How a Private-Sector Approach Can Save Your Transit System

With a consulting firm called TransPro and a book called Driving Excellence, Mark Aesch, the former head of the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, is on a mission "to encourage transit officials to bring a 'private-sector mindset' to public transportation," writes Eric Jaffe. "So far it's working. Last year, Aesch even stabilized the bus system in Detroit, of all places. If his methods can succeed there, they should do well in any number of struggling systems across the country."

"These days the public expects transit agencies to cut service or hike fares when funding runs low. But Aesch's entire philosophy is based on the belief that the best way to raise both ridership and revenue is by improving the transit experience."