Stop Requested

Latest Episodes:

A New Vision for Chattanooga Transit with Charles Frazier Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Stop Requested, Levi McCollum and Christian Londono talk with Charles Frazier, CEO of the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), about the challenges of rebuilding a transit agency after decades of underfunding while preparing for the future. Charles shares his journey through public transportation leadership, the personal experience that shaped his career, and why listening to employees, riders, and elected officials is essential to creating meaningful change. The conversation explores CARTA's efforts to improve service reliability, modernize infrastructure, strengthen community relationships, and establish a long-term vision for transit in Chattanooga. Charles also discusses a $25 million federal grant supporting autonomous shuttles and workforce development, the importance of aligning transit planning with community growth, and why agencies must balance fixing today's problems with investing in tomorrow's opportunities.

Bonus: Santiago de Chile’s Transit Comeback with Alejandro Schmidt and Freddy Canales (Spanish) Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

In this bonus episode of Stop Requested, Levi McCollum and Christian Londono talk with Alejandro Schmidt and Freddy Canales from DTPM, Santiago’s public transport authority, and Jose Mostajo from SONDA. Recorded in Spanish at APTA EXPO in Chicago, the conversation traces how Santiago’s transit system has changed since the difficult launch of Transantiago in 2007. Alejandro and Freddy discuss cashless payments, monthly fare caps, and why many riders still prefer a physical fare card. They also talk about fare evasion and how better real-time information could make everyday trips easier.

Transit Is More Than KPIs with Nicholas Sofoul Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Stop Requested, Levi McCollum and Christian Londono talk with Nicholas Sofoul, Executive Director of the North Central Regional Transit District (Blue Bus), about the challenges of providing public transportation across 10,000 square miles of northern New Mexico, where transit often provides the only connection to healthcare, employment, groceries, and other essential services. The conversation explores workforce development, rural rapid transit, zero-emission vehicles, limited cellular connectivity, and coordinating service across tribal communities. Nick also discusses why conventional ridership and efficiency metrics don't always reflect the value of rural transit, and how Blue Bus is working to strengthen its operations while expanding access to the communities it serves.

Why American Transit Declined with Nicholas Dagen Bloom Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Stop Requested, Levi McCollum and Christian Londono talk with Nicholas Dagen Bloom, professor and chair of the Department of Urban Policy and Planning at Hunter College and author of The Great American Transit Disaster, about how American transit systems declined and why some cities fared better than others. The conversation explores the role of zoning, automobile growth, transit funding, public ownership, and local politics in reshaping transportation across the country. Bloom also challenges the streetcar conspiracy narrative, explains why frequent service and operating funding matter so much, and shares what today’s transit leaders can learn from a century of decisions that still shape their systems.

AI Roundtable, Part 3: From Transit Data to Better Predictions Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

In the third installment of Stop Requested’s AI Roundtable series, ETA CEO John Maglio joins hosts Levi McCollum and Christian Londono, along with Derrick VanGennep of Voloridge Investment Management, to explore how machine learning can help transit agencies move from understanding what happened to predicting what might happen next. The conversation covers data quality, model validation, uncertainty, and what happens when conditions change or an organization acts on a prediction. The group also explores potential transit applications including ridership, maintenance, on-time performance, and bus bunching, and why agencies looking to use predictive models should start with the decisions they need to make and the data required to support them.

How AI Is Clearing the Way for Better Transit with Charley Territo Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Stop Requested, Levi McCollum and Christian Londono talk with Charley Territo, Chief Growth Officer at Hayden AI, about how vision AI is helping transit agencies understand what is happening on the street and why it is affecting service. The conversation explores bus lane and bus stop enforcement, changing driver behavior, improving safety and reliability, and using data to measure the impact of these programs. Charley also discusses applications beyond enforcement, including network intelligence, asset and bus stop monitoring, and how vision AI could give agencies a broader view of the conditions affecting transit performance.

AI Roundtable, Part 2: Cybersecurity, Trust and AI in Transit Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

In the second installment of Stop Requested’s AI Roundtable series, ETA CEO John Maglio joins hosts Levi McCollum and Christian Londono, along with Eric Hilton and Zach Vinduska of North Highland, to discuss what AI adoption means for cybersecurity, data privacy, and trust inside transit agencies. The conversation explores new attack surfaces created by AI, practical guardrails for employees, enterprise versus public AI tools, data governance, monitoring and human review, and the risks of “shadow AI” developing outside IT oversight. The group also discusses what agencies should ask technology vendors, how AI can strengthen cybersecurity as well as create new vulnerabilities, and what transit leaders can do now to adopt AI more safely.

AI Roundtable, Part 1: How Transit Agencies Are Actually Using AI Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

In this special roundtable episode of Stop Requested, ETA CEO John Maglio joins hosts Levi McCollum and Christian Londono, along with Stephen Kuban, CEO of Kuban Transit Solutions, to compare what they are seeing and hearing about AI across the public transportation industry. The conversation explores how agencies are using AI today, from everyday staff productivity and data analysis to NTD reporting and paratransit operations, and what it will take to move from individual experimentation to organization-wide adoption. The group also discusses AI policy, workforce training, disconnected agency data, predictive operations, and how transit leaders can begin preparing for what comes next.

Bridging Transit Planning and Operations in Miami-Dade with Linda Morris (Replay) Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

In this replay of Stop Requested, Levi McCollum and Christian Londono revisit their conversation with Linda Morris, Chief of Service Planning and Scheduling at Miami-Dade County, as part of the Miami-Dade series. Linda oversees service planning across bus, rail, and Metromover in one of the country’s most complex transit environments. The conversation covers launching Metro Express BRT, coordinating service across dozens of municipalities, modernizing scheduling tools, and improving reliability across a large and growing region. Linda also reflects on her time at AC Transit, including major capacity projects and the introduction of double-decker buses, and how those experiences shaped her approach to service planning in South Florida.

Why It Costs So Much to Build Rail Transit in the USA with Dr. Eric Goldwyn Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Stop Requested, Levi McCollum and Christian Londono talk with Eric Goldwyn, professor at NYU and director of the Transportation and Land Use program at NYU Marron. Eric shares what the Transit Costs Project has learned by comparing nearly a thousand transit infrastructure projects around the world. The conversation explores why U.S. projects cost more and take longer to build, what cities lose when those costs climb, and how decisions around station design, construction methods, permitting, and project management affect the final price. Eric also discusses why transit agencies need stronger internal expertise, more visibility into costs, and a clearer understanding of the tradeoffs behind major capital projects.

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