The NJ Transit Board of Directors has hired a customer advocate, filling a position that has been vacant since 2020.
Franck Beaumin’s experience includes roles in bus rapid transit in Bangladesh, customer experience at a major transit operator in Paris and overseeing customer communications with Keolis Commuter Services, which operates the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s 14 commuter rail lines serving the Greater Boston region and Rhode Island.
While the post was created by a 2018 law, the position has been vacant since Stewart Mader left it in October 2020 amid criticism.
Beaumin was born and raised in France, where he pursued higher education in law. He earned a license degree in Public Law before continuing his studies at the Institute of Political Science in Rennes, France.
There, he focused on urban networks in developing countries and planning policies, graduating with two master’s degrees.
Following his higher education, Beaumin consulted on a $500 million BRT project in Bangladesh. He coordinated a 15-member team on this project to develop a network operational plan. Beaumin moved on to transit operator Keolis in Paris where, as a customer service project manager and customer experience manager, he launched client communication, website and passenger information platforms and oversaw the selection of customer information digital screens and customer communications.
Beaumin came to the U.S. to continue his work with Keolis at the MBTA in Boston, where he most recently served as a passenger communications manager. In this role, he led a 30-member team that provided real-time information to customers through subscriber alerts and social media posts.
Beaumin also monitored and evaluated the performance of the customer service department and improved the investigation process to resolve customer feedback in less than five business days on average.
