“The sum of all small things is not a small thing.” This wisdom imparted by a college baseball coach regarding the law of accumulation has guided Ryan Bailey both on and now off the mound as he leads the North County Transit District and its nearly $100 million budget. Attention to detail, focusing on process, and getting all the steps just right have added up to some very big wins for NCTD’s chief financial officer.
Bailey was introduced to the transit industry in September 2009 when he joined NCTD as controller. Since December 2011, he has overseen a staff of 16 and an agency of 151 members as CFO and member of executive management. During this time, he has enhanced the agency through a combination of innovation, fiscal responsibility and flexibility.
Bailey’s innovative approach to expanding service resulted in a win-win agreement between NCTD and Amtrak. Under his leadership, NCTD is partnering with Amtrak to expand Coaster commuter rail service through use of existing Amtrak passenger carrying capacity. This partnership allows NCTD to have six additional trains serve all eight of NCTD’s Coaster stations at a 10th of the cost of traditional methods of increasing capacity. This unique agreement provides customers with increased travel options at a fraction of the cost of operating a new service, which has resulted in increased ridership for NCTD.
Another innovation instituted by Bailey is the online and mobile ticketing program. Initially begun for a special event, he has expanded it to include ticketing for San Diego’s National Football League and Major League Baseball teams, the county fair, horse racing and every day round-trip and single-ride ticketing.
He is also working with regional partners to expand a regional mobile ticketing program, and has presented NCTD’s mobile ticketing ingenuity at the American Public Transportation Association’s Revenue Management Summit.
After the recession, NCTD’s Capital Improvement Program was funded at a very low $8 million a year. Under Bailey’s guidance, NCTD’s investment into capital projects swelled to $26 million for FY13, $27 million FY14, and FY15 is budgeted for $21 million. Bailey was able to reach these significant funding levels through efficiencies he created in the operating budget and measured use of working capital. These funds have proved essential to the ability of the agency to manage State of Good Repair projects, such as replacing aging buses and critical bridge infrastructure.
As a fiscally responsible CPA, Bailey was motivated to create the first-ever reserve fund at NCTD. The board reserve fund target of at least 15 percent of the operating budget was hit within one year of its creation. Along with attaining financial security, Bailey has championed financial transparency providing in-depth financial updates to the board of directors so they, as the decision-makers can have full confidence in the management of the agency.
“I truly enjoy being able to provide a valued service for our region, and receive personal satisfaction from seeing the positive impacts of my contributions in our communities.”
“Where I am today cannot be traced back to any one specific experience, but rather the accumulation of a lifetime of experiences encompassing family, friends, education, competition, business and entertainment. I am grateful for the life I have experienced, and even more so for the life I am experiencing here today.”
“As a part of the public transit industry, the buses and trains we operate are constant reminders of the opportunities afforded to communities by public transportation services.”
“The future of public transit must continue to provide services that further integrate into the strategic goals and objectives of a region. Public transit has an amazing history of moving people, but public transit should strive to move people with a purpose.”
