Paul Comfort, SVP Modaxo
May 27, 2026 · 30 min · Season 8 · Episode 82
About this episode
Christie Wegener discusses the need for transit agencies to redefine success metrics in a post-pandemic world, focusing on reliability over ridership.
What does success look like for transit agencies in a post-pandemic world? According to Christie Wegener, it may be time to stop measuring against 2019 altogether. In this episode of Transit Unplugged, host Paul Comfort speaks with Christie Wegener, Executive Director of the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), about the changing realities of suburban transit, evolving commuter behavior, and why reliability may matter more than ridership. Christie explains how LAVTA serves as a critical feeder to BART while navigating the unique challenges of Bay Area travel patterns, remote work, and car-oriented suburban development. She also shares why she believes transit agencies need to rethink traditional KPIs like farebox recovery and pre-COVID ridership comparisons. The conversation also explores: Why transit agencies may need a new baseline for measuring success The operational challenges of coordinating with BART service How cloud-based transit signal priority could reduce travel times Lessons learned from LAVTA’s Uber/Lyft partnership and microtransit programs The realities of serving low-density suburban communities LAVTA’s new $64 million headquarters project Transit…
People in this episode
Host: Paul Comfort
Guest: Christie Wegener
Topics covered
- transit agencies
- post-pandemic
- reliability
- commuter behavior
- suburban transit
- KPIs
- transit funding
Keywords
- transit
- reliability
- ridership
- KPIs
- suburban transit
- BART
- microtransit
- transit funding
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority, BART
Places: Bay Area
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