We're kicking off the first of five podcast episodes from Paul's 10-day trip to Australia. First up, we have John Storms of Transit Systems Victoria and Mark Peters of Transit Systems Australia giving us an overview of transit in Australia and their plans for the future. Much like North America, Australia has cities surrounded by sprawling, low-density suburbs that are challenging for any public transit system to serve. In their separate interviews with Paul, John and Mark talk frankly about these challenges and what needs to be done to address them.

Coming up next week we have the first of two holiday specials on Transit Unplugged. First, we're turning the tables on Paul with our own award-winning radio journalist, Julie Gates, interviewing him for a change. Paul talks about the highlights from 2024 and what's ahead for 2025. Because Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, we're releasing the episode a day early on Tuesday (Christmas Eve). We'll do the same the following week, with an episode coming out on New Year's Eve instead of New Year's Day.

00:00 Introduction and Overview of the Australian Trip

00:20 Exploring Melbourne and Hobart

00:38 Brisbane and Upcoming Podcasts

02:50 Interview with John Storms

02:58 Focus on People and Accessibility Initiatives

06:58 Hydrogen and Electric Bus Innovations

08:11 John Storms' Background and Melbourne's Growth

11:05 Interview with Mark Peters: Transit Trends and Zero Emissions

11:16 Interview with Mark Peters

19:01 Technology and Innovation in Transit

20:39 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged

Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo https://www.modaxo.com

• Host: Paul Comfort
• Producer: Paul Comfort
• Editor and Writer: Tris Hussey
• Executive Producer: Julie Gates

Special thanks to:

• Brand design: Tina Olagundoye
• Social Media: Tatyana Mechkarova
• Marketing content, Transit Unplugged Newsletter, & transit puns: Tris Hussey

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