L.A. Metro establishes office of 'extraordinary innovation'

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is creating an office of "extraordinary innovation" (OEI) to champion new ideas for improving mobility throughout the region.

The office will also help the agency set an innovative and fiscally responsible course for the future, Metro officials said in a press release.

The small OEI team will serve as the creative engine for inventive plans, practices and thinking. It will work with academic institutions, senior transportation veterans, and transportation and policy think tanks to understand both new and old mobility ideas.

The office will begin a comprehensive strategic planning process that will include input from the agency's board, employees, stakeholders, and local and national partners.

"The thought is that we want to be looking at the most out-of-the-box and untried ideas the transportation industry has ever seen in this country,” said Metro Chief Executive Officer Phil Washington. "We don’t know what we don’t know, so we want the world to tell us what they know and are thinking."

Other responsibilities include supporting Metro departments in piloting experimental programs or policies, along with serving as the primary liaison for new ideas relevant to the agency, Metro officials said.