The 2026 “Research to Practice” Transit Symposium will be held October 20-22, 2026. The symposium will take place online and be streamed on YouTube. As the transit industry is experiencing significant changes (e.g., new technologies, potential funding shortage) in recent years, the Symposium provides a platform where transit experts share insights on how evidence-based research is being used or can be used to make the most of these opportunities in a dynamic environment. The agenda for this year’s symposium is still being finalized. Register today to receive updates on the upcoming sessions and speakers as they are announced.
Past year’s symposiums included the following topics:
- Zero-Fare Transit
- Automated Transit Vehicles
- Climate Change Resilience
- Equity in Transit Operations
- Intercity Bus Systems
- Transit Performance Metrics
- Microtransit and Paratransit State of Practice
- Women in Transit
- Transit Finance
Information about previous years’ events can be found here.
In addition to the opening and closing plenaries, the symposium features two types of sessions:
- Researcher + practitioner sessions: researchers and practitioners will jointly present a research project that addresses a practical issue important to a transit agency, metropolitan planning organization, or department of transportation.
- Regular sessions: traditional presentations where an individual presenter shares transit-related research.
AICP credits will be available for this event.
Questions? Contact the following:
Chad Riding
Caltrans Division of Planning and Modal Program Management
(916) 907-2212
chad.riding@dot.ca.gov
Dr. Xiang ‘Jacob’ Yan
Assistant Professor & UFTI Transit Lead
Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering
xiangyan@ufl.edu
The Symposium is convened by a partnership between California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), University of Florida (UF) Transportation Institute, University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Transit Research Center, American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI), and the Safety and Mobility Advancements Regional Transportation and Economics Research (SMARTER) Center. Organizing Committee members:
- Chad Riding, Kevin Spiker, Connor Campbell, Mina Rezaei, Afnan Mohammad, Thomas Wu, Suresh Ratnam, Brad Mizuno, & Keith Sirisack, Caltrans
- Jacob Yan & Xilei Zhao, University of Florida
- Hilary Nixon, Mineta Transportation Institute
- Greg Newmark, Morgan State University
- Brendon Hemily, Public Transportation Consultant
- John Andoh, City of Escalon, CA