This week on Transit Unplugged.

I'm with Coree Cuff Lonergan, the CEO of the Broward County Transit System

down there near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, just north of Miami.

I'm Paul Comfort, and on this episode we recorded the, uh, podcast live in person

and on the bus, because of course we did.

We recorded the whole interview, multiple pieces of it while we were riding

the bus, going all over the county.

Uh, working on filming an episode of our Transit Unplugged TV show,

the companion piece, which will run in August, Broward County.

The reason I wanted to go there is not just because Coree Cuff Lanigan's a good

friend of mine and a great, tremendous leader, but they are involved in what I

think is the largest capital program I.

Anywhere on the east coast of the United States, one of the largest in the

nation, they have a $4.3 billion transit expansion program called Primo, and

it is premium transit coming your way.

Three brand new modes.

That's right.

I don't know anybody adding three modes or adding commuter rail.

Then bus, rapid transit, and then light rail.

Amazing.

It's part of a 15 year program.

It's already underway.

We go out and actually go to some of the sites where they'll be building.

Coree also shared, uh, while we were talking on the bus, how they're using AI

to improve public engagement, and we talk about the rider experience and she comes

at the end of this podcast with a pretty amazing idea of how we could improve,

uh, the customer experience on the bus and make it feel totally different.

I think you're gonna want to hear that big vision, real

projects and the energy to match.

Coree Cuff Lonergan, man, she's all right in my book.

She's rocking down there in Broward County.

I can't wait for you to hear this interview on the bus

with Coree Cuff Lonergan.

Let's join.

Excited to be in Broward County today with Coree Cuff Lonergan, the CEO My good.

Friend, uh, Coree, thanks for we're on your bus.

This is awesome.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Yeah.

We're so glad to have you here, uh, Paul, you and your team, and, um,

we're gonna, um, show you a good time.

Today's great s great because Broward County is all about visitors and tourism,

and we love having visitors here.

We're so glad you're here with U.S.

Well, thanks.

We were able to ride, uh, one of your express buses this morning

right up from downtown Miami.

$2 and 65 cents.

One way to come right in here to a great parking ride.

I mean, it's a great connection you have.

Just to start off, you know, it's

Coree Cuff Lonergan: a good connection.

And in fact, so many of our commuters use that daily, right?

So, if you can imagine traffic and similar to other parts of the country,

we are particularly, uh, traffic, uh, challenge and heavily congested.

And so much of our community and, and the major arterials and I 95, which,

you know, goes all the way up the coast, uh, to Maine, uh, is one of those

arterials that's heavily congested.

So we provide a, , nonstop service from our Miramar Park

and Ride lot to downtown Miami.

So people who live.

In Broward County can, um, work in Miami-Dade.

They can take our system down to, uh, Miami-Dade.

They can relax, they can sit back, enjoy the ride.

They don't have the stressor of traffic or any of those challenges.

Oh yeah, I saw the traffic coming out this morning.

It's awful, isn't it?

We were coming out,

that was great.

We were in the express lane.

Yep.

But the people coming in, I mean, it's a nightmare today.

I imagine it is

Coree Cuff Lonergan: bumper to bumper, but you guys get in the

express lane and can go right by.

Yep.

It the cruise on

Coree Cuff Lonergan: by.

That's great man.

And so we were just tell U.S. where we were just at.

You just showed me a pool facility,

Coree Cuff Lonergan: so, so sure.

So we were just at our Lauder Hill.

Transit center.

And I gotta tell you, that is our crown jewel of our, of our system.

We are so proud of that location.

We have about 8,000 people that come through through there on a daily basis.

And we have five, um, uh, five routes that come into there.

And so basically, um, there are major routes.

So from that central location, you can go all the way down to Miami

or you can go up into Palm Beach.

Um, but what's the best part about it?

It's a relatively new, um, facility.

In, in that facility has, is the first of its kind in the country to

be named lead, uh, gold certified.

Wow.

And so we're so proud of that.

Um, and so we actually export energy from that facility.

I saw all the, uh, solar panels.

The solar panels, right.

So we are net positive.

That's great.

We get what we need there and then also contribute back to the grid.

So that's a huge accomplishment and it's so architecturally interesting too.

Yes.

It's got like, it's, it.

As a building, it looks like it's almost moving with all the tiles.

Yeah.

We're gonna show it

on the, on our companion TV show.

People get to see it.

Um, the other thing that we like, I like seeing was you have brake

facilities there for your drivers.

Yep.

So if they're on a break, tell me about that.

Sure.

So,

Coree Cuff Lonergan: you know, with any, um, transit center, you wanna make sure

that you take care of your workforce.

And that was an important consideration for U.S. when that was under design, is

that we had those, uh, accommodations for our operators who, you know,

are transferring or taking a break.

During, uh, their shift and they can actually even start their

shift there if, if necessary.

Yeah.

But, um, you know, there's, there's lockers, there's uh, a

kitchenette, there's a refrigerator, there's vending machines.

Um, there's all kinds of stuff in there, uh, for people to relax and Yeah.

And take a, take a break from the day.

That's great.

Alright, we're getting ready to hop off the bus.

You're gonna show me a cricket stadium, huh?

I'm gonna show you a cricket

Coree Cuff Lonergan: stadium.

That's amazing, man.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: We actually have one of those in Briar County.

That's great.

Yeah.

And if you wanna see it, you'll have to watch our companion show.

Transit Unplug TV from Broward.

We'll be right back after this.

All right, we're back on the bus with Coree Lonergan, CEO

of Broward County Transit.

Coree, that was an amazing, uh, cricket facility run by the county government.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Yeah, it is.

And we're so, uh, pleased to be able to host World Cup events and be considered

in the co in one of the premier cricket stadiums in the entire country.

And you guys serve that with transit, right?

And we served

Coree Cuff Lonergan: that with Transit and we, uh, when there are, when we had the

World Cup event, we actually had special service for that, um, just to accommodate

all the people that were coming in.

Yeah.

Uh, to take.

See, uh, the event.

That's amazing.

So let's, um, take a step back and, um, tell me about your transit system.

What do you got going here in Broward County?

So our, it's located where we're at.

We're just north of Miami, right?

We

Coree Cuff Lonergan: are north of Miami and we are the second largest

transit system in the state of Florida.

Oh wow.

Behind Miami?

Um, behind Miami, yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

, And we're in the , process of expanding, but right now what we

have is a fixed route service as well as our Paratransits top service.

And

We have an annual operating capital budget of roughly about $500 million.

Okay.

. We do have a, , workforce of, about 1300 people.

And, , the majority of that obviously is our operations team, where we have our

bus operators and mechanics, , and they are the heart and soul of our system.

They keep our buses running, our customers happy.

We also have a very strong customer service, frontline

workforce that engages with our customers on a daily basis as well.

So, Fort Lauderdale is your big city, right?

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Fort Lauderdale is.

One of the 31 cities here in Bro County.

Oh,

wow.

Okay.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: And populations wise, it is one of the largest

total population of the county you're serving.

Our

Coree Cuff Lonergan: county is about 1.9 to 2 million, and it fluctuates

some days, any given given day.

Right.

Million next day got hundred point spring breakers.

Yeah.

Wow.

By the way, is that, that's a big deal steal here, right?

Spring break?

Yeah.

We

Coree Cuff Lonergan: just hosted the spring break in Fort Lauderdale.

Okay.

A couple weeks ago.

And, and we were supporting , , the city with some, , of their, , evacuation.

And activities in the, in the city.

And, you know, whenever they need our help, we're there to help them.

So I know you came here from ADA with one goal in mind.

What's that goal?

What do you, what's your big thing you're doing here?

Coree Cuff Lonergan: So the, the one thing that really made this job the

right fit for me was the opportunity to build out, uh, our primo program.

And when I started, , it was in the planning stages and it was

wrapping up, uh, and being finalized.

We had identified 10 corridors that we wanted to put.

Different types of service on including light rail, commuter rail, bus, rapid

transit, and high frequency bus service.

And so now I'm so excited because, , it is a $4.3 billion program.

Um, we were able to, um, pull those early planning efforts , together

very shortly after my arrival, , take it to our commission.

And the commission unanimously voted to approve it, , which was one of

my major first accomplishments.

I was so excited.

To be able to, uh, bring that to, yeah.

$4

billion project.

Come on, Dan.

Yeah.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Yeah.

So, uh, since then of those 10 projects, we have actually actively

working, uh, uh, three of them.

Okay.

Um, and what are they, which ones?

And the, the one, the commuter rail.

Okay.

Um, where's that gonna go?

That Broward Commuter Rail South is going from, eventually it goes from Miami-Dade

all the way up to Fort Lauderdale.

Okay.

, And Miami-Dade is taking care of the.

Five stations within their county limits.

Okay.

And then we are adding on an additional three stations within our county.

, One will be located at, in the city of Hollywood, which you will see tomorrow.

Um, the second one will be located right at the airport, so it'll be

very convenient for people that wanna, you know, use commute around.

Uh, and then we're also going to have a station at, uh, Broward Health,

which is South Wood Lauderdale.

Okay.

And, uh, quickly, what are the other two projects you got the.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Rail Airport, Seaport Convention Center, which

is a light rail project that's, uh, going to connect the three.

We're gonna go see that, right?

Three major economic engines for Broward County and we also

have our Oakland Park BRT.

Alright,

Coree Cuff Lonergan: bus Rapid Transit Lot.

Great.

We'll talk more about that in just a minute.

We're right.

Ready.

Hop off the bus and take another site here.

Hi, I am Julie Gates, executive producer at Transit Unplugged.

Thank you so much for listening.

You may have noticed Transit Unplugged has a brand new logo and a refreshed look.

After nearly a decade of telling Transit's greatest stories, we've made a number of

upgrades to keep pace with the industry.

This changing faster than ever.

Whether you listen to Transit Podcast for executive conversations, watch transit,

unplug TV for food, travel and transit adventures, or get your headlines with

the Transit Unplugged News Minute.

We're committed to telling transit story in bigger and better ways.

Stay tuned.

There's even more coming later this year.

Thanks for being on this journey with U.S.

So what do you like to do, like to recharge Coree?

When I, you know, I know being a CEO is like a full-time job,

night, day, weekends, but you gotta have some time, right?

What do you do to.

Have fun, relax, recharge.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Yeah.

So you, you're right.

You know this, these jobs are intense and, and they are somewhat 24 7, right?

But it is very important to balance the work with life.

And, uh, one of the things that I love to do is cook.

And, you know, prior to Covid, I didn't cook very well or very often, but then

when we were all on lockdown, I started to pay attention to, um, cooking.

And I, I couldn't order anything.

I couldn't eat out.

And so I started cooking myself.

I said, I can do that myself.

And so.

I started watching a lot of cooking shows and I bought gazillion cookbooks.

Oh wow.

And I really started to up my game in the cooking department.

What I didn't know, which is funny, is how bad I was doing with my family.

I had no idea.

So before, prior to that, when I would cook, it would always

be some kind of excuse why we weren't gonna eat or whatever.

But then after I got my skills up, then everybody was running to

the table and curious about what I was cooking, and that gave me.

Me a, you know, an interest in seeing what else I could do with that.

But it was so relaxing for me during that time and, uh, and it grounded me.

And so now even I'm very into it and, uh, that's how I, you know,

kind of relax and calm down.

, I do recipe development, so I'm experimenting in the kitchen.

I'm an engineer, so I have this natural interest in chemistry and how things

work and why they work together.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Um, but applying that in the food environment is.

Just, you know, unique and different, but still a lot of fun.

And so I'm in the process of doing my recipe development.

Eventually, at some point in time, I would hope to be able to write a

cookbook, a compilation of my recipes, some of my family recipes as well.

Oh yeah, Coree's cookbook.

Coree's cookbook.

And, um, and, and so when I, I, I really enjoy the fact this weekend

I made some, I'm hosting a brunch and I made these sweet rolls and you

know, people say, oh, I can't see.

Stand the cook.

But I gotta tell you, there's something for me at least with, , getting

your hands dirty, getting getting into that dough, needing that dough.

Oh yeah.

That's like

therapeutic almost.

It's very therapeutic.

I

Coree Cuff Lonergan: had no idea that that's how it worked, but

it's very therapeutic for me.

Uh, and then at the end I get to create something.

I get something I can create and share that people enjoy.

That's wonderful.

So that's what makes me

happy.

Do you have any like favorites that you make?

Coree Cuff Lonergan: I do.

So I, uh, I love to bake.

Okay.

And before I could never bake, , and.

And so, , one of my favorite things to , make is pumpkin bread.

I love making pumpkin.

That's, it's delicious.

Uh, and I make that, especially at, uh, during the holidays, obviously.

, And there's , a skillet, a chicken skillet dish just with, uh, chicken

thighs and um, and potatoes and, you know, you cook them in the oven.

It's real quick, easy dish, but it's delicious.

It's, it tastes That's awesome.

Kind of on the gourmet side, and I'm still experimenting.

I'm, I'm.

Doing French.

I do, uh, you know, just, uh, American cuisine.

I do soul food, I do southern cooking, , island cooking, all of it.

I'm just doing that very experimental, uh, time in my life and, and loving it.

That's

awesome.

Coree, as we look forward to the future, what do you see for our industry?

Coree Cuff Lonergan: You know, um, Paul, I see, uh, our industry

has a very bright future.

Uh, I think that we are in a good space where we can look at ways to create

efficiencies within our organizations, while at the same time looking for

opportunities to grow and expand.

Um, I do think.

That from an innovation perspective, leaning into technology obviously is

one of the things that we have to do.

Uh, leveraging AI to its fullest capability is something that

we also need to, to embrace.

Yeah, that's big and it's big, right.

You know, I was at, uh, TRB back in the fall and uh, they were

actually did a, uh, a segment on using AI for stakeholder engagement.

And it was a fascinating seminar on that.

So we're looking at how we can.

Bridge, you know, AI and chat GPT to help U.S. with our public engagement.

It's still in the early stages of things, but it's something that we're definitely

looking at because particularly since we are doing a full born expansion

here, you know, with this, um, with our Premo program, we need to figure

out ways to engage with the public beyond what we traditionally do.

Obviously we still have to do that, you know, in person,

face-to-face conversations.

Those are very critical when you're doing major.

Infrastructure investment projects, but now let's leverage all those other tools

that we have out there for people who may not be able to show up for a meeting,

but still wanna be part of the process.

That's

very good.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Um, the last thing I wanted to also mention, and, and I think

this is, you know, where innovation also, uh, is important and, and where we can

create significant efficiencies is looking at how we warehouse our goods and, uh,

and keep our materials and our supplies.

There is so much technology out there to do it better than what we do.

Um, and I, and I'm looking at that for our Covin bus facility to see how we can

implement a different warehousing system that allows U.S. to be more efficient

while at the same time, , being able to create, , a very clean and easy to

find material management environment.

So that's really like in the shop?

Like in the shop, yes.

Okay.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah.

And the other thing that I see is, , something that I see in

the future and I, I know that.

This is way out there.

But I see that as a true opportunity for U.S. is to

reimagine the experience on the bus.

Okay.

Like we're on right now,

Coree Cuff Lonergan: like we're on right now.

Right?

Yeah.

So let's just say that you get on the bus and we were able to create a

spotlight experience on the bus that either everybody's experiencing at the

same time as a common experience, or you put your virtual reality glasses

on and you're in your own world.

Wow.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: So that's something I look forward to seeing if we can.

Invest in something like that and, and bring that to reality here.

I love that.

Outside the box thinking.

Yeah.

Kind of reshaping what the experience is, right?

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Yeah.

And then, you know, and then in re-imagining how we set up

the interior of a U.S. Okay.

You know, how do we move the masses while at the same time creating an environment

that is soothing, inviting, interesting.

Productive and safe.

I love that, Coree.

I hope you're able to do that.

That's amazing.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Thank you.

Yeah.

Well, this has been great.

I love that we did this whole interview on a. Bus.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Oh, we did?

Yeah.

I don't think we've ever done that before then.

A whole podcast on a bus.

Yeah.

You're a bus agency.

Why not, right?

Why not?

Right?

For now.

For now, but soon.

Rarely to come.

Right rail to come.

Yeah.

What's the timeline you think, for everything?

I don't think we talked about that yet.

When is it phased?

Like it's gonna roll in like a waterfall.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: It's a, it is definitely phased.

It's phased for myriad of reasons, obviously.

Yeah.

You can't do everything at

Coree Cuff Lonergan: one time.

You can't do everything at one time.

We'd overtax the organization and we wouldn't be able to deliver.

Also, you know, we have to meet the market where it is.

You know, we need contractors if then.

To support U.S. and so we can't kind of pile on Yeah.

Uh, everything, but it is phased intentionally.

So as the projects roll over, we are learning from one, right.

Implementing those lessons learned to the next one and keeping it

moving to the, to the next one.

Okay.

And so, um, the entire program is gonna be delivered over about 15 years.

And what do you think is first coming online?

Coree Cuff Lonergan: So the first one that's gonna come online

is our commuter rail project.

Oh, wow.

That's the first one.

Okay.

And then our bus, rapid transit.

On Oakland Park Boulevard where we were at.

Yeah, we were just there.

Yeah, we were just there.

And then our, our light rail project, which will connect our airport

seaport convention center, which is where we're going right now.

Alright.

That's great.

Well, this is awesome.

I know I've mentioned this, I think I've said it on the show, but I wanna

say it again as we close up, I don't know of any other agency doing this in

America, adding three brand new modes of service, all of one program of projects.

Amazing.

Coree.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Yeah.

You know, and, and thank you for saying that.

And we're so lucky that the voters in 2018 Yeah.

Voted through their, through.

A majority of voters said, yes, we want to improve mobility here in Broward County,

and we support Transit as that solution.

And we have a nine member commission that is also supporting

that at the policy level.

Yeah.

So we're really lucky to have the situation we have here.

That's

wonderful.

Well, south Florida is blossoming.

You have so much stuff going on here.

You're so well coordinated with your neighbor.

In jurisdictions and their transit services and uh, I love that

you're integrated in with county government because you know, that's

where I got my start and I love working in county government.

I just wish you the best.

You're the right person at the right time to be doing this.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Well, that means the world.

Hearing that from you, Paul, thank you.

Best of luck.

We look forward to checking back in with you as you progress over the next decade.

Coree Cuff Lonergan: Thank you.

Thank you for listening to this week's episode

of the Transit Unplugged Podcast.

We're so glad you're here.

My name is Julie Gates.

I'm the executive producer of the show, and our goal is to create

programs that promote the great things going on in the transit industry

by providing you with behind the scenes access with industry executive

leadership so we can work together to find innovative industry solutions.

We would love to have you be a part of the Transit Unplugged community by

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Head to the show notes to find the link.

Thanks for listening to Transit Unplugged with Paul Comfort, our favorite transit

evangelist, and we'll catch you next week.

Thanks for tuning in.