- One word to describe yourself: Driven
- Alma Mater: Boston University
- Favorite book: “The Power Broker” by Robert Caro
- Favorite hobby(s): Rowing and hiking
- Fun fact about yourself: I have visited all 95 Texas State Parks.
- Favorite station or stop that you have ever visited or frequent (and why): Wonderland on the T in Boston. When you’re a student and your ID can get you to the beach, any beach, what’s not to love? It was always a quick adventure when I lived there.
- Favorite route you have ever ridden or frequent (and why): SF Muni’s 76X to the Marin Headlands. I’ve never been on a more beautiful local bus route. I was able to see Nob Hill, the Presidio, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and drive deep into the national park before getting to the ocean, all for $2.50. Isn’t transit great?
The public transit industry isn’t the typical first step in the career path of someone fresh out of law school, but Sam Sargent knew he wanted to be in a business that built great things and had a mission as important as moving people and he found it in transit. His community involvement background, calm demeanor and deep knowledge of the community has allowed him to excel in public and government engagement for service plans, capital improvement projects and community transportation initiatives.
Sargent brings a technical understanding of transit along with a passion for his hometown to his role as deputy chief of staff that allows him to instantly weigh in on how a given situation is shaped or is impacted by existing and past policies, land use, development and planning.
In addition to being a part of the development of Capital Metro’s Project Connect long-term regional vision plan, which was adopted by the Capital Metro Board in December 2018, Sargent has had several other key achievements at Capital Metro, including the development of the public engagement strategy for Cap Remap, Capital Metro’s largest overhaul of the Austin, Texas, bus network ever, leading the community involvement efforts behind Capital Metro’s innovative Pickup service, which introduced on-demand transit to Austin and heavy involvement in the agency’s Summer Splash pilot, which created new MetroRail family days and free rides for young people under 18.
The result of the pilot was that more than 300,000 trips were taken by young people, leading Capital Metro’s Board to extend free fares indefinitely. Through education and making public transportation exciting and accessible to students, Sargent works every day to build new markets for transit and the next generation of public transportation customers.
Sargent is described as a passionate advocate for improved, equitable mobility in Austin, who can do so in a board room or at the bus stop through his ability to connect with the public in unique ways and build a deeper understanding of Capital Metro’s value to the growing region. He is also labeled a consummate collaborator who brings disparate parts of Austin’s community together to tackle issues.
“I’m a lawyer by training but have loved public transportation for as long as I can remember. The first time I ever took a subway was when I was 4 on a family trip to Washington, D.C. To be perfectly honest, I remember more about the subway and bus trips than I do any of the monuments or museums. I was hooked. As I progressed in my career after law school, I knew that I wanted to be in a business that built great things and had a mission as important as moving people. I’m grateful to have gotten my foot in the door at Capital Metro in Austin and for the incredible professionals I have met at home and across the industry.”
“I love analyzing and solving problems. The most rewarding part of solving a transit problem is that the solution has to move more people, more safely, more comfortably and more reliably. Every trip that appears in the agency’s ridership counts or every trip that I share with another customer could be the most important or most routine of their life. I may never know, but at least I helped solve the problem of moving them from Point A to Point B, whatever the trip was for.”
“I am incredibly proud to have been a part of Capital Metro’s Cap Remap bus network redesign. Average weekday ridership is up 4.4 percent year over year, bucking all trends locally and nationally. The team here in Austin put years of labor into pulling the overhaul off and it is working. The more people we move, and the more people we move on our frequent route network, the bigger our role in easing traffic in Central Texas. Cap Remap has set us up for future success and shown our existing and new customers that we can get the job done.”
