Robert A. Schneider, PhD

Sept. 18, 2012
Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (CMRTA) Executive Director/Veolia Transportation General Manager Robert A. Schneider, PhD.

As executive director and general manager, Bob Schneider has dual roles reporting to both the CMRTA board of directors and Veolia Transportation. His common roles are oversight of 125 employees: 95 collective bargaining unit positions, eight senior managers, and 22 managerial/administrative employees.

As executive director, he is responsible for fixed-route and paratransit operation and develops the operating budget, organizational policy, and directs grants, finance, and operational elements of all services. Schneider oversees management of a combined budget of $11.5 million with 65 revenue vehicles and 1.7 million annual passenger boardings. Schneider also acts as the organization's external liaison with governmental partners, planning organizations, business groups and community associations.

As the general manager he directs fixed-route and paratransit services, including Operations, Maintenance, Revenue, Budget, Finance, Training, Risk Management, Planning and Human Resource elements in an operating/revenue contract. He coordinates processes for budget, finance directions, grants, procurement, contract management, service implementation, personnel planning, policy development and ADA compliance.

Schneider has secured effective paratransit scheduling/AVL software package, redirected $300K fuel island expansion toward environmental compliance, accelerated vehicle replacement cycle, directed vehicle replacement program for an outdated fleet, reorganization and improvement of the maintenance program, converted public employees to private subsidiary corporation, negotiated a 3-year union labor contract, reallocated underperforming service hours to high-productivity routes reducing total revenue hours with higher hourly ridership, and achieved a 41 percent ridership increase in just over years.

Schneider is a technical advisor and presenter for Clean Cities Coalition, Boise, Idaho, and is also active in the Downtown Business District Operational Working Group, the City of Boise & Valley Regional Transit Service Planning Committee, and the City of Boise Parking Advisory Committee.