One word to describe yourself: Trailblazer
Alma Mater: Harvard University
Fast fact about yourself: I have helped lead mobility tech projects that serve over 500,000 riders, but my best ideas still come from listening to everyday riders, not just what the data says.
What is your best experience on transit and what made it memorable? Exploring a new city using only public transportation. It pushes you to observe more, interact more and understand the heart of a place beyond the landmarks.
Sejal D. Christian, director of mobile fare systems, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), has advanced at the agency from product manager to director of the GoPass app team. During her time at DART, her responsibilities have expanded dramatically to include strategic leadership of the entire GoPass ecosystem, relationship management with multiple stakeholders and directing the platform's technical evolution. She now confidently leads complex integration projects, makes critical resource allocation decisions across multiple agencies and establishes innovative processes for new agency onboarding.
She has turned the GoPass app into an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform serving over 500,000 users, adding features like real-time journey tracking, on-demand transit, event ticketing and rider rewards. She has overseen the onboarding of four new transit agencies across the U.S.—in Brazos, Texas, Memphis, Colorado and SouthWest Transit in Minnesota—expanding the reach and relevance of GoPass well beyond North Texas. During Dallas’ winter storms, Christian enabled users to find warming stations through the app, reinforcing transit’s role as essential infrastructure for public safety, economic resilience and equitable access.
Colleagues say that under Christian’s leadership, the workplace has transformed, with improved cross-functional collaboration and a culture that embraces innovation. Her creative approach to problem-solving inspires teams to develop novel solutions while her decisive management style provides clear direction even during ambiguous situations. She's established streamlined processes that accelerate development cycles and improve integration outcomes.
Christian has shared her expertise nationally at major industry events such as EnoMax and American Public Transportation Association conferences. Beyond her role at DART, she actively represents women in technology through speaking engagements across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, focusing on AI applications in transit.
As an advocate for women in tech, she provides important representation in a traditionally male-dominated field while sharing practical insights on implementing AI solutions in public transportation. Her industry contribution extends beyond transit-specific forums to address broader technological and social questions.
She recently completed a disruptive innovation course at Harvard, and she recently volunteered with DART at the North Texas Food Bank.
Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?
My roots in product development laid the foundation, but it was stepping into the transit space that gave my work meaning. Growing up in India, I saw firsthand how public transit was more than just infrastructure. It was survival, connection and community. When I began working on mobility solutions in the U.S., I saw the same challenges, just with different barriers. That intersection of product, equity and purpose is what drew me in and continues to ground me.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love solving complex problems that matter. Whether it is building AI-driven features that improve real time rider communication or launching event ticketing integrations that make planning easier for large scale mobility, I enjoy creating tools that serve people in tangible ways. At its best, transit is a public good, and I am proud to work at that intersection of technology, community and access.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Modernizing public systems that were not designed to move fast. Between legacy infrastructure, funding gaps and stakeholder layers, pushing innovation in transit can feel like a long game, but I have learned to lead with patience and clarity, knowing that small and intentional shifts can have wide and lasting impact. Sometimes the challenge is just continuing to believe in what you do not yet see.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of and why?
I am proud of how we have transformed the GoPass platform from a single agency mobile fare app into a regional and now multi-agency solution. From developing a scalable revenue model to launching features like AI-powered service updates and integrated event ticketing, it has been rewarding to watch this evolve into a flexible platform that serves both everyday commuters and one-time riders. It is proof that when you build with intention, products can become systems, and systems can change access.
What is an accomplishment you would like to work towards in your career?
I want to lead the creation of a mobility or civic technology product that becomes a benchmark for how we combine purpose with innovation. Something that is built around equity, powered by smart technology and grounded in human need. Whether that is in the U.S. or back in India, I want to be part of creating something that leaves a legacy beyond the screen. Something that empowers movement in every sense of the word.
What is your best advice or best practice you can share from your area of expertise?
Do not just focus on solutions. Focus on deeply understanding the problem. Ask why more than once. The best innovations come from empathy, not assumptions.
About the Author
Brandon Lewis
Associate Editor
Brandon Lewis is a recent graduate of Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lewis is a former freelance editorial assistant at Vehicle Service Pros in Endeavor Business Media’s Vehicle Repair Group. Lewis brings his knowledge of web managing, copyediting and SEO practices to Mass Transit Magazine as an associate editor. He is also a co-host of the Infrastructure Technology Podcast.