Carm Basile, CEO of the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), will be retiring at the end of 2024.
“It has been a privilege and an honor to be part of CDTA for the past 43 years and lead the organization for the last 15,” said Carm Basile, CDTA CEO. “The choice to retire was not an easy decision but the time was right for a leadership transition. I want to thank our board of directors, the CDTA family of employees and retirees and the community for their support to make CDTA a regional mobility company.”
Basile started his career at CDTA as a transportation planner in 1981. During the next 43 years, he was promoted several times to positions of increased responsibility. In October 2009, Basile was named CEO of CDTA. He is only the sixth CEO in the company’s 54-year history.
“The board of directors is proud of the achievements and leadership Carm has provided over the last 15 years as CEO,” said Jayme Lahut, CDTA Board chairman. “He set an aggressive agenda and made it his life’s work to provide better mobility options to the people of the Capital Region. We are looking forward to honoring and celebrating his achievements over the next several months. The board is focused on finding the right candidate to lead CDTA into the next chapter of its existence.”
Leading the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic became Basile's main focus in the past four years. With ridership hitting all-time lows after the pandemic hit, Basile worked to add services and fine-tune the system to bring ridership back to pre-pandemic levels.
Under Basile’s leadership, CDTA has introduced three bus rapid transit (BRT) lines, which has become a major part of the agency's services.
Basile also introduced a regional bike share program called CDPHP Cycle! and an electric car share program called DRIVE and a micro transit service called FLEX.
Born and raised in Springfield, Mass., Basile graduated from Worcester State University with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning.
