AASHTO Journal - AASHTO’s President Speaks at APTA Mobility Conference

Garrett Eucalitto (above) – commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation and 2024-2025 president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – recently highlighted the impact of technology advances on transit systems at the American Public Transportation Association’s 2025 Mobility Conference in Austin, TX.

[Above photo by APTA]

Eucalitto participated in a panel discussion regarding automated and electrified transit systems at the conference; a panel moderated by M.J. Maynard, APTA’s chair and CEO of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada that also featured Gregory Winfree, director of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and Nathaniel Ford Sr., executive director of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in Jacksonville, FL.

“As technology evolves and grows, as it becomes more mainstream and accepted, it’s on us leaders and industry professionals to provide accurate and reliable information to the public so that trust [in that technology] will become even stronger,” Eucalitto explained in his remarks.

He explained that technology is “rapidly evolving” across the entire transportation industry, and that the transit sector is no exception.

“We’re at the cutting edge of innovation for new technologies, automation, and AI [artificial intelligence],” Eucalitto noted. “Transit automation has promise for the future to improve safety and make systems more efficient.”

Yet he stressed that the transition to new technologies such as all-electric and automated buses will not be possible without “continued and sustained” investments, as financial and industry commitments are what will help make autonomous transit something people not only trust but choose to use instead of a personal vehicle.