TransLink CEO says he’ll listen
When TransLink’s new CEO Kevin Desmond starts his job next month, he’ll have a tough task: to restore the transit authority’s beleaguered and battered brand and boost ridership.
But how he plans to do that is still anyone’s guess. Desmond says he has yet to develop a game plan to tackle the issue.
“I understand TransLink has suffered a bruise to its brand and the last couple of years have been challenging,” he said Wednesday at a news conference. “Restoring the public trust and confidence in the transportation system I believe to be No. 1.”
Desmond said he wants to talk to the public and businesses as well as TransLink brass and employees — citing everyone from those who clean the stations to those who drive buses — before coming up with a game plan to improve the reliability of the transit system.
“I don’t have a prescription. I don’t have an action plan. The first thing I need to do is listen,” he said. “If we’ve got a good level of customer satisfaction, the rest of it will grow.”
Desmond, who will earn an annual salary of $365,000, said he plans to move to Metro Vancouver.
Now the general manager for King County Metro Transit in Seattle, Desmond was selected by the TransLink board to replace former CEO Ian Jarvis, who stepped down last year during the controversial transportation plebiscite that was roundly defeated by the public. Desmond starts his job March 21. TransLink board chairman Don Rose said of Desmond: “His experience — including public votes on transit funding and the introduction of a light rail line — and his emphasis on collaboration with customers and local stakeholders will be invaluable as we move forward.”