GROWING UP IN RURAL INDIANA,
Monica G. Tibbits-Nutt has always
been fascinated by how people choose
to transport themselves. Her fi rst real
experience with a major public transportation
system was in Columbus,
Ohio, where she received her master’s
degree in regional planning. While
there, she commuted by bus, by foot
and by bicycle rather than driving. Th is
engendered an appreciation in her both
for the city form and for public transit,
as well as a commitment to hold herself
accountable to the loft y goal of fi ghting
for equity of access.
As executive director of 128 Business
Council, a Transportation Management
Association along the Route 128 Corridor
of Massachusetts, she is tasked with
ensuring that the community’s residents
and employees can get where they need
to be — even if they do not have access
to their own vehicle. Th e shuttle system
operated for 30 years by 128 Business
Council brings commuters from Massachusetts
Bay Transportation Authority
hubs to their workplaces, the majority of
which are inaccessible by public transit.
52 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
Th is service allows employees to get
to and from work without the discomfort
of sitting, stuck in traffi c, in a single-occupancy
vehicle. It also enables companies
to hire candidates who live in the
urban center, without requiring those
candidates to own a car.
She has served as a transportation
planning consultant to the MBTA Advisory
Board and has provided research
evaluation for the MBTA and secretary
of transportation.
Tibbits-Nutt believes that to be truly
successful, public transportation must
evolve in keeping with what is not simply
functional, but also innovative; she believes
transit cannot merely be “as good
as driving;” it must be better.
Fact:
Tibbits-Nutt
is executive
director of the
128 Business
Council, director
of the MassDOT
Board of Directors
and director of
the MBTA Fiscal
Management
Control Board.
MassTransitmag.
com/12356233
“I think for me, knowing that someone made that conscious
decision to put that bus route in operation and to be able
to get kids from these predominately manufacturingbased
rural communities into these better schools to get
us into college — that was huge for me. It has pretty much
informed everything that I have done for my entire career.”
Monica G. Tibbits-
Nutt, AICP, LEED
AP BD+C
Executive Director
128 Business
Council
BRADLEY TOLLISON MADE SIGNIFIcant
contributions to Torrance Transit
and the overall transit industry. Before
coming to Torrance Transit, he
explained how he could help use GPS
(Global Positioning System) to locate
Torrance Transit buses and place the
agency’s schedules on Google Maps.
As a small agency, Torrance Transit
was still in the process of researching
an automatic vehicle locator (AVL) system.
Given his persistence, hard work
and dedication, he was hired as an
intern to see exactly what he could do
with the data collected and if it could
help Torrance Transit move the AVL
project forward.
Tollison is always looking for ways
to use technology to optimize the use
of the current transportation infrastructure.
He is not only knowledgeable of the
system, but every system in the region.
Many of Torrance Transit’s technological
advances have been as a result of
his recommendation.
He prides himself on looking at solutions
from the end user’s perspective
and is always looking to improve the
passenger’s experience. Understanding
the rider experience is one of the
reasons he utilizes transit as his choice
mode of transportation everywhere
he goes. He believes that anyone who
makes decisions as a transportation
planner should utilize the transportation
system to understand the impact
of their design or plan.
Not everyone is as fortunate as Tollison
to work in an industry that they are
passionate about. His great work has
also been recognized by others in the
industry. So much so that he has recently
been recruited by the Trapeze Group
as a senior application support analyst.
Tollison is a member of Young Professionals
in Transportation (YPT),
American Planning Student Association
(APSA).
Fact:
Tollison’s love
for transit began
when he was
a kid riding
the Torrance
Transit system.
MassTransitmag.
com/12356960
“I like being able to make a difference in people’s lives. It’s
really nice because at Trapeze I help different agencies fix
issues with their schedules and things like that. Just generally,
I’ve always enjoyed the aspect of making those differences in
this industry. You really help people in their everyday lives.”
Bradley Tollison
Senior Application
Support Analyst
Trapeze Group