24 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
provided independent data and information
on how the introduction of
new, private mobility services impact
public transit today and their implications
for the future. Her study has
provided evidence for cities across
the United States to successfully design
strategies, such as implementing
a tax on rapidly growing private mobility
services to fund the continued
improvement of mass transit.
Clewlow’s career also includes research
collaboration with the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission
of the Bay Area while a postdoctoral
scholar at UC Berkeley, where she
worked on the regional forecast (Plan
Bay Area) to inform transit investment
priorities in 2012-13.
and zero preventable accidents during
snow events for the past four years.
Draper took over the investigation
of liability claims and developed policies
to improve passenger safety. He
changed policy on when operators are
to pull out aft er a passenger boards and
signage was displayed prominently on
KAT buses with safety reminders for
passengers. Th e result of his actions was
a 100 percent reduction in passenger
falls since September of 2016.
Draper has arranged numerous National
Transit Institute training classes
in Knoxville in an eff ort to develop the
operators’ skill set in a cost-eff ective
way. He has also improved the training
department by standardizing training
curriculum and restructuring the
training process.
REGINA CLEWLOW IS THE CEO AND
co-founder of Populus.ai, a transportation
technology company focused
on helping cities work more eff ectively
with private mobility operators to deliver
safe, effi cient and equitable transportation.
She has more than a decade
of experience in transportation, where
she is a leading expert on innovations
in public transit, shared mobility and
autonomous vehicles.
Clewlow formed Populus aft er serving
as the director of business development
and strategy at moovel North
America, a provider of mobile fare
collection solutions for transit agencies
across the United States and Europe.
She was the lead author of the recent
groundbreaking study “Disruptive Transportation:
Th e Adoption, Utilization, and
Impacts of Ride-Hailing in the United
States,” released in October 2017, which
provided the fi rst independent, multi-city
analysis on the impacts of ride-hailing
services on public transit. Her study also
appeared in the peer-reviewed Transportation
Research Board proceedings.
Clewlow’s findings are critical
for the transit industry, as they have
FROM BUS OPERATOR TO SAFETY
supervisor then to director of Operations
and Safety at KAT, O’Dell Draper
is a driving force at the organization.
Over the past two years, Draper’s primary
focus has been making KAT the
safest transit system in the nation.
He realized that accomplishment this
year as KAT was awarded the American
Public Transportation Association
Gold Safety Award for transit systems
under 4 million rides.
Th e success was driven by initiatives
put in place by Draper and his team, including
new driver training procedures,
reminders to operators through internal
radio announcements and decals at driving
stations, intensive refresher focus
training for all operators, new policies
for passenger safety, and an emphasis on
defensive driving during weather events.
Some of the success they’ve seen
includes a reduction in preventable
accidents by 92 percent; a decrease
in preventable accidents from 74 to 6
in two years, resulting in more than
$60,000 savings in vehicle repairs; a
reduction in passenger falls on buses;
Fact:
Clewlow was
a recipient of
the Eisenhower
Transportation
Fellowship
in 2010 for
her doctoral
research at MIT.
MassTransitmag.
com/12425017
“Working in the transportation sector at a time
when the industry is experiencing so much change, innovation,
and private investment is truly exciting. I have always been
attracted to big problems which is why I pursued a Ph.D. in
transportation 10 years ago, and consider myself incredibly
fortunate to now have the opportunity to work on building
solutions that aim to improve how people move in cities.”
Fact:
Draper is a
veteran and
was deployed
to Iraq in 2003
with the 1/16
Infantry Division.
MassTransitmag.
com/12422352
“What I enjoy most about my job is that no day is ever
the same. Each day I am presented with new challenges and
situations, which helps me to remain focused and observant. I
enjoy people and the diversity of it all. I feel I am appreciated
and allowed to take the initiative to get things accomplished.”
Regina Clewlow,
Ph.D.
CEO and
Co-founder
Populus
O’’Dell Draper III
Director of
Operations and
Safety
Knoxville Area
Transit (KAT)
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