- Alma mater: University of Illinois at Chicago and Salem State University
- Favorite TV show: "Doctor Who"
- Favorite movie: "Independence Day"
- Favorite hobby(ies):Traveling and weightlifting
- Fun fact about yourself: I’m working on riding every rapid transit system in the United States.
- Favorite station or stop that you have ever visited or frequent (and why): I love Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Park Street station in Boston. It is one of the oldest underground stations in the United States and the operational layout is interesting. Whenever I rode the T in college or when I’ve gone back to visit, I usually find myself passing through the station. I’ve learned the tricks to navigate the crowds to make transfers between the Red Line and Green Line quicker.
- Favorite route you have ever ridden or frequent (and why): My favorite route to ride for views is the Chicago Transit Authority's Brown Line in Chicago. The line runs at grade through a neighborhood and elevated through the densest parts of Chicago. The portion over the Chicago River provides a fantastic view of downtown and is one of my earliest memories of Chicago. Whenever I ride it, I remember why I moved to Chicago 10 years ago.
Starting as an intern at the Chicago Transit Authority in service planning, CJ Bright started his transit career focused on improved the experience of transit riders and that has stayed with him as senior operations planner at Keolis Transit America.
He has worked on projects at agencies of various sizes throughout the United States and Canada. As a service planner, he tackles daily challenges, like ensuring the vehicles are on schedule, as well as focused on big picture planning, such as completing comprehensive operational analyses.
Bright brings insight into what is working well and where there is potential for improvement in the transit agencies he works with. He devises strategies that incrementally allow the system to grow through short and long-term initiatives so they can serve the greatest number of people within the budgetary restrictions.
As a long-time transit user, he uses his own experience to bring the passenger experience into every decision he makes. Through his work at Keolis, he is able to work with agencies to identify ways to improve their service in a variety of ways, including utilizing microtransit or redesigning systems by leveraging big data. Through his work, he’s also worked with TransLoc and Moovit to provide feedback on their products so the industry can better understand the mobility needs of riders and potential riders alike.
With the rapid paradigm shift the public transportation industry is facing, Bright aims to bridge the gap between traditional operating approaches and emerging modes. He focuses on creating sustainable, smart, dynamic systems that could automatically adjust to demand in real time, optimizing service and saving transit agencies significant money.
Bright is actively contributing to the development of transit technology solutions, which could someday lay the foundation for mobility as a service (MaaS) platforms.
"My first internship was at the Chicago Transit Authority in Service Planning. I was exposed to not only service planning but scheduling and service quality management. The experiences learned at the CTA helped me to land another internship that led to my first job. I still rely on what I learned from the CTA in my job today."
"I love to travel and it’s an important part of my job. In order to bid on a project, groundwork is necessary to understand the current operation and to provide meaningful recommendations for improvement. When RFPs call for service planning and alternative service delivery models."
"Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. It’s okay to ask why are things done the way they are. We’re in an industry where innovation and creativity will be crucial to our success and survival. In order to do so, we must be able to ask questions and challenge long held assumptions."
