Vice President of the Queen Anne’s County Board of Commissioners Paul Comfort is set to be named the Maryland Transit Authority’s new Administrator on Friday, April 24. Comfort will start his new position on May 11.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Comfort
…has overseen public transit operations in Queen Anne’s County and previously worked as the assistant project manager and director of operations for MV Transportation, which operates paratransit services for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
…
During Comfort’s interview, [State Transportation Secretary Pete] Rahn said, he expressed “an emphasis on customer service,” something the agency needs to improve on — particularly when it comes to its long-overdue overhaul of its bus network.
The MTA also has struggled to boost ridership in recent years and failed for a decade to meet a state-mandated requirement that it fund 35 percent of its operating budget through fare revenue.
Comfort’s job “is not going to be easy,” Rahn said — in part because Rahn said he expects to see improvements quickly.
“His hands are going to be full,” Rahn said, “but I think he can do it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be assuming these responsibilities.”
Comfort, a former president of the Transportation Association of Maryland, said he is “very excited” to take on the job, which he said is a good fit for his career in “public transit and government management.”