Metro introduced its new CEO Friday morning at its annual meeting.
Dwight Ferrell got his start in transportation as a bus operator in Texas. He says he has a lot to learn about this region and the Metro system.
He takes a cautious approach when asked about how Metro will run the streetcar, internally or through a third-party operator.
"I will be working with the board and elected officials and the community to develop the system that they want," he says.
"I don't think that it's wise to spend more than what we have to but, also, we have to be prudent and make sure whoever the operator is, it's prepared to operate that. Streetcars are not buses."
Ferrell says streetcar drivers will need different skills. He cites vehicle breakdowns as an example. If a bus breaks down, he says, the driver pulls over and calls for assistance. A streetcar driver can't pull over out of traffic and would need to know how to get the car moving again quickly.
Regional Pass
During the meeting, Metro and Northern Kentucky's TANK announced they're partnering on a regional pass that can be used for both Metro and Tank buses. The stored-value cards will be sold in $10, $20 and $30 increments and can be used on both bus systems, beginning Dec. 15.
