Skip to content

Writing New Playbooks

SURVEY INTRODUCTION: Writing New Playbooks - The Impact of New Technologies on Public Transit

Public transportation is being called to lead — not adapt around the edges.

This is bigger than a technology transition. This is a defining moment for our entire sector — and for many others as well.

And leadership at this moment requires something that does not come easily to institutions built on stability — a quantum leap. Out of the comfort zone. Away from the status quo. No straddling the fence.

We have seen what happens when we are not ready. The mobility revolution didn't arrive without warning — we had been talking around it for nearly two decades. And then it hit. Fast. Hard. And without asking permission. It moved through every gap our institutions had left open — and by the time we looked up, the ground had shifted permanently beneath us. Today you cannot walk into a transportation meeting without mobility being the frame. And truth be told -- much of that transformation happened “TO” us. Not “WITH” us.

We cannot let that happen again.

The technology decisions being made right now—in boardrooms and procurement offices across the country—demand more than a reactive response. They require leadership that looks beyond any single event or transaction and includes voices too often missing from these conversations: the young people who will live with the decisions made today, as well as the public transit workforce and the communities most directly affected by these changes.

Thinking bigger. Acting bolder. Bringing everyone to the table — including the next generation and workers. Catching up – and moving forward — together.

This survey sits at the center of IYAI+'s 2026 Critical Conversation Series — our ongoing effort to address the most urgent issues and challenges facing our industry.

That is what this moment demands.

Today – we ask for 15 minutes. Your input and insights.

Dr. Beverly A. Scott Founder, IYAI+ — Introducing Youth to American Infrastructure, Inc.
A note on how this survey works: Questions in Sections 2, 3, and 4 are for people whose work directly involves transportation or infrastructure. Section 5 — Food for Thought — is for everyone. No expertise required. Just honest answers.
SECTION 1: WHO YOU ARE -- For ALL respondents
1.How many years have you been engaged with transportation, transit, infrastructure — or the communities they serve? (Single select)
2.Which best describes your primary role?
3.If you hold a second relevant role from the above list, type it here:
4.Do you use public transportation?
5.Where are you located?
6.Which best describes the geography your work most affects?
7.Does your work directly involve transportation or infrastructure — in any capacity?
SECTION 2: YOUR ORGANIZATION & TECHNOLOGY CONTEXT (Transportation/Infrastructure Track Only)
8.Which transit services are most relevant to your work? (Multi-select — choose all that apply)
9.How would you describe your organization's current approach to technology planning?
10.Does your organization have a formal Technology Transition Plan — a documented plan for managing the impact of new technology on your people, operations, and community? (Not an IT plan. A plan for people, operations, and community.)
11.Which technologies is your organization currently deploying or working on? (Multi-select — choose all that apply)
12.For the technologies above — how well does your organization understand what they mean for your workforce and the communities you serve?
13.Does your organization have a People and Technology Impact Assessment — a structured evaluation completed before acquiring or deploying new technology that identifies which roles are affected, what the transition plan is, what the community benefit is, and who is accountable?
14.When your organization makes a technology decision, which of the following are typically involved? (Multi-select — choose all that apply)
15.Does your organization currently use any existing processes to assess the people impact of technology decisions? (Multi-select — choose all that apply)
SECTION 3: WHAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY SEEING (Transportation/Infrastructure Track only)
16.In your organization, what is the current reality?
Happening Now
Beginning to Happen
Not Happening
Don't Know
Workers being retrained for new technology roles
Workers being displaced or having roles eliminated
Roles being deskilled — workers becoming monitors rather than skilled practitioners
New roles being created with clear career pathways and fair wages
Workers included in technology planning BEFORE acquisition and deployment decisions are made
Affected workers (appropriate bargaining unit, if applicable) formally consulted before decisions
People and Technology Impact Assessment completed before acquisition and deployment
Psychological impacts of technology change being addressed
Digital literacy gaps among workers being actively addressed
Communities included in technology planning before procurement
17.Does your organization have a documented plan for affected workers whose roles are significantly changed or eliminated by technology?
18.Does your organization have a formal Post-Deployment Assessment process — a structured review after technology is implemented to evaluate performance, identify improvements, and measure impact on workers and communities?
19.Who owns the information and data generated by your transit technology systems — trip records, passenger data, operational data?
20.How would you assess your organization's cybersecurity readiness for connected and autonomous technologies?
21.Does your agency's Asset Management / State of Good Repair Plan include any assessment of workforce capability, human capital, or technology systems?
22.Has your agency's Safety Plan been used to address human factors related to automation — such as skill maintenance, manual proficiency, or operator readiness when automation fails?
SECTION 4: THE BIG PICTURE (Transportation/Infrastructure Track only)
23.What are the top 3 biggest barriers to responsible technology implementation in your organization?
24.Which of the following are MOST critical to include in a Technology Transition Playbook for public transit? (Multi-select — choose your top 3)
25.When it comes to technology transition — who is accountable for ensuring workers on the job are prepared? (Single Select)
26.Are there communities in your region at risk of being left behind — without adequate service or workforce opportunity — by the way technology is currently being deployed? (Single select)
SECTION 5: FOOD FOR THOUGHT (For ALL respondents — both tracks). We want to know how YOU feel and think about these challenges. The questions below go beyond policy and planning — they get at some of the real tensions and human realities underneath the technology conversation. There are no right answers. We are asking you to share your experience and perspectives.
27.Who should be primarily responsible for closing the digital access gap — or developing an agreed upon plan WITH affected communities for addressing the problem before or alongside deployment?
28.How does your organization approach this kind of decision?
29.As automation takes on tasks that skilled workers used to perform — are workers being adequately prepared for that shift? Or are they being left to navigate it largely alone — including the loss of purpose, professional identity, and self-worth that can come when technology takes over work that defined a career?
30.How prepared are riders and communities for that reality?
31.What is THE HUMAN COST of technology transition that you are personally seeing or experiencing — that is not yet getting the attention it deserves? (Open text — long form · Minimum 50 characters) Please share. We are listening.
32.What do you most want leaders, policymakers, funders, and the next generation to understand about this moment — that is not yet part of the mainstream conversation?
YOUTH & YOUNG ADULT ENGAGEMENT. The next generation will inherit every technology decision we make today. Yet young people and young adults are largely absent from these conversations — in boardrooms, in planning processes, in procurement decisions, and at policy tables.
33.What could YOU do — in your organization, your community, or your sector — to meaningfully engage youth and young adults in this work? (Multi-select — choose all that apply)
34.In your own words — how do you see this happening in your community? (Optional short open text)
35.WHAT WILL YOU DO TODAY? This survey is the beginning of a conversation — not the end of one.

Before you close this page — what is one thing YOU will commit to doing, in your organization or community, to move this work forward?
OPTIONAL DEMOGRAPHICS (For all respondents · Fully optional · No impact on survey completion)

 We collect this information only to better understand who is part of this conversation. All responses are anonymous.
36.What is your age range? (Optional)
37.How do you identify racially or ethnically?
Thank you very much.

STAY CONNECTED: If you would like to stay informed about survey results, upcoming conversations, and iYAi+'s 2026 Critical Conversation Series — please reach out and let us know.

Your voice is now part of what we think is the first open national effort to understand what is actually happening in the public transportation sector for real people, in real organizations and communities, as technology transforms public transportation.

We are working toward a clear standard: Best in Class. No Stranded Communities. No Disposable People.

Please share this survey with your networks. Colleagues, community members – your neighbors, young people, decision-makers — every voice strengthens what we can learn and do together.

And, every voice matters! Together, we are writing the new playbook. Thank you for being part of it.

Dr. Bev and the iyai+ Team
beverly@iyai.org