UPDATE
MTS honors Paul Jablonski with
40-bus procession in San Diego
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Chief Executive
Officer Paul Jablonski began his career as a bus driver. His transit
career came full circle on Friday when MTS honored its late CEO with
a procession of 40 MTS buses through downtown San Diego.
Many of the attributes Paul learned from being behind the
wheel – leadership, attentiveness, accountability, public service,
and more, he applied to every position he held in a career that
spanned more than 40 years. Paul Jablonski passed away
unexpectedly on Sunday, May 10.
“It was a fitting tribute for Paul,” said MTS Board Chair Nathan
Fletcher. “This region will never know how much Paul did for public
transit. He transformed the transit operation into a highly efficient
system that provided more service to the communities that need it
the most. He will be dearly missed. But we can honor his legacy by
continuing to build on all the great things he did for MTS.”
In 2004, when Paul began his career at MTS, it was just after most
functions had been transferred to SANDAG. Paul figured out that
challenge and many more. The Metropolitan Transit Development
Board (as MTS was formerly known) was not a smooth-running
multi-modal public transit provider on Day One of Paul’s tenure; but he
developed one almost from scratch.
A procession of 40 MTS buses honored the life and legacy of transit champion
Paul Jablonski.
A timeline of accomplishments includes:
• Consolidated Bus and Rail operations under one board
of directors
• Consolidated several bus operations under the MTS umbrella
• Implemented a new brand identity for the agency (MTS)
• Led the agency to back-to-back years of record ridership in 2014
and 2015
• Secured $660 million in funding for Trolley Renewal – a project that
rebuilt the aging Blue and Orange Trolley lines
• Secured $205 million in funding to purchase 57 low-floor Trolley
cars to help on-time performance and passengers wit
mobility issues
• Developed a market-driven approach to service through two
systemic service changes – the Comprehensive Operational
Analysis (2008) and the Transit Optimization Plan (2018) to boost
ridership and on-time performance
• Led negotiations in dozens of labor agreements without a
work stoppage
• Tackled pension reform and labor agreements to help ensure
budget sustainability
• Parlayed $54 million from SANDAG and MTS into the grand opening
of two bus facilities built to LEED-certified standards within a twoyear
span
APTF has established the Paul Jablonski Scholarship to provide opportunities to
deserving students and transit professionals.
• Made MTS one of the most efficient systems in the nation with a
fare box recovery of nearly 40 percent and one of the most modern
in terms of vehicles, passenger amenities and State of Good Repair
• Four consecutive perfect scores from FTA Triennial Reviews – an
unprecedented feat for a transit system
• Played a key role to secure funding for the Mid-Coast Trolley
extension – in 2021 the San Diego region will open the Mid-Coast
Trolley extension – a $2 billion, 11-mile light rail extension connecting
the large job centers of downtown San Diego and University Town
Center to the north.
Paul’s family and friends have set up an obituary page to honor
his life, with photos, a guest book, opportunities to share memories
and more.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Paul’s memory can be made to
the National Park Foundation via his memorial page at http://give.
nationalparks.org/goto/paul-jablonski.
Additionally, the American Public Transportation Foundation
(APTF), a charitable affiliate of APTA, has established the Paul
Jablonski Scholarship to provide opportunities to deserving students
and transit professionals. To support their mission, please donate
at https://secure.givelively.org/donate/american-public-transitfoundation/paul-jablonski-scholarship.
Trapeze and Masabi join forces to
make transit payments simpler, faster
and more convenient for riders
Trapeze Group, a global leader in the delivery of advanced
transit technology and tools, and Masabi, the company bringing
Fare Payments-as-a-Service (FPaaS) to public transit, announced
a strategic collaboration to offer transit agencies an integrated fare
payment solution to help revolutionize the rider experience and
change the way public transit agencies deliver Mobility-as-a-Service
to their communities.
The ideal MaaS model is driven by a platform that coordinates
multiple modes of mobility to deliver an elevated rider experience.
A critical element of that model is payment. By combining Masabi’s
fare payment platform with Trapeze’s multi-modal transit technology,
agencies can offer passengers seamless journeys, enabling them to
go from A to B to C using multiple modes of transit and one easy-touse
payment system.
“At Masabi, we are committed to making transit as accessible
and convenient for riders as possible,” said Brian Zanghi, CEO at
8 | BUSRIDE.COM | JULY 2020