An interview with Christian Henry

What is the state of transportation in New York?

The importance of public transportation in New York will never change. It is what moves the region in every way. We continue to see the rebound from historical low ridership driven by the pandemic but there is still work to do. Clearly we’re operating in a new world of hybrid work so the patterns have shifted, however, this has little impact on the massive portion of the population that depend on public transportation for all other aspects of life. Being able to adjust to the shifting needs without impacting those things that remain constant is critical for continued growth and improvement.

What role do you play in improving transportation in New York?

Cubic’s mission is to continue innovating to make a positive difference in people’s lives. The solutions that we provide allow for improved customer experience as well as operational efficiencies for transit agencies. Expanding the convenience of the tap and go experience across more modes of transit and to more users, like we have done with reduced fare riders on OMNY, help to provide a consistent experience across the region. Bringing OMNY to students, continuing the rollout of new vending machines throughout the city, building upon the successful initial implementations at JFK AirTrain and PATH, as well as introducing contactless payments to new bus operators in the region are all primary objectives for us.

What policy issues are you focused on in 2024?

Our objective is to provide solutions that can support evolving policy decisions rather than set policy. As an example, the initial implementation in OMNY of a weekly fare cap that was later adjusted to a rolling 7-day fare cap were policies made possible by the Cubic back office software capabilities. While MetroCard has served the region well for over 30 years, we’re striving to provide customers with an easy path to move on from it and the inherent limitations the technology brings. Equity, accessibility and fare revenue protection are all core aspects of our product roadmaps and these align to the critical needs of New York both today and in the future.