What People Get Wrong About Rural Transit
From Transit Unplugged by Paul Comfort, SVP Modaxo
June 3, 2026 · 28 min · Season 8 · Episode 83
About this episode
Wendy Weedon discusses her role as CEO of the Brazos Transit District and the unique challenges of rural transit in Texas.
What does public transit look like when you're serving 20 counties across Central and East Texas? In this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort continues his series featuring new transit CEOs with a conversation with Wendy Weedon, CEO of the Brazos Transit District. After spending 17 years with the organization, Wendy stepped into the top leadership role in September and now oversees one of Texas' most diverse transit systems. Wendy discusses the unique challenges of balancing urban, rural, paratransit, demand response, microtransit, and non-emergency medical transportation services across a vast service area. She explains why community transit is often more than transportation—it's a lifeline connecting people to healthcare, employment, education, and independence. The conversation also explores workforce challenges, the growing role of AI in transit operations, the realities of serving aging rural populations, and why transit professionals are driven by a deep commitment to public service. Plus, Wendy shares insights into her leadership philosophy, her first year as CEO, and a few personal stories—including the pets that keep life interesting at home. In This Episode Wendy…
People in this episode
Host: Paul Comfort
Guest: Wendy Weedon
Topics covered
- rural transit
- public transportation
- leadership in transit
- community transit
- workforce challenges
- AI in transit operations
Keywords
- rural transit
- public transit
- Brazos Transit District
- community transit
- leadership
- workforce challenges
- AI in transit
- transportation services
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Brazos Transit District
Places: Texas, Central and East Texas
More episodes of Transit Unplugged
- Former FTA Chief Marc Molinaro on the Future of Federal Transit Funding · June 10, 2026 · 42 min
- Reliability over Ridership: Stop Measuring Your System Against 2019 · May 27, 2026 · 30 min
- What Happens When You Inherit a Transit Crisis? · May 20, 2026 · 25 min
- World Cup Transit: How Cities Are Preparing for 2026 · May 13, 2026 · 25 min
- Reinventing Commuter Rail for a Post-9-to-5 World · May 6, 2026 · 24 min
- Transit Unplugged Insider: FTA Shakeups, Funding Cuts & What’s Coming Next · April 29, 2026 · 32 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Transit Unplugged podcast page.