Heather M. Hume, CTPA
Superintendent of Workforce/Logistic Support
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
- Alma Mater: University of Massachusetts Amherst and Northeastern University
- Fun Fact: In 2015 Hume competed in both her first marathon and triathlon
- Favorite Book: “The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley”
- Favorite TV Show: “Ashes to Ashes”
- Favorite Movie: “Amelie”
- Favorite Hobbies: Gardening, running and music
When asked when she started her career in public transportation, Heather Hume will tell you when she was five. With a mother that was a bus driver, she said she spent a lot of times in garages and among drivers and dispatching.
Hume grew up in a poor environment, didn’t have a car growing up and used public transportation from a very young age. It led her to having the opportunity to get to places where she could improve her life and she said that is engrained in her core.
A former United States Army Reserve military intelligence analyst, Hume began her transit career at the University of Massachusetts Transit Services (UMTS) in 2000 as a bus operator, paratransit operator, field trip operator, radio operator/driving supervisor, and CDL trainer, while taking time out to work as a coach operator at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
With a solid background in place from her time at UMTS and graduating from UMass Amherst with degrees in political science and African-American studies, Hume moved into the areas of transit planning and public policy, working as an intern with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. There she collected and analyzed data on current bus routes, planned new routes to serve the public better, and worked on improvements with ADA compliance for the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.
Hume then went to the Springfield Area Transit Company (SATCo) to be its assistant project manager. She worked on training operators, supervisors and staff on how to effectively utilize HASTUS scheduling software for their daily operations, and developing specific operational training guides to help the team work more effectively and efficiently. Working with members of the local community and school systems, Hume continued to develop service changes to help serve the community better.
In 2007 Hume moved east and began her career with Greater Lynn Senior Services (GLSS), a vendor to the MBTA, as a paratransit operations supervisor, training and re-training operators, working on key safety initiatives, investigating complaints and improving coordination with other MBTA departments. Developing a mobility management program for GLSS was the next major project she took on. Working on New Freedom and JARC grants and projects for the North Shore Career Center & Mystic Valley Elder Services, she performed compliance monitoring for Title III funds, and worked on developing best practices for travel training while facilitating and improving transportation options throughout the North Shore region of Boston.
She continued to layer experience and success, moving into a senior transportation planner position with the MBTA. Hume spent significant time working with local community groups, elected officials, local municipalities and customers to gather input on ways to enhance and expand services. Examining data from both HASTUS and Stratagen scheduling databases, she worked with multiple departments to address public feedback to enhance both fixed-route and paratransit services.
In 2011, Hume was selected to be the project coordinator for Gov. Patrick’s Executive Order 530 project. The goal of Order 530 was to examine the provision of service to persons with disabilities, persons with low income, people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and seniors and visitors, and to develop specific recommendations to reform and improve community, social service and paratransit transportation services to these specific populations. During this time, she also continued her education and obtained her master's degree in urban and regional policy.
As manager of Paratransit Programs for the MBTA, Hume was responsible for the MBTA’S The RIDE program, directing and overseeing safe, reliable and accessible ADA paratransit service 365 days a year to 30,000 registered clients and providing more than 2.1 million passenger trips annually in 60 cities and towns in the greater Boston metro area.
In addition, while working on acquisition of and oversight of The RIDE’s paratransit vehicle fleet, she is also responsible for the procurement and management of paratransit service delivery and eligibility assessment contracts in excess of $122 million annually.
In Hume’s current position, she will be responsible for modernizing the daily operations of the entire MBTA. Everything done on paper now, such as daily assignments, absenteeism, vehicle assignments, Hume will bring all of it into the 21st century using computers to monitor and maintain all that’s going on at any given time.
While she led that type of transition previously when in Springfield, it was for about 150 drivers, which is equivalent to half of the smallest garage at MBTA. The transition will provide better data for managers to make better decisions and it will help the front-line staff.
Hume currently is a member of the TCRP Panel B-44: Impact of the Trend Toward Separate Statewide Medicaid Transportation Brokerages on Human Services Transportation Coordination.
Heather also believes in giving back to the community as well as to those who have helped her over her career. Working with others at the MBTA, she has developed an internship program for current UMTS students to help encourage their interests in pursuing a career of their own in public transportation. She also volunteers her time with the Northfield Mount Hermon Upward Bound program helping low-income and first generation students get into college.
“I know what it [public transportation] did for me, I know it lifted me out of poverty and I know that if I do my job well, I can afford that opportunity to so many others as well.”
“I always feel like having been behind the wheel of a bus, having been a paratransit operator, having that experience, I think it certainly helps; it makes me a better manager, that’s for sure."
“I think the thing I enjoy most about my job is that I get to impact people’s lives every day. I always refer to myself as a sociologist of transportation. I’m always thinking about people and how our service impacts them, whether it’s the front line staff, or a rider, or a policy maker, I’m always thinking from that perspective.”
“When I talk about my own experience in using public transit I know that it gave me an opportunity to improve my life so I love the fact that in my job I get to be able to turn around and do that for others as well.”
“Ensuring that our fixed-route system is more accessible in terms of having elevators or escalators, announcements, all those kinds of things, helps an agency be provide better transportation at a much more effect cost because you can start to get people to use the fixed-route system instead of having to rely on a van to take them wherever they want to go. I think that’s one of the biggest challenges.”
“I would love to see systems where you know, a scheduling software can handle paratransit and first and last mile and get folks to more fixed route options, to make it more seamless for individuals who lack the ability to negotiate fixed route well.”
“I would love to be able to see systems where we can talk about using public transportation and supplementing it with systems like Uber or Councils of Aging. I’m always thinking about things from a more coordinated transportation network while public transportation is a tremendous resource, there are a lot of other resources as well.”
"I think that as we talk about public transportation and thinking about options for myself, having these other options [such as Uber or Zipcar] as well, encourages me and others to use public transportation more because it’s not the only option all the time."
