Whether you’re a longtime industry leader or a new transit professional, you won’t want to miss the slate of content and career opportunities at the Association’s 60th Annual Fall Conference & Expo.
By Arianna Smith
Managing Editor
Transit California
If you’re a member of the Association, if you follow our social media, or if you subscribe to our publications, you’ve probably heard by now about the Association’s 60th Annual Fall Conference and Expo in Long Beach.
This year’s milestone anniversary will be especially memorable with big name keynote speakers, a central and vibrant host city, and an extra-interactive expo. Conference attendee favorites are back too – tech tours, networking events, and expert-packed panels - and this year they’re better than ever. Here’s the agenda-at-a-glance – which now includes panel topics, themes and times for you to start planning your trip.
“The City of Long Beach is an exciting destination, it’s a hub of innovation, culture, recreation, and community, said Kenneth A. McDonald, Long Beach Transit (LBT) President and CEO. “We are excited to welcome our transit colleagues to explore the city’s vibrant waterfront, thriving arts scene, quality dining, and some engaging technical tours on our world class local transportation systems.” Hear more from President McDonald about the event here.
Long Beach Transit operates 250 fixed-route buses, as well as water taxis and paratransit vehicles, to get public transit riders where they need to go across fourteen cities and in parts of both Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Annually, more than 17 million boarding customers use their services.
Come join us at the Long Beach Convention Center from Wednesday, November 5 through Friday, November 7, 2025. You won’t want to miss it!
Can’t miss: speakers and panelists
There will be two rockstars of the transit world as our keynote speakers: Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Lincoln Room Strategies CEO Lynda Tran!
Buttigieg served as Secretary of Transportation from 2021 to 2025, where he launched over 60,000 infrastructure projects, improved transportation safety and technology, expanded airline passenger protections, and resolved pandemic-related supply chain disruptions. Before his national service, he served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana and as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. As a long-time supporter of rail and transit, the Association knew Mr. Buttigieg would be the perfect choice to speak at this milestone event.
Tran has over 25 years of experience in politics, policy, external affairs and communications. Before establishing her firm, she served as Senior Advisor to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Director of Public Engagement for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), where she helped secure passage and implement the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Tran also served as director of communications for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. She is on the Board of Trustees for the Mineta Transportation Institute and the Board of Directors for STV, a professional services firm for North American infrastructure projects. Her keynote discussion will be moderated by COMTO CEO April Rai.
As for the panels: as usual, there will be four blocks of interactive breakout sessions scheduled on Thursday and Friday. The conference will offer twenty concurrent session panels grouped in five topical tracks: Community Outreach and Community Benefits; Management & Leadership; Maintenance; Policy, Innovation, and Customer Experience; and Operations. This year, 15 of 20 panels were developed from session proposals submitted from Association membership and beyond. Over 80 proposals were submitted.
This year’s panels include favorite familiar topics such as state and federal legislative updates, updates on the transition to Zero Emissions technologies, and operator/rider safety. Multiple panels will delve into extremely timely concerns surrounding federal and state funding underinvestment and ongoing budget cuts, AI use in transit, and anticipating regulatory relief. And this year’s equity-focused panels highlight ways to build careers and rebuild ridership levels through inclusivity programs, serving neurodiverse riders, and welcoming the next generation to transit.
Watch out for more information about panelists and panel details coming soon!
Enjoy an extra special Expo
You told us, and we listened: we’re making the Expo a more interactive, more trade show-style environment!
New this year, expo hall visitors will want to stick around for a chance to win prizes at ongoing, must-be-present-to-win raffles and other games. Equally exciting for dog lovers: expo participants will get a visit from rescue puppies!
Vendors will have the opportunity for greater customization and more features at their booths, with greater impacts for signage, audio-visual capabilities, and 3D simulator technology, all to ensure maximum interest and exploration from attendees.
These numerous changes are designed to bring more, and more sustained foot traffic to exhibits, as well as to give participants the chance to enjoy a memorable event.
Don’t skip: Amazing add-ons!
Golf Tournament: The 14th Annual Jim Ditch Classic Golf Tournament will take place on the Tuesday before the conference begins at the El Dorado Park Golf Course. Individuals and groups can register here. The tournament, which is not officially part of the conference and requires a separate registration, recognizes and remembers Jim Ditch, a passionate leader in transit education and a founding father of the California Transit Training Consortium. The tournament raises money for an Education Fund to provide scholarships for students who want a career in public transit.
Committee meetings: Association Committees and Task Forces – including, the Maintenance Committee, Operations Committee, IT Committee, and IDEA Task Force – will meet in-person on Wednesday. Building on the new meeting format we introduced last year, the Maintenance and Operations Committees will include programmatic elements.
Small Operators Awards: Longtime conference attendees will note another important change to the schedule: for years, the Association has hosted a Small Operator Awards Breakfast on the final day of the conference. This year, the event has changed to an Awards Lunch on Thursday that is open to all but requires a separate fee of $100 (available for purchase during the registration process). Award nominations are now open! To submit a nomination, and for more information on the award process, please see the 2025 Small Operators Awards Nomination Form. For questions, please contact Association Services Director Maria Barajas via email at maria@caltransit.org.
Tech Tours: Host agency Long Beach Transit’s three tech tours will offer the opportunity to explore the city before and after conference programming. One tour showcases LBT’s sustainability initiatives, including a behind-the-scenes visit to one of our bus yards, offering a closer look at how LBT is driving electrification in public transit. Another offers a special view of the city with a ride on an AquaLink water taxi, which is part of a summertime LBT service. The final tour takes attendees to LBT transit hubs and spaces across the city that have been transformed by local artists into living canvases. Conference participants can register for the tours on-site at the Host Agency desk, located in the entry foyer of the Convention Center.
Closing Session: Previous attendees expressed the desire for a final convening of participants. This year, the Association has added a close-out session on Friday that previews 2026.
Coming soon: Watch for more information coming soon about our popular and user-friendly conference app, added speakers, demos, and the signature evening networking reception.
Don’t forget: Early bird registration, sponsorship, and more
Early registration is underway! Currently, Association members can purchase Full Conference passes for $625, or Single-day Thursday or Friday passes for $500. Non-members can take advantage of early bird savings as well, with the full pass costing $875 and single day passes costing $700.
After October 1, prices will rise. Full-day conference passes will be $725 for members/$975 for non-members, and single-day passes will be $600 for members/$800 for non-members. Same-day onsite registrants will pay $825 as members/$1,075 for non-members for full conference passes, and $700 as members/$900 for non-members for single day passes.
The Association has reserved room blocks at a discounted rate for conference attendees at the nearby Westin Long Beach at $249/night and the Marriott Long Beach Downtown for $259/night. Price and availability are subject to change.
Sponsor opportunities are still open and available. For more information about cultivating top-of-mind brand awareness, access to senior-level influencers, and thought-leadership exposure, contact Rob Finley (rob@caltransit.org) to learn more and view the event’s still-available sponsorship options.
To register or to get more information, check out the conference website.
Keep watching your email and the Association’s social media accounts (X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky) for more details to be announced. See you in Long Beach!