First Transit appointed Fadi Chakbazof as its sr. VP, operations for the west region, effective immediately. In this role, Chakbazof will be responsible for all operations in the west region, reporting directly to Beverly Edwards, COO.
“Fadi has an impressive track record delivering operational excellence and innovative solutions for transit agencies,” said Edwards. “We are excited to add such a talent to our executive team and look forward to him applying his leadership in transportation for our customers.”
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Chakbazof has more than 17 years of transportation experience in areas such as operations, finance, legal, labor negotiations, and customer engagement and leadership. He most recently was a sr. VP for MV Transportation Inc.
Nick Promponas, currently sr. VP, operations for the west region, will support Chakbazof through the summer. In the fall, Promponas will assume a new role as sr. VP for all North America transit management operations, continuing to enhance service delivery to First Transit’s customers.
Additionally, Rick Dunning, sr. VP, transit management operations, who has more than 40 years of distinguished service at First Transit, announced his retirement. Throughout his career, Dunning has been active with various transit industry associations and trade groups, and will continue to make significant contributions to customers until the end of year. First Transit recognizes the extent of Dunning’s impact on the transportation industry and communities across North America.
Originally introduced in 2023 as the Bus Line Redesign, the effort has evolved into a more targeted update that maintains familiar routes while improving reliability, frequency, evening and weekend service, and connections across Allegheny County.
S3 will connect communities along SR 522 with fast, reliable, battery-electric bus service from Shoreline South Station to Bothell via Kenmore and Lake Forest Park.
The configuration uses Ster Seating's Gemini seat platform to create a family-friendly floor layout specifically engineered to accommodate parents traveling with young children.
The Renton Transit Center project will relocate and rebuild the Renton Transit Center to better serve the regional Stride S1 line, local King County Metro services, and the future RapidRide I Line.
In this edition, we cover recent appointments and announcements at HDR, NCTD, STV, and more, showcasing the individuals helping to shape the future of transportation.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
Rolling out in electric yellow and seafoam blue, the first battery-electric buses purchased from GILLIG will begin serving riders in south King County on February 2.
