Jared Forte, an employee of Veolia Transportation, is the assistant general manager for Lextran. Forte oversees the operations, maintenance and procurement departments for Lextran, but began his public transit career as a transportation planner at Gary Public Transportation Corp. (GPTC) in Indiana.
In 2000, Forte was promoted to director of Planning and Marketing at GPTC. During his tenure he launched the GPTC website (www.gptcbus.com) and served as project manager for a comprehensive route analysis and a traffic signal preemption project in collaboration with the city. In addition, Forte was responsible for compliance with Title IV requirements, acquiring bus advertising, and managing GPTC's marketing and promotions programs. It was at GPTC that Forte honed his expertise in FTA compliance and reporting via Transportation Electronic Award & Management (TEAM).
In 2007, Forte was hired by Professional Transit Management as assistant general manager for Lextran, where he has been the driving force behind many of Lextran's major accomplishments. He has written grant applications which have resulted in the securement of more than $10 million dollars in funding for construction projects, three new trolley vehicles and electronic fare collection equipment.
Forte also implemented online pass sales and credit card processing in addition to an online customer comment form, and worked tirelessly to make Lextran route information available via Google Transit. He served as the project manager for the 2008 Comprehensive Operational Analysis and downtown Trolley study as well as the ongoing ITS project which includes AVL, passenger counters, IVR, Fleetwatch, scheduling software and onboard surveillance equipment.
Other accomplishments during his tenure include the installation of an all-new electronic fare collection system, the establishment of an ADA eligibility appeals committee, satisfactory Triennial Reviews in 2008 and 2011, and a host of other highlights. Forte also represents Lextran as a member of the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Technical Coordinating Committee, the Bluegrass Area Development District Empower Lexington Team, and the Lexington Distillery District Improvements Stakeholder Committee.
Variety of Experiences
"LexTran is the only provider of fixed-route public transit in our county. LexTran is a part of the fabric of the community. I know that the work I do affects the long- and short-term vitality of the community in which I live. The second area is the variety. I am in some ways a jack-of-all trades. In one given day I can install software or connect a computer to the network, graphically design a new bus pass or manual, coach my staff regarding a personnel issue, and be in a meeting with a city official. I regularly have opportunities to learn something new."
The Path to Transit
"There are four specific experiences that led me to where I am today.
"The first one occurred when I was attending Ball State University. I met a lady named Theresa while performing with the Ball State's Voices of Triumph Gospel Choir. She was in the master's planning program while I was in the bachelor's program. She gave me some good advice toward completing a required internship and employment upon graduation. My internship was in housing and neighborhood development.
"I graduated from Ball State in May of 1998 and obtained my first position as a transportation planner 1 for the Gary Public Transportation Corp. (GPTC). I had two main job opportunities; one was in a zoning office in Arizona and the other for the transit company. The general manger for GPTC at the time of my hire was a former Tuskegee Airman, James Holland. He was happy to see a resident from Gary receive an education and come back home and wanted to give me an opportunity. Based on my internship experience I would be working in an entirely different field had I been offered and accepted a job in Arizona first.
"My first supervisor was not in the office a lot. There were days in which I did not have anything to do nor any direction. One of the administrative assistants named Dorothy told me to talk to the director of operations and ask could I help her. Minietta did indeed help me. She taught me how to work on grants and allowed me to work with her. When Mr. Holland retired she became the general manager and no longer had time to work on grants.
"The fourth experience happened when I went to my first APTA annual meeting in 2006 in San Jose. All those attending from my organization decided to go to San Francisco. I opted to go to the opening reception. During the reception I had a brief conversation with a representative from Professional Transit Management which is now a part of Veolia who is now my employer. It was that representative from PTM that provided the opportunity to interview at LexTran."
Outside the Office
"In addition to the activities listed in my initial profile I also enjoy model railroading. I presently have 27 standard DC and/or battery-operated locomotives in HO, N and On30 and in between. I enjoy working on various layouts, hearing the vehicles running, and observing layouts created by others."
