Hey, did you start your day today with a great bowl of cereal?

Maybe some Frosted Flakes, some raisin bran?

Do you know where that cereal is made?

I. It's made in Battle Creek, Michigan.

That's right.

And they've got a great transit system there that is

actually in a big transition.

We're gonna tell you all about it today on Transit Unplugged.

I'm Paul Comfort, and I recently got to sit down with Mallory Avis, the

public transit director for the City of Battle Creek, Michigan and Battle Creek

Transit while we were at the Community Transportation Association of America.

CTAA Expo in San Diego.

We sat down right out on the trade show floor hosted by our good friends at

TripSpark Technologies, and we interviewed her about something big happening

there in Calhoun County, Michigan.

And that is that they're transitioning the transit system from a city department.

To a transportation authority.

That's right.

The voters voted to do that and they gave some money to do it as well.

We're gonna tell you all about that.

She'll tell you all about that on this interview and securing the additional

funding they needed and what the process is of changing a transit system in

serial city America from, uh, city operation to a standalone authority

on this episode of Transit Unplugged.

All right.

We're in San Diego at the Community Transportation

Association of America's Expo

and uh, I'm Paul Comfort.

This is Transit Unplugged, the world's leading transit executive podcast.

I'm excited to be with Mallory Avis, who is the director of Transportation

for the City of Battle Creek, Michigan, which is where we all get

our Kellogg cereals from Mallory.

Indeed it is.

Yes.

So we're actually at the TripSpark booth right in the center of the hall

with hundreds of people milling around.

U.S. you're gonna hear a little background noise.

We love doing these live podcasts.

Mallory, tell U.S. uh, a little bit about where you're from and

give U.S. about serial city.

Absolutely.

So, uh, you know, I was born and raised in Chicago, moved to Michigan

as a teenager, and going from Chicago to rural Michigan was a huge culture shock.

So, went from somewhere where my grandma never had a driver's license,

used the bus to get everywhere.

To somewhere where a car is required to go anywhere and your closest grocery

store is about half an hour away.

Transportation has always been in my blood and I had the opportunity six years

ago to go to the city of Battle Creek and run their transit department there.

So we've made some major changes to our system and we're excited about some of the

things that are going on in Battle Creek.

That's great.

So tell U.S.

about Battle Creek.

All right, we gotta dive into this.

'cause as a kid growing up Yeah.

You always hear, you know, I'm getting my Kellogg's, whatever cereal I'm eating that

morning, it's from Battle Creek, Michigan.

So give U.S. a story on that.

Yeah.

So we are the breakfast capital of the world.

Okay.

Uh, our city logo even, you know, says Cereal city USA.

Oh, that's cool.

Our first transit system was actually called Serial City Coach Company back in

the 18 hundreds, the old interurban days.

Nice and

serial city coach company transferred over to the

city of Battle Creek and the.

1970s and, uh, now we've been known as Battle Creek Transit since, but Kellogg

is still a staple as well as post cereal.

So, oh, post is there, that's right post is there as well.

Yeah.

Raisin brand.

Yeah.

I love Raisin brand.

Yeah,

the, it smells like Fruity Pebbles some days, so I Oh wow.

I was the idiot when we moved there.

Who?

Uh, I walked outside and I'm like, what's that smell like?

It smells like blueberries.

And they're like, uh, cereal.

It's just the, the norm in, in Battle Creek.

A lot of people work in the serial business, I guess, there, yeah.

Yeah.

So we have

a very large manufacturing, um, industrial park and, uh, so I

would say manufacturing is our, our primary and Kellogg's headquarters

are there in Battle Creek as well.

Okay.

Have you toured any of the places where they make it?

Do they offer tours?

They used to, so I actually have from when I was a, a teenager, I have

a picture of myself on a cornflake spot.

Oh, you could get a souvenir Corn Flakes box with your picture out there.

Oh,

that's cool, man.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, that's good.

So what's your population?

Give U.S. some of the demographics and then we'll talk about your system.

Yeah, yeah.

So Battle Creek, the city of Battle Creek is just over 50,000 in populations.

So we're a very small city.

Our county in total is more in the 130,000 range.

So we have four cities, small cities in the uh, Calhoun County.

We run fixed route and demand response paratransit.

And then we launched a small microtransit pilot that kind of led

to some big things in Calhoun County over the west gonna meet you person.

Wow.

And I think the biggest thing that I'd love you to talk about today is you're

in the process of changing from a city department to a transit authority.

Tell U.S. about that, Mallory.

Yeah, so when I came to the city five years ago, we were

kind of told this is this is it.

The city is looking to transition away from this being a general

fund responsibility and.

Fix this problem.

And so that's what we did.

We've spent the last five years really doing community stakeholder engagement,

education, advocacy, and talking to the communities about what they need.

We did a study in 2020 that demonstrated about 20,000 unmet trips per year.

So we launched a pilot with the help of MDA that we call bc Go.

And that pilot, we were like, okay, two vehicles, that should be enough.

You know, we're gonna meet the need that the consultants identified.

They way underestimated it.

So our first year of operations, we had 150,000 trip requests.

Wow.

And we only met about 22,000 photos.

So we are not meeting all of the demand.

And we used all of that data to engage the community and say, Hey,

let's start a robust, comprehensive, countywide transportation system.

But it's gonna cost you.

Yeah.

So, uh, we went to the voters last year and asked them to create

a transit authority and fund a transit authority, and it passed

59% like the WOW community spoke.

Wow.

That's something, yeah.

When they did that, did they vote on funding?

They did.

We proposed a 2.66 mills property tax millage.

So that means it's roughly $266 per year for every $100,000 of

value on somebody's property.

Yeah.

So if I got a $200,000 house in Battle Creek, I'm paying 500 for transit.

Yeah.

500 a year.

And they

voted 59% of the people voted Yes.

Understanding that, voted for it.

Yes.

They want

better transit.

They, yeah, they spoke.

That's really interesting, Mallory.

When we come back after, uh, this quick break, I want to ask you how

it's been implemented and what the next steps are to actually start,

uh, public Transit Authority.

We're back at the Community Transportation

Association of America CTAs Expo.

We are in San Diego.

Go California, and it has been kind of a chilly day, a little bit, maybe 68.

What do you think Mallory?

Uh, who would've thought that Michigan would be warmer right now?

Yeah.

Than California.

How about it?

Southern California?

That, yeah.

So right before the break we were talking about the voters voted 59%.

To fund a new transit authority.

Yeah.

So where are you at in the process now and what does that look like

when you start a transit authority?

You know, I think a lot of people take for granted the

work that has to go on behind it.

And we passed it, what, November 5th was the election.

Okay.

We passed the millage and then I think people were expecting buses

to be on the road November 6th.

So, you know, a lot of it is community education and community input.

We have a board.

Uh, the board is really working to make sure that the community has input.

Some of these communities have never had transportation at all before.

So I shared earlier that we are, you know, 50,000, just over 50,000 in population.

We don't have Uber, we don't have Lyft.

We don't even have taxis like private taxi companies.

Oh, wow.

Yeah.

So public transit is the only option.

That's probably why the voters voted for it.

Absolutely.

Like they, they don't have lot of other options.

Yeah.

They know.

And so really I, you know, we're starting a business from the ground up and we had

to do everything from brand recognition.

So we had to create a brand.

From, you know, the ground up and that brand's gonna be called Ride Calhoun

is that's the name of your county?

Yes.

Yep.

So Battle

Creek is a city in Calhoun County?

Yes.

Okay, got it.

So

we're gonna go from Battle Creek Transit to Ride Calhoun, and

we're gonna have three modes of service.

RC Ride Calhoun, RC Max, RC Move, and RC Flex.

And so really creating all of those services.

And now working on what do the legal agreements and arrangements look like

for the transition of the assets?

The experts already exist in, in Calhoun County.

We're already there.

We've been doing the work, and so transitioning all of that over to an

entirely different governance structure, that is where the work really begins now.

Yeah.

So what do the city council think of it?

I'm not gonna lie, it's mixed.

Obviously it's political.

There's some people who feel like they're losing control of transit and

the decision making related to transit.

I look at it as now the people have more direct control.

Right?

So.

We have to go for renewal of this millage in four years, and obviously

if we aren't meeting the needs of the voters and we aren't fulfilling

our promises that we made, then they can choose not to renew that millage.

And that's roughly $5 million a year of funding that.

Yeah, that we're looking at.

What's your total of budget?

The

total budget for the system is 12 million.

Okay.

Our current budget for Battle Creek Transit is

only about four or 5 million.

Oh, wow.

So, you know, we're growing significantly, almost doubling the size

of our fleet and then serving three cities that previously weren't served before.

That's interest.

So you have a new board of directors.

Yeah, and it's a good mix of people.

Really.

We're lucky this first round of board members are everywhere from the

president of the local community college.

To the chair of the local economic development firm.

Oh yeah.

Movers and Shakers Local, yes.

Local elected officials like, and these people are doing it voluntarily.

Right?

They don't get paid.

And I think making sure the community knows that they're doing it because

they're passionate about it, not because there's any sort of quid pro quo going on.

Yeah,

that's good.

They care about mobility and they understand the

need from whatever their respective positions are in their full-time job.

Yeah.

So, where are you at in the process and what happens next?

So, we are expecting to fully launch Ride Calhoun by October 1st.

So we are Wow.

This year, 2025.

Yeah.

We are

in the thick of it.

I have the honor of serving as the executive director for Ride Calhoun,

while also being the public transit director for the city of Battle Creek.

Alright, now

pause.

Yeah.

You get double paid.

No.

Oh man, double,

definitely double the work.

Double the headache.

Okay.

Yeah.

Uh, same paycheck.

Okay.

All.

Are you gonna need more federal money and stuff for the buses?

Because you're gonna We are.

Yeah, we are.

We have been so lucky to have the support at both the

federal level and the state level.

So really for the last four years we've been doing the pilot, our BC Go pilot.

Yeah.

Which was a microtransit system that ran countywide.

So it was a rural microtransit demonstration.

It's to kind of see like, would this idea work?

In mdot, the Michigan Department of Transportation, they funded

that at a hundred percent Okay.

For the last four years.

Wow.

So capital operating all of it.

And then now they've come through with kind of the, the funding that

we need to transition as well as FTA.

And then we were very lucky to get some congressionally directed.

Spending over the last year to help with all of the, I'm gonna

say startup costs that go with,

who's your congress person up there?

Uh,

Senator Peters, so Thank you.

Senator Peters.

Okay.

For the, the congressionally directed spending.

That's great.

Yeah.

Where are you getting, like your buses, are they gonna be electric?

What are you doing with all the buses kind of stuff, and how are

you gonna get buses so quick?

I know, right?

So I don't think people understand that.

Like there's not a dealership that, yeah.

Right.

You can just walk on a lot and drive away with a bus.

Right.

So making sure the community understands that.

The good thing is that.

Over the last five years in Battle Creek, 70% of our fleet has been

replaced over the last five years.

Oh, wow.

Good job.

So when I came to Battle Creek, our average age of our buses was 17 years.

Oh man.

So when I came in 2019, most of our buses were between 2001 and 2006 years.

That's almost historic,

you know, it

really, they had like 900,000 miles on them.

Wow.

And they had been passed down from several other agencies.

So, you know, it was one of those like, we'll give you this

bus for a dollar kind of thing.

Yeah.

And so I had the challenge of like, we've gotta fix our state

of good repair situation right now.

And so now we're going into this brand new authority with an entirely new fleet.

Funding for a new renovated facility.

Funding for a new cad, A BL software, funding for rebranding and marketing.

We really get the chance to truly build it.

Are you in the middle of all that right now?

In the middle of all of it.

Wow.

Yeah.

With three people.

A lot going on.

Which are People are, yeah.

Yeah.

Who are they?

I have an operations supervisor.

Okay.

A maintenance supervisor myself.

And then I have a mobility manager who's really, you know, kind of taken on a lot

of the community engagement aspects of Oh

yeah.

You know,

making sure the public gets a chance to stay involved in this.

And, and what does that look like?

What's the process of communication?

Oh,

I tell you, so I'll give you a perfect example.

I land back in Michigan Thursday at 5 55.

I think our clean land after this.

Yeah, yeah.

Yep.

After CTAA is over, I have a presentation that Thursday night at 7:00 PM Wow.

Yeah.

You know, going to all of our city council meetings, township meetings,

making sure that we are anywhere, we are invited to be able to educate the

community on what's happening, because ultimately they're paying for it.

Right?

And they have questions about what's happening, where are we going, and when

do we get to start riding these new buses?

Yeah.

How about it?

Yeah, that's good.

Well, that's wonderful.

Congratulations to you, Mallory, on this.

Thank you.

Do you think it'll be started by October?

October 1st?

We are, you know, I actually met some great people here that are gonna,

you know, we're gonna touch base on.

Wrapping the vehicles, rebranding everything.

We get a chance to start fresh.

I don't think very many communities get to do that.

No.

So we get to start fresh, a brand new transit system in a community that's

never had this level of transit before.

And our goal is to just do it.

Right.

That's great.

That's great.

So wrapping up, give U.S. a little bit about your personal

life, if you don't mind.

Family hobbies?

Any good books you've read lately?

Oh yeah.

You mean

besides yours?

Oh, thank you.

And I didn't pay her to say that.

Yeah, so I said earlier, I grew up in Chicago and I think when you

get moved as a teenager, you're always like, I'm going back to where I came from.

Yeah.

Michigan has grown on me.

I think if you've never been to Michigan.

Michigan is a beautiful, beautiful state.

No matter which side of the state you're on.

So, you know, I, I married my high school sweetheart.

We've been married for 17 years.

We have two beautiful children.

I'm lucky.

I have a boy and a girl.

Oh, that's good.

Yeah.

Uh, my daughter's four, my son is two.

And we get the chance to kind of be active in our communities.

So my husband works at the VA hospital in Battle Creek, and we both get

to kind of work in these pillars.

Of the community industries.

Yeah.

And uh, it's really nice.

Yeah.

We're looking forward to raising our family in, in Battle Creek.

That's good.

And what do you do like for hobbies?

Oh, work.

Yeah.

Not gonna lie.

Right now it's, it's two full-time jobs.

I've always been a workaholic a little bit, I think.

So in the past, bartending was my hobby.

Okay.

Right.

It like how many hobbies make you money on the side as well.

Now I, you know, around a patio fire, I get to, I get to bartend a

little bit for my husband and I, but.

Really our, our time is consumed with our kids right now.

Right now they're little.

We're kind of soaking it in.

Yep.

Understood.

And then when we're not doing that, I'm working, when I'm not

wearing the Battle Creek Transit hat, I'm wearing the Ride Calhoun hat.

So there

you go.

Well Ma, you've got a big job still ahead of you all this summer and into the fall.

Yeah.

I wish you the very best.

I can't wait to see what all happens in October when you

actually make the transition.

Yes.

You'll have to come check it out when we're done.

Alright, thanks again for being a guest on Transit Unplug.

Thank

you.