American Public Transportation Association

6 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 11 based, future-ready workforce in a post-pandemic environment,” says Skoutelas, “where every industry is competing for the best and brightest workers. Transit workforce shortages in the areas of operations, maintenance, and customer service severely affect transit agencies’ ability to provide safe, reliable service to the communities they serve. Attendees had the opportunity to learn successful strategies from each other, such as innovative workforce programs at the Chicago Transit Authority, Transdev, Easter Seals National Center for Mobility Management, and Amtrak.” Technology is another trend at the heart of public transportation. The integration of artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics, and smart infrastructure is redefining ridership. One talk at the expo explained how AI and augmented reality are being used in today’s industry and the policies and cautions for using these new technologies responsibly. “A final trend is societal shifts and how public transit agencies are increasingly expected to help address complex social, environmental,