Meet the Team
Meet MTSO’s leadership team who coordinate campaigns, partnerships, and advocacy efforts to push for more frequent, reliable, and accessible transit networks.
Join our team!
We are looking to fill our leadership team with new members! If you are interested in representing your region as an MTSO Lead, join us!
Haadhi Faizal
Founder and Co-Executive Director
Haadhi is a civil engineering student at the University of Waterloo and a passionate advocate for transportation and housing issues across the region. He founded More Transit Southern Ontario with the goal of advancing public advocacy for a connected and reliable transit network.
Haadhi is responsible for researching and analyzing policy, technical documents, and data related to transit infrastructure and services. A significant achievement in his role was leading the publication of MTSO’s first-ever technical document—a comprehensive report on the Bowmanville GO Train Extension. The report called for Metrolinx to prioritize transparency and collaboration in accommodating at least six to eight electrified trains per hour, aiming to optimize travel times and improve service frequency.
Haadhi’s leadership at MTSO continues to drive impactful advocacy efforts aimed at reversing service cuts, improving transit infrastructure, and ensuring that the region’s transit network is designed to meet the evolving needs of its riders.
Jonathan Lee How Cheong
Co-Executive Director
Jonathan Lee is the Co-Executive Director and founding member of More Transit Southern Ontario. He is a first-year Social Sciences student at the University of Toronto. Passionate about public transportation, he leads MTSO’s efforts to push for improved transit policies, service expansions, and investments that put riders first.
He engaged riders for better transit networks across the province. One of his first advocacy efforts was the More GO Buses campaign during the first Canada-wide “Transit Action Week” led by Environmental Defence, raising awareness about the importance of regional transit connectivity by providing residents with more reliable bus routes.
Jonathan has also been involved in transit campaigns with TTCriders and the Toronto Youth Cabinet, calling for improved service reliability, expanded transit frequency, and better integration between municipal and regional transit networks. As a frequent transit rider himself, Jonathan brings lived experience to his advocacy work, recognizing challenges that commuters face, such as frequent subway closures and standing in the cold waiting for an already delayed bus.
His vision is for a transit network that prioritizes riders, fosters sustainable urban mobility, and ensures that public transportation remains a viable and attractive option for all.
Max Cheung
Policy Director
Max is a fourth-year Geography student at the University of Toronto. As one of the organization’s founding members, he played a key role in shaping MTSO’s mission to advocate for transit on a regional scale. His work builds on the efforts of past advocates while expanding the organization’s reach to address transit challenges across a broader geographical area.
In his role as Policy Director, Max focuses on research, policy development, and strategic advocacy to push for better transit planning and investment. His work ensures that MTSO’s recommendations are data-driven and aligned with the needs of riders. Through reports, public engagement, and collaboration with policymakers, he contributes to shaping a transit network that is more efficient, accessible, and responsive to the communities it serves.
Noah Dykstra
Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge & Guelph Lead
Noah is a high school student from Kitchener, who is excited to be a part of the MTSO team. As a former resident of Calgary and a current resident of Waterloo Region, he hopes to make an impact on transit in Kitchener and Waterloo as an MTSO Lead for his region. Within his role, he plans to improve transit accessibility and foster better, more connected communities for the Twin Cities.
In his free time, Noah enjoys exploring ways to design systems that make urban spaces more livable and efficient. He wrote comments to the Guelph City Council in support of a Guelph to Cambridge rail link and requested the council to advance this project, which is currently in its planning stage.
Arushi Nath
Toronto Lead
Arushi Nath is a Foresight Fellow, 2024 Masason Scholar, and a two-time winner of Canada’s Top Young Scientist Award. She is passionate about using science to bridge the gap between data and policy, advocating for evidence-based decision-making in local and global challenges.
As a high school student who navigates downtown Toronto daily, she has firsthand experience with transit issues and the challenges of unreliable public transportation. She has engaged in transit advocacy through deputations and rallies, and she contributes to discussions on transit policy as part of the Toronto Youth Cabinet’s Transit Group. With expertise in astrophysics, AI, and public engagement, she believes in an interdisciplinary approach to tackling societal issues.
Sylvia Menezes Roberts
Brampton Lead
Sylvia is a dedicated transit and housing advocate with over five years of experience shaping municipal governance in Brampton. She is passionate about creating equitable, accessible cities and has a proven track record of turning grassroots advocacy into concrete public policy.
Notably, Sylvia spearheaded the successful initiative to implement transit fare capping in Brampton. Recognizing that service delays during the pandemic were forcing riders into excessively long, multi-fare trips, she successfully lobbied City Council to adopt a “12-ride cap” per week for PRESTO users.
This permanent policy change provides direct financial relief to daily commuters and eliminates the cognitive and financial burden for parents navigating transit costs for their families. Sylvia continues to champion structural changes that make local government work better for the people who rely on its services every day.
Michael Olivier (Mike)
GO Transit Lead
Mike began his career in the aerospace industry as an avionics software engineer, working on commercial airliners before applying his engineering expertise as a research and development consultant. He later transitioned to public transit operations as a bus driver, combining firsthand industry experience with a longstanding passion for transit advocacy.
A respected transportation writer and commentator, Mike has served as a correspondent for Urban Transport International in Paris and the United Kingdom’s Tramways & Urban Transport magazine. He currently serves as Managing Editor of London Reconnections, overseeing the North American, Industry, and Friday Reads desks, while also contributing to the publication’s Pneumatic Railway, Marine, and Airship desks.
Drawing on decades of experience across engineering, transportation operations, and journalism, Mike brings a unique perspective to discussions on transit policy, technology, and urban mobility.
Dale Perlas
Durham Lead
Dale is a third-year Urban and Regional Planning student at Toronto Metropolitan University, specializing in transportation planning. Growing up in Scarborough and Pickering, he became interested in cities and transit. Outside of school, he enjoys railfanning, making videos, and exploring different neighbourhoods and parks.
Dale is a daily transit user in Durham Region and has firsthand experience of the challenges transit riders face, ranging from unreliable service to a lack of coverage in many parts of Durham. He first started advocating in campaigns with organizations like TTCRiders, supporting a Line 3 replacement busway, and more RapidTO Lanes.
Elsewhere, he advocated for the Durham-Scarborough BRT before the Durham Region’s transit committees. He understands the importance of data and policy planning with lived experiences to advocate for a more robust and efficient public transit network.
Musab Muhammad
Streetcar Lead
Musab is passionate about cities, sustainable transportation, and urbanism. His work with MTSO focuses on advancing these goals through research and evidence-based transit policy.
As the Streetcar Lead, he coordinates transit research to evaluate current policies and develop recommendations that support a better streetcar network in Toronto.
He is especially interested in how data and planning can be used to create more sustainable, connected, and complete communities. With a background in Geographical Information Systems, he is extensively experienced with spatial and transit data.
Calvin Feng
Mississauga Lead
Calvin is a student at the University of Toronto Mississauga who is passionate about cities and transportation. Within his role, he aims to improve transit service in Mississauga by learning from other cities and using data-based decision-making.
As a Mississauga resident who uses public transportation daily, he hopes to use direct experience to point out shortcomings and potential improvements. In his free time, Calvin likes to explore urban environments and see in person how transit systems work. He hopes to use advocacy to improve public transportation and urban environments, thereby improving the livability of communities.
Dylan Peters
York Region Lead
Growing up in Richmond Hill and Vaughan, Dylan has firsthand experience using public transit across York Region. As the region continues to grow, he has become interested in the challenges of urban sprawl, public transit, and creating more livable and accessible communities.
He is currently completing a postgraduate certificate at Seneca College and enjoys learning about civic technology, urban planning, and community development. His professional background includes customer-facing roles at Toronto-based startups.
Ashlyn Clarry
Connect Downsview Lead
Ashlyn is a transportation planner whose professional experience has involved transportation demand forecasting work in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and beyond. With her travel demand modelling experience and undergraduate degrees in economics and engineering, she has a keen understanding of the factors which drive transit systems and the people who use them.
As a lifelong transit user and urbanist, Ashlyn has a first-hand understanding of the role that transit can play in people’s lives. She shares a vision of Toronto with more abundant housing and vibrant urban neighbourhoods, linked by a strong transit system. She hopes to leverage her technical background along with her experience working with both public and private stakeholders to advocate for a smart, forward-thinking approach to achieving this vision.