To increase local support for major transportation initiatives in her community and region, transportation leader Lauren Mattern is launching a new WBE/DBE certified mobility firm called Journey, headquartered in Austin, Texas. Mattern’s new firm includes transit planning, transportation demand management (TDM) and a mobility engagement practice.
“Journey’s skillsets meet critical gaps, common transportation system pain points and the need to innovate between disciplines,” Mattern said.
While the new firm will be based in Texas, representatives of the firm can also be found in Boston and Chicago. Mattern credits other Austin-based mobility entrepreneurs, in particular Bobak Tehrany of BOE Consulting, for urging the need for more female leaders in the transportation industry.
In Austin, less than one percent of venture capital dollars go to woman founders, according to a 2024 mayoral report on the state of women in business locally; and women make up about 15 percent of the transit industry overall, according to recent data from the Eno Center for Transportation.
“Journey is off to the races and is already established as a mobility thought leader in Austin and beyond, based on Lauren’s track record over her long career. Her teams help innovate across disciplines in a no-nonsense way and clients really respond. We look forward to working with Journey,” Tehrany said.
Mattern’s transportation career began in 2009 when joining the SFpark pilot projects in San Francisco, which were charged with implementing concepts from UCLA professor Donald Shoup’s research on “The High Cost of Free Parking,” and has included seven years at another firm, as well as a recent role at Transport for London in the United Kingdom where she handled demand management and curbside projects.
Mattern is joined by Dan Berez who will be building out the firm’s transit practice. “I’m thrilled to be adding Mr. Berez to Journey – his deep experience in bus operations planning and innovative mobility demonstrate the technical prowess agencies need when seeking rapid implementation without losing site of bigger picture goals,” Mattern said.
The firm aims to give back, with its pro bono program focusing on broadening the entry points into the industry for people from more socioeconomic backgrounds.
“Most young people simply do not know the job of city planner or transportation engineer exists early on – the field is still too obscure. Yet a person who grew up in a neighborhood negatively impacted by transit service cuts or poor air quality near freeways will intuitively understand how important the field is,” Mattern added. “Similarly, we want to make geographic analysis roles in the industry more visible to military veterans, who often possess best-in-class geospatial analytics skillsets.”
The firm notes that its book of clients is quickly building up, with growth plans on the horizon.
“I’m thrilled to be contributing to the local economies of Austin, Chicago and Boston by bringing top-notch mobility expertise to local and national clients.” Mattern said. “The timing couldn’t be more critical, with major transportation infrastructure construction on the horizon and quickly changing land use planning needs around transit stations. Austin is a leader and we are here to fuel that excellence as a collaborative partner.”
