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Anthony Thomas

Manager of Customer Technology Products @ MARTA | Formerly MBTA, Volpe, MIT

Anthony Thomas is the Manager of Customer Technology Products at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in Atlanta, Georgia.1 He assumed this role in August 2023 and is responsible for overseeing rider-facing technology applications, including mobile apps, websites, and digital signage.1

Career at MARTA

Before his current position, Anthony held the following roles at MARTA:

  1. Program Manager for Customer Experience Innovation (November 2021 - August 2023)1
  2. Manager of Customer Technology Products (August 2023 - Present)1

As Program Manager, he led significant projects such as:

  • Developing and implementing MARTA's first on-demand multi-modal transportation pilot, MARTA Reach, in collaboration with Georgia Tech13
  • Overseeing the development of an RFP for MARTA's next-generation automated fare collection system1

Professional Background

Anthony's career history includes:

  • Deputy Director of Community Engagement at MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) from July 2021 to November 20211
  • Technology Policy Analyst at U.S. DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center from June 2016 to May 20181

Education

Anthony graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2015 with a degree in Planning from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.1

Philosophy and Approach

Anthony believes in deploying user research to understand the needs of MARTA riders and centering design principles and projects around those needs.1 He is passionate about technology, transportation, communications, and public service.1

In his current role, Anthony focuses on improving the customer experience through better data and more accessible technology products.1 He is involved in various initiatives to enhance MARTA's services, including incident reporting platforms and customer service improvements.24

Highlights

Aug 7 · linkedin

Fantastic time in #Philadelphia at the 2024 American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Technology conference. Tons of helpful lessons learned from our agency partners, including Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Sound Transit, MBTA, and so so many more! Also got lots of helpful insights from the vendor community on how we can partner to achieve our goals of a top tier customer experience for Atlanta riders. I am PUMPED to get back home and keep building the future of MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority). 👷‍♂️

May 23 · linkedin

When I started at MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) in November 2021 my very first project was taking over managing the on-demand transit pilot project we were about to launch with Georgia Institute of Technology. I didn't know anyone at MARTA, and I didn't really know much about #ondemandtransit, but over the months that followed I met so many people and learned so much. From Operations and Facilities to Planning and Customer Service. I went into the field to validate potential stop locations, I worked on training Operators on the new service, I manically tracked tripped requests and Operator response times. I begged Operations to give me a radio so I could communicate with the Operators (they said no... 😅). This project truly made me feel like I was contributing to the MARTA family.

Today, a little over 2 years after the pilot began, I stood in front of the MARTA Board of Directors and requested their permission to release a solicitation requesting Demand Response Transit Software to enable MARTA to establish a long term version of what we started way back when. I'm overcome with joy at the result of the hundreds of hours spent figuring out the where, the how, the who, the how much ($), and most importantly the why. There's a ton more work to do, but I am so excited to be on this journey with the #MARTAfamily.

🚐 💙 💛 🧡

#microtransit #ondemand #MARTA #transit #equity #coverage

Related Questions

What are some of the key projects Anthony Thomas has led at MARTA?
How has Anthony Thomas's experience at MBTA influenced his work at MARTA?
What technologies is Anthony Thomas currently implementing at MARTA?
How does Anthony Thomas integrate user research into his technology projects?
What is the MARTA Reach pilot project, and what role did Anthony Thomas play in it?
Anthony Thomas
Anthony Thomas, photo 1
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Location

United States