Reflections on CTS at 40: Rachel Dungca

The Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) models curiosity, collaboration, and continuous improvement for our industry and region.  

I’ve been at Metro Transit for the past 20 years as we’ve grown our region’s METRO network, invested in technology like a modern fare system, and expanded our visible presence on the system. These kinds of investments have been both supported and evaluated by research. CTS has been an incredible research partner and leader as we’ve sought to understand the impact of transit investment for our region and improve the customer experience.  

My first recollection of CTS’s impact was attending research presentations about topics like accessibility and high school student ridership. The work of the Accessibility Observatory helped me understand the impact of our investments and shaped how we evaluate scenarios for providing transit service. Shifting my thinking from "adding transit service" to "connecting residents to opportunity" was instrumental in my understanding of my role—and of public service.  

"When I felt confused or unclear about an emerging challenge or opportunity, research made things clear."

CTS also was critical in helping me understand and frame the impact of reaching new markets like high school students and thinking about transportation equity (both efforts led by longtime CTS scholar Yingling Fan). When I felt confused or unclear about an emerging challenge or opportunity, research made things clear. I was able to make and communicate connections between large-scale investments and the everyday experiences of our transit riders and region.  

I’ve also been inspired by the researchers that CTS brings to the table when we have tough problems to solve that require creative thinking and innovative solutions. Most recently, my team has been collaborating with CTS to understand post-COVID ridership trends and the customer experience with research led by CTS scholar Nichole Morris, director of the Human Factors Safety Lab. We’ve also had valuable partnerships with CTS scholars Ying Song, Jason Cao, and Alireza Khani and researcher Nichola Lowe through the Transit Impacts Research Program (TIRP) and various sponsored research projects. Without CTS, we wouldn’t have the evidence or context to make the best investments we can to meet our mission.  

Members of my team have served as co-authors and technical advisory panel contributors, and this also helps research be implemented or advanced in practice. CTS’s work and partnership also gave me the confidence to be a strong advocate for research at the national level. Currently, I chair the Transportation Research Board’s J-07 Committee (Transit Synthesis Panel) helping recommend which transit research projects to fund that have a national reach and impact. I am better at this work because of the good work and efforts that have been modeled here in Minnesota by CTS. 

Finally, CTS’s leadership developing conferences, bringing transportation partners to the same table (TIRP), and acting as a "front door" to University researchers for sponsored research has informed my understanding of transit’s impact and given me the skills and confidence to lead the Office of Performance at Metro Transit and apply transit research into practice.  

Fundamentally, I work in operations. There aren’t any transit experiences or connections to opportunity without operators and vehicles. In this context it can be easy and understandable to dismiss research as remote or impractical. But when transit’s largest competitor is a personal vehicle with exponentially higher levels of access, I see research as a tool to make us better so we can be more competitive and tackle challenges and expectations that are unique to transit. We need research to help us improve faster and tackle challenges that are relatively brand new for our 100+ year industry.