The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors has selected Robert “Bob” Powers as the next general manager after serving as deputy manger and interim general manager.
Powers brings 20 years of public transportation industry experience where he’s overseen infrastructure projects and transportation programs. He began his seven-year career at BART as the assistant general manager in planning, development and construction.
“The Board selected Bob because of his track record of accountability and working through challenges in a creative and collaborative way,” said Board President Bevan Dufty. “He has a tremendous understanding of the district’s operations, workforce, and aspirational vision for the future and will provide a smooth transition keeping BART focused on the work ahead.”
As deputy general manager, Powers provided support to the general manager in the management of all district departments and worked closely with the board of directors, board appointed officers and BART’s executive staff. He was responsible for overseeing the immediate implementation of Measure RR, the $3.5 billion infrastructure bond approved by voters, prioritizing the roll out of projects to the point BART’s on-time performance improved to 92 percent.
As the assistant general manager of planning, development and construction he was responsible for multi-million dollar capital projects such as expanding BART service into Antioch and South Fremont, all planning efforts to modernize stations, and the effort to develop land near our stations to help solve the Bay Area’s housing crisis and bring jobs closer to where people live.
“BART is the backbone of the Bay Area’s transportation network and I’ll work to transform it into a world class transit system through partnerships, modernization and improvements to the customer experience,” Powers said. “Working alongside BART’s dedicated and talented workforce, I’ll be focused on keeping riders our top priority by providing a customer-centered service and advocating for the financial support needed to serve the region’s growing population. Riders want safe, reliable and seamless service they can afford. I’m committed to working with peer agencies and regional stakeholders to realize this vision.”
Prior to joining BART, Powers held executive level positions for the Seattle Department of Transportation and the Baltimore Department of Transportation. Powers is a licensed professional engineer and holds a bachelor of science in civil engineering and Master of Science in Structural Engineering, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Following the appointment, Powers announced he plans to launch a “listening tour” to hear directly from riders and employees. He plans to be on the trains and platforms, inside stations, at the yards and shops, and sitting with the social media team to see what the public is saying in the digital space.
“I’ll work to protect the public’s investment by delivering major projects that will improve and expand service for our riders like the Fleet of the Future, overhauling our aged infrastructure, a new train control system, expansion into Silicon Valley, and addressing quality of life issues,” Powers said.
Powers will oversee a $2.4 billion budget and the district’s 3,600 employees who serve 407,000 riders each weekday with service at 48 stations in four counties.
