One word to describe yourself: Proactive
Alma Mater: California State University Long Beach
Fast fact about yourself: I grew up in Davis, Calif., where the UC Davis Unitrans bus service is the only transit agency in the United States to use authentic London double decker buses in daily service.
What’s your best experience on transit and what made it memorable?
Taking the light rail and high-speed trains in Spain last year; it was so easy traveling between cities and the views of the countryside were amazing.
Ryan Plumb's colleagues say he has demonstrated exceptional proactivity and dedication to Torrance Transit since joining in 2019. He initially contributed to the successful implementation of the “Torrance Transit Tomorrow Plan” through public outreach and feedback collection. Within a year, Plumb played a key role in securing a $6 million grant for the agency to purchase its first zero-emission buses. Plumb’s involvement has also helped the agency secure more than $20 million in two additional grants toward the zero-emission bus project.
Upon his promotion to administrative analyst, Plumb became responsible for the management of federal and state reporting, audits, grants, budgets, procurement and contracts.
Plumb oversaw the Torrance Community Transit Program, handling customer inquiries and vendor coordination. Additionally, his work with People First of South Bay & Harbor Area, an advocacy group for persons with developmental disabilities, offers him a chance to regularly engage with the community, providing updates and information on public transit.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Plumb was crucial in modifying services to ensure safety and continuity. He facilitated emergency services like meal deliveries to seniors and disabled persons. Plumb also managed multiple Requests for Proposals for various services and collaborated on a $2 million microtransit pilot project set to launch in 2024.
Plumb calls his involvement and contribution to the design and opening of the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center, which will serve as the future terminus of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (L.A. Metro) C Line extension into Torrance, as one of his top accomplishments.
He was recently appointed vice chair of the L.A. Metro Bus Operations Subcommittee and he is a graduate of the Mary K. Giordano Leadership Academy, highlighting his commitment to leadership and professional development.
Is there a specific experience that led you to where you are today?
It was a combination of a few things. When I first moved to the Los Angeles, Calif., area it became clear to me how difficult it can be to get around, especially driving and parking. While I was attending Long Beach State, I took the campus shuttle every day. It helped me save time and ease the stress of parking and, truly, became something I depended on.
During my time at Long Beach State, I got an internship with the city of Torrance, Calif., and rotated through many of the city departments, specifically transit. I was instantly fascinated with transit planning and the rewarding sense of providing a service that people need and rely on. Although it can be chaotic, public transit is a necessity for the Los Angeles area and it’s compelling to be a part of it.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy being able to work on many different projects spanning different areas of the department and city. As we say, we get to “wear many different hats” where every day is different in solving problems and completing projects that impact the community. It is gratifying knowing that our service is assisting people to get to school, work, medical appointments and other areas of interest, especially when we meet with our local groups for seniors and disabled patrons, it’s nice to see the impact of our service.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
I would say one of the more challenging parts of the job is being patient and understanding some of the negative connotations about public transit. Certain projects can take a lot longer than others and often require hefty funding, which can be difficult to acquire. It is also difficult when trying to provide a quality service where some members of the community don’t see public transit as a viable benefit. To address this, my colleagues and I strive every day to provide the highest quality of service possible. Our hope is this will help to curb the negative or inaccurate views about public transportation that some may hold.
Torrance Transit recently completed the construction of the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center, which serves as a multimodal hub for the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. Having played a significant part in the facility’s construction and completion, it was rewarding to see people learning about public transit and coming to realize the socio-economic benefits that it brings to our community.
Accomplishment you’re most proud of and why?
I would have to say it was contributing to the opening of the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center. This project was the vision of our Transit Director Kim Turner, which was several long years in the making. It was extremely rewarding to work with staff that had been there from the start on completing the facility. I got to be involved in many different aspects of the construction of the transit center, including procurement and contract administration, budgeting, AV technology and planning.
Furthermore, this site will serve as the future terminus of the L.A. Metro C-Line, finally bringing a light-rail service to the South Bay. Presently, our team and I are preparing to launch a new Micro-Transit Demonstration Project called “Connect Torrance,” which will greatly complement our fixed route bus service and our community-based on-demand service for senior and disabled residents. Also, we’re preparing to launch a circulator service utilizing rubber wheel trolleys that will connect our downtown area with the banking, shopping and hotel districts with a terminus at Redondo Beach Pier.
Best advice/tip/best practice to share from your area of expertise?
The best advice I would share is to know when to be patient and learn to not be afraid to say yes to something new. Not only has saying yes to new things helped me progress in my position and our agency but it has also allowed me to work with amazing people I would not have otherwise.
Also, communication, collaboration and supporting our neighboring and other transit agencies is extremely beneficial to sharing knowledge and best practices. These guiding principles have prepared me to serve as the vice chair of the Bus Operations Subcommittee, which is comprised of representative from 19 transit agencies throughout Los Angeles County and the alternative municipal transit operator representative for Torrance Transit on Access Service’s Transit Professional Advisory Committee, which oversees regional paratransit service. Most recently, I was named to the city of Torrance’s Airport Noise Hearing Board.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
