Coordination Connections: WexExpress
NADTC held a webinar on Wednesday, October 14 at 3:00 PM ET, the first in a series of webinars highlighting coordination practices in transportation programs across the country.
WexExpress/Cadillac Wexford Transit Authority is a transit system in the northern-lower part of Michigan serving 575 square miles. With buses and a volunteer driver program, they provide public transportation to a population of 33,631. Learn how they created a roadmap for the future and coordinated to expand service to nights and Saturdays, put bike racks on buses, hire a mobility coordinator, have on-board GPS bus location, mobile ticketing, rider alerts and more!
⇒ Click here to listen to the webinar recording
⇒ Click here to view the WexExpress Webinar Transcript
⇒ Click here to view the CWTA PowerPoint presentation
⇒ Click here to read the WexExpress Cadillac/Wexford County Coordination Case Study
Speakers:
Carrie Thompson, Executive Director
Carrie Thompson is Executive Director of WexExpress, the Wexford County public transportation system. Carrie is responsible for administering the goals and policies of the Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority Board of Directors and directs the agency’s staff, including managers and drivers.
Since joining Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority in November 2014, Thompson has helped redefine how the agency designs, manages and thinks about public transit. Carrie employs an approach that balances data-driven research and analytics with technology and the need to provide truly meaningful and impactful transportation options for passengers.
Under her leadership, WexExpress has introduced evening and Saturday service, the New Freedom Volunteer Driver Program, a new dispatch system, on-board GPS bus location tracking, online booking, mobile ticketing, rider alerts, an enhanced call center phone system, camera capability on every bus and a new website. Carrie has also worked to vastly improve on-time service performance, greatly reduce no-shows, optimize the fleet, improve building energy consumption and add revenue streams. Ridership has grown steadily.
Kristen Kendall, Mobility Coordinator
Kristen Kendall is the Mobility Coordinator at WexExpress, where Kristen helps seniors, veterans and people with disabilities to get to medical appointments. Kristen joined WexExpress in September 2017 to develop and launch the New Freedom Volunteer Driver Program.
Under Kristen’s leadership, the program has flourished, receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from the Wexford County Commission on Aging in January 2020 and being recognized by The Michigan Veterans Affairs in May 2019 for its contribution in making Michigan the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.