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Lookman Fazal

Fazal currently serves as the chief information officer and chief digital officer of NJ Transit.

GoldenGov: State Executive of the Year

Lookman Fazal currently serves as the chief information officer and chief digital officer of NJ Transit. By bringing nearly 20 years of private-sector experience to the country’s largest public transit system, Fazal has implemented an intra-departmental digital transformation that includes onboarding top-tier talent and utilizing innovative technologies across multiple platforms to rebuild the customer journey with a focus on user experience. This has shown to be a net positive — NJ Transit’s digital ticket sales now comprise 55% of its total revenue. More than 100,000 customers have installed the redesigned mobile app, and more than 176,000 trips have been booked online.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, daily ridership dropped and the NJ Transit workforce went remote. Thankfully, the agency had made significant investments in the foundational technologies like core infrastructure, a move from desktops to laptops, collaboration tools and others in advance of the crisis.

“With the COVID pandemic hitting, nobody really had a choice to work from the building, you have to work from home unless you are absolutely required to be there,” Fazal told StateScoop. “[Those modernization efforts were] already underway, so we were well-prepared. So when the pandemic hit, we basically converted the company to a remote company overnight.”

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This week, NJ Transit announced the addition of a feature to its mobile app that allows riders to avoid waiting for overcrowded buses and trains.

Jake Williams

Written by Jake Williams

Jake Williams is the vice president of content and community for StateScoop and EdScoop. He's spent nearly a decade in the government IT market, covering the ins and outs of state and local government, as well as higher education. He started his journalism career in his native Pennsylvania and has also worked as a reporter for Campaigns & Elections magazine.

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