Howard H. Roberts Jr.

Senior Vice President + Director of Rail + Transit Services

Howard H. Roberts Jr. served in leadership positions at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) as Deputy General Manager from January 1989 to January 1997 and as President of New York City Transit from April 2007 to November 2009. Roberts also served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1981 and before his appointment at New York City Transit, Roberts spent nine years in the private sector as President of Harrier Inc., which provided a wide range of transportation consulting services to the transit industry. As head of the fourth largest (SEPTA) and the largest regional transportation systems in the country (New York City Transit), Roberts raised the bar for customer service by soliciting feedback with rider report cards and instituting safety programs to ensure safe conditions for both straphangers and transit workers.

In his most recent position as President of New York City Transit, Roberts introduced the first major reorganization of the subway system in over a century by commencing a General Manager Program, with each train line managed individually as a way to increase efficiency and improve service delivery. Roberts also worked closely with the New York City Department of Transportation to implement Bus Rapid Transit along Fordham Road in the Bronx as a way to reduce travel times by almost 20 percent. In addition, Roberts balanced the sometimes competing objectives of operating efficiently versus operating in an environmentally responsible manner by switching to a fuel source that was more readily accessible and less expensive.

SEPTA operated 1,360 buses, 369 subway cars, 346 commuter rail cars, 220 light rail vehicles and 110 trackless trolleys during Roberts’ tenure. NYC Transit’s subway arm operated 6,485 subway cars and its bus division operated 4,576 buses under Roberts, with both serving millions of riders daily.