Expertise and Experience in Public Transit Governance

Public transit agencies make important decisions about the type, frequency, and location of transit services in American cities. Many are governed by appointed boards of directors. Board composition and responsibilities can vary considerably across public agencies, but research into how transit boards make decisions is limited. This paper utilizes qualitative methods to investigate the decision-making processes of public transit boards in the United States. How do public transit boards make decisions? What are transit board member and agency staff perspectives on the value of certain types of expertise, lived experience and diversity among board members? We find that board members and staff view decision-making as an amicable process influenced heavily by staff expertise and with a general lack of representation from riders. We also find that governing structures elevate the influence of elected officials outside of the transit agency who shape the expertise of transit boards through appointment powers.