Nathaniel Atherstone
Transportation Manager
City of Fairfield/Fairfield and Suisun Transit
- One word to describe yourself: Methodical
- Alma Mater: CSU Monterey Bay/San Jose State University (While claiming both, he points out he was an “Otter” first!)
- Favorite Book: “The Last Lectrure” by Randy Pausch
- Favorite TV Show: “Game of Thrones” (And enjoys the books, too)
- Favorite Movie: “Star Wars Episode VI – Return of the Jedi”
- Favorite Hobbie: Playing Monopoly with his daughter and enjoys sporting clays and golfing
- Fun Fact: He learned to juggle while participating in a Renaissance Faire troupe over the summer of 1999.
- Favorite Transit System (other than one they work at): Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) It’s so basic; It could definitely benefit from some modernization and station investment, but it is so effective due to its simplicity. There’s something to learn from it.
From working at a consulting firm on environmental projects to working at a city’s transit system, Nathaniel Atherstone said he enjoys going from having a little influence on a large project to have a lot of influence on community-level projects. As the transportation manager for the city of Fairfield, he is responsible for the management of Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST), operating in Solano County, California, serving more than one million passengers annually.
With more than 10 years of transit experience, he has demonstrated a leadership role in the planning and development of multiple public transportation projects throughout central California. He played a major role in the development of the award-winning Metro Express bus rapid transit (BRT) in Stockton as planning manager for the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD). Part of that included seeing an opportunity at a BRT corridor intersection with a vacant building that he was then tasked with the project of purchasing the property and turning it into a transportation hub.
Atherstone created effective deviated route services in both Calaveras and San Joaquin County with Calaveras Transit and RTD’s Metro Hopper service. Both projects demonstrated an increase in ridership and community involvement with services tailored to provide direct transportation connections to services supporting the disabled community.
An active advocate for reducing environmental impacts while strategically developing a sustainable transportation model, Nathaniel helped establish RTD's electric bus pilot project with Proterra and is actively laying the groundwork for solar infrastructure and electric buses for FAST. FAST is also integrating renewable fuels into its fleet beginning in January 2017, resulting in an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Nathaniel has demonstrated a commitment to reducing the environmental impact to transit service.
“Be patient. Especially in respect to politics and making people happy. You have to keep an open ear to everybody and if you’re patient, the right idea will come to you through conversations and effective communication. Don’t always jump into it.”
Fun Fact: He participates in several regional and state associations, including the California Transit Association, the Solano Paratransit Coordinating Council, the Solano Seniors and People with Disabilities Transportation Advisory Committee, and regional technical advisory committees.
MassTransitmag.com/12220354
