Ratna S. Amin
Transportation Policy Director
San Francisco Bay Area Urban Research (SPUR)
- Alma Mater: Under University of Pennsylvania and University of California- Berkeley
- Fun Fact: Wrote the ordinance that banned polystyrene foam containers in Oakland which was the model for cities across the Bay Area.
- Favorite TV show: Silicon Valley
- Favorite movie: Until the End of the World
- Favorite hobby: Camping
Ratna Amin didn’t start her college career in an effort to get into transportation or public transit, but after reading about the industry in a magazine, it helped spur an interest and a passion for helping communities move.
Amin, 39, works as the transportation policy director for San Francisco Bay Area Urban Research (SPUR), where she works to address transportation issues in the region and within local transit agencies.
Before joining SPUR, Amin worked as chief of staff to the Oakland Council president, where she was a strong advocate for transit. She lobbied for sustainable transportation policies, the need for bus rapid transit and the East Bay high-speed rail alignment.
Amin led research on the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to find better ways for the agency to allocate funds to build transit growth. She’s also leading SPUR’s efforts to convene VTA and the city of San Jose to make the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) extension to the area a success.
While efforts to merge the various transit systems in the Bay Area have failed in recent decades, Amin completed work in 2015 on a study known as “Seamless Transit,” which put forth recommendations on how the systems can work together and function as if one system.
The efforts mean Amins is developing new thinking on emerging issues, transit delivery, alternative mobility governance structures and rider experiences.
Amin also sits on local transit task forces and groups to solve local issues. She also organized the Transit+Design conference in the Bay Area and continues to find new partners and perspectives to be part of public transit discussions.
“I think development and interest in cities and local government is what led me to SPUR.”
“Public transit really makes people’s lives better when it works and I like that it’s so complex, with so many layers to transit, planning and operations, and I like that it interfaces so intimately with people and cities.”
“I’d really like the future of public transit to be that it’s there and that you don’t have to worry about how it works or where it goes; that it really feels integrated and inviting and understandable, and we’re not there yet.”
