EXPO FREE LEARNING ZONES
Experience the latest industry insights and knowledge at APTA EXPO's FREE Learning Zones! These interactive sessions offer a unique opportunity to learn from top industry experts and gain valuable insights into the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. The best part? All sessions are located in theaters directly on or beside the Show Floor!
Learning Zones cover a wide range of topics, from innovative transportation solutions to emerging industry trends. Whether you're a transit operator, engineer, planner, or consultant, you're sure to find a session that meets your interests and needs.
Each Free Learning Zone session is free to EXPO attendees led by a team of experienced and knowledgeable industry professionals who are committed to sharing their expertise and insights. You'll gain practical tips and strategies that you can immediately implement into your work.
Learn more about each Learning Zone and session below and mark your calendars so you don’t miss out on the ones that matter most to you!
Innovations Zone
Discover groundbreaking products and technologies changing the way that we look at the rider experience, sustainability, and the overall business of public transport.
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Monday, October 9
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| 11:00am—11:30am |
Innovative Train Operators Training Method
Philippe Ayrault, Systra
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| 1:00pm—1:30pm |
Ride, Manage, Settle: Open Payments as a Strategy for Agencies to Grow Ridership, Retain Riders, and Improve the Bottom Line
Kevin Burgess, Siemens Mobility
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| 2:00pm—2:30pm |
Enabling Large-Scale Transit eBus Fleet Charging Infrastructure Through a “Grid to Plug” DC Distribution Approach
Daniel Simounet, Hitachi Energy
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| 3:00pm—3:30pm |
How the Next Generation of Bus Shelters are Addressing Ridership, Equity and Climate Change as Mobility Hubs
Patrick Merrick, Tolar Manufacturing Company, Inc
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| 4:00pm—4:30pm |
Fleet Electrification Planning through Software as a Service
Robert Underhill, Microgrid Labs, Inc.
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Tuesday, October 10
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| 9:30am—10:00am |
The Mobility Orchestrator: A Way for Transit Agencies to Provide Smart Mobility Services Post-COVID
Wellington Toapanta, Hitachi Rail
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| 10:30am—11:00am |
SeatLink™: Transit’s Answer to Linking Safety with Accountability
Stan Brzezniak, Freedman Seating Company
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| 11:30am—12:00pm |
Using AI Technology to Enhance Transit Safety and Performance
Renee Autumn Ray, Hayden AI
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| 1:00pm—1:30pm |
ADA Ridership, Inclusivity & Driver Retention: An Innovative Approach to Addressing Some of Public Transit’s Most Pressing Challenges
Mike Laidlaw, Q'Straint/Sure-Lok
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| 2:00pm—2:30pm |
The Power of ‘X’: Maximizing Your Passenger Experience (PX)
Norm Sanders, Connexionz
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| 3:00pm—3:30pm |
Providing Your Passengers with a Unified Mobility Application
Jeff Zarr, Moovit
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| 4:00pm—4:30pm |
Get the 411 on Smart Charging and Yard Management for Your Electric Fleet
Maximilian Haag & Bill McFarland, INIT Innovations
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Solutions Zone
These applications and service-based presentations will reveal awe-inspiring solutions for common challenges.
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Monday, October 9
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| 11:00am—11:30am |
Outcome-Based Procurement - Unlocking Innovation
Ben Whitaker, Masabi
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| 2:00pm—2:30pm |
Unique Solutions to Complex Problems when Electrifying Public Transit
Simon Lonsdale, bp pulse
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| 3:00pm—3:30pm |
Hydrogen and Battery: How Alternative Propulsion will Help Make US Transit Greener
Charlotte Thalhammer, Stadler US Inc.
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Tuesday, October 10
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| 9:30am—10:00am |
A Better Mousetrap: Fuel-Cell Dominant Hydrogen Buses
Greg Marx, BAE Systems
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| 10:30am—11:00am |
Getting Cybersecurity on Track
Kyle Miller, Plante Moran
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| 11:30am—12:00pm |
Understanding Fuel Hedging for Public Transit
Jeffrey LeMunyon, Linwood Capital, LLC
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| 1:00pm—1:30pm |
The State of Fleet Safety in 2023
Joe Vignolo, Motive
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| 2:00pm—2:30pm |
How to Beat Power Electronics Obsolescence on Legacy Fleet: Repair vs. Upgrade
Luis Contreras & Juan Munoz, AmePower
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| 3:00pm—3:30pm |
The Intersection of Responsible AI and Mobility: The Bus Stop Reimagined.
Dr. Wissem Maazoun, BusPas
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| 4:00pm—4:30pm |
Hands Free Super Wallet: Board with Phone in Pocket
Martin McAvoy, Ecolane
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Hot Topics Zones I & II
With so much rapidly evolving innovation in our industry, this year we’ll have not just one, but two Hot Topic Zones for our attendees! In these sessions, you'll learn about the latest developments impacting and disrupting the public transportation system at large. Whether you’re interested in the newest projects, emerging trends, disruptive technologies, challenges we’re facing in the United States and around the world, or anything else making headlines, these sessions are a must!
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Monday, October 9
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| 1:00pm—1:30pm |
Exploration of Safety Technology: Part 1
Moderator: Jodi Godfrey, Center for Urban Transportation Research; Panelists: Justin Banks, Stadler US Inc; Allie Doyle, United Safety & Survivability Corporation; Wei Zou, Cisco Systems
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| 1:50pm—2:20pm |
Exploration of Safety Technology: Part 2
Ed English, Elerts; Andy Kunzmann, RailComm Inc; Daniel Pulskamp, Safe Fleet; Mike Dunbar, Rekor Systems Inc
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| 2:50pm—3:20pm |
Real-Time Infrastructure and Asset Condition Assessment Project Using AI and LiDAR Technologies
Darryl Spencer, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
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| 3:50pm—4:20pm |
Working Together with Municipal Partners: The Maintenance of Art Along NM Commuter Rail Corridor
Svetlana Grechka, Regional Transportation District (Denver)
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Tuesday, October 10
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| 9:30am—10:00am |
Going Fare Free: Two agencies Discuss the Feasibility of Going Fare-Free and their Innovative Approaches
Julie Fernandez, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO); Zachary Agush, Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA)
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| 10:20am—10:50am |
Navigating to a 100% Zero-Emission Fleet in a Cold-Weather Climate
William Korth, RGRTA
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| 11:10am—11:40am |
What to Cover in Your Zero-Emission Bus Maintenance Training Curriculum
James Hall, International Transportation Learning Center (ITCL); Obed Mejia, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)
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| 1:00pm—1:30pm |
Autonomous Vehicles Projects in America — from Concept to Reality, Leading Mobility in the 21st Century
Nathaniel P Ford, Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA); MJ Maynard, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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| 1:50pm—2:20pm |
Transit’s Response to Human Trafficking — A Procedure Template
Lexi Higgins, Truckers Against Trafficking; Jodi Godfrey, Center for Urban Transportation Research
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| 2:40pm—3:10pm |
Accessible & Inclusive Community Engagement
Eileen Collins and MiMi Bernal-Graves, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet)
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| 3:30pm—4:00pm |
Making the Case: Statewide Economic Benefits of Investing in Regional Transit
Allan Fye, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC)
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Monday, October 9
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| 11:00am—11:30am |
Agency Programmatic Best Practices
Janice R Thomas, Metra; Benjamin Aitoumeziane, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
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| 1:00pm—1:30pm |
Open Data Open Doors: How Miami is Making it Work
Carlos Cruz-Casas, Maimi-Dade Transit
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| 1:50pm—2:20pm |
Introduction to APTA’s Standard Program
Bryan Sooter, APTA
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| 2:50pm—3:30pm |
Leading Technologies in Grade Crossing Safety Awareness
Moderator: Dave Genova, Hatch; Panelists: Eric Redman, Trimble Inc; John Ayers, Onyx Rail Safety Solutions; Rokhand Moradi, Hatch Infrastructure; Lisa Matta, Wi-Tronix
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| 3:50pm—4:20pm |
Consolidation of Regional Paratransit Trips Through a Multi-Transit Agency Partnership One-Seat-Ride Program
Christy Wegener, Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (WHEELS)
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Tuesday, October 10
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| 9:30am—10:00am |
Chatham Area Transit’s Post-Pandemic Strategy: The New Normal, Transforming Transit in Savannah after COVID-19
Faye Q DiMassimo, Chatham Area Transit Authority (CAT)
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| 10:20 am—10:50am |
TIME for CT
Richard Jankovich, Connecticut Department of Transportation
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| 11:10am—11:40am |
Streamlining Trips: An Overview of Transit Signal Priority System Implementation at IndyGo
Matt Duffy, Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo)
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| 1:00pm—1:30pm |
ORCA Fare System Case Study: Managing Disruptions to Riders with Next Gen Fare Systems
Brittany Esdaile and Scott Corbridge, Sound Transit
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| 1:50pm—2:30pm |
Fuel Cell Seminar: Hydrogen 101
Dan Raudebaugh, Center for Transportation and the Environment; Rusty Korth, Regional Transit Service; Jim Gee, Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County; Mark Finnicum, Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA)
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| 2:40pm—3:10pm |
Innovation Challenge: Ride More, Get More
Nelson Lee, Virginkar & Associates, Inc; Bisi Ibrahim, Solano County Transit (SolTrans)
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| 3:30pm—4:00pm |
EZConnect—A Virtual Mobility Hub for ALL Customers
Katherine Conrad, Ohio Transit Risk Pool (OTRP)
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Procurement Summit
Determine strategies for more effective procurements that bring great value to transit agencies.
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Monday, October 9
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| 11:00am—12:00pm |
The Application of Procurement Integrity in Public Transit Agencies
Moderator: Christina Belmont, SDI Presence LLC; Panelist: Ted Lucas, Sound Transit
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| 3:30pm—4:30pm |
Procurement in a Time of Our Rapidly Changing Economy
Moderator: Natalie Cornell, Hatch; Panelists: Kimberly Williams, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro); Lucy Andre, Stadler USA Inc; Stephanie Laubenstein, New Flyer and MCI (NFI Group)
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Tuesday, October 10
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| 8:30am—9:30am |
Procurement Best Practices for Transit Board Members
Moderator: Dyanne Sampson, VIA Metropolitan Transit; Panelists: Doug Tisdale, Regional Transportation District (Denver); James Harper, Federal Transit Administration (FTA); Alvin Burns, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
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| 10:15am—11:15am |
Buy America Requirements for Procurement
Dana Nifosi, Federal Transit Administration (FTA); Jodi Jacoby, Metropolitan Council; Steve Policar; Ellen McCormack, Chicago Transit Authority
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| 1:15pm—2:15pm |
Advancing Procurement Diversity: Navigating DBE Evolution
Moderator: Bonnie Crawford, Cubic Transportation Systems; Panelists: Brenda Nnambi, Sound Transit; Maurice Gay, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA); Ken Middleton, Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA); Colette Holt, Colette Holt & Associates
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| 3:00pm—4:00pm |
Building Connections for Successful Procurements
Networking Session
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Wednesday, October 11
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| 8:30am—9:30am |
Cybersecurity-Driven Procurement Strategies
Moderator: Michael Echols, Max Cybersecurity LLC; Panelists: Roark Pollock, Cylus Cybersecurity Ltd; Travis Engstrom, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART); Chris Crawford, Waterfall Security; Tariq Habib, MTA NYC
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| 10:15am—11:15am |
Navigating New Technology Procurement Requirements in the Digital Era
Moderator: Jonathon McDonald, Hatch; Panelist: Dale Brown, Hatch
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International Learning Zone
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Tuesday, October 10
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| 11:00am—12:00pm |
Public Transit Developments and Major Projects in Santiago, Chile
Alejandra Provoste, DTPM (Metropolitan Transit Authority of Santiago); Diego Cruz, DTPM; Alejandro Schmidt, DTPM; Beatriz Herrera, InvestChile, North America Office
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| 1:50pm—2:20pm |
JR East's Initiatives Leading to the Realization of a Decarbonized Society
Shota Nomiyama, East Japan Railway Company (JR East)
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| 3:30pm—4:15pm |
International Public Transit Trends and Major Projects: A Global Overview provided by UITP, the International Association of Public Transit
Jaspal Singh, UITP
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