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Governor David Paterson's pick to take over the largest transit system in the western hemisphere says there's plenty of room for improvement.

"If you go around the world, you see that we are no longer at the top of the standings as a transit system," said MTA Chairman & CEO nominee Jay Walder. "We're not even in the wildcard position."

Walder gave some hint of the changes to come during the State Senate hearing on his nomination as MTA chairman and CEO. He talked of beefing up bus service by giving buses more right-of-way through the use of dedicated lanes and implementing technology like countdown clocks. The visible alerts are used widely in London, where Walder was a top transit official. Currently, the technology is only available on just one line in New York City.

"We walk to the edge of the platform, we look over, we wait to see if there's a white light. And if we see the white light and hope it's not a reflection, then we know that the train is actually coming. This is simply not the way to operate a 21st century transit system," Walder said.

A native New Yorker who was MTA executive director back in the 90s, Walder was tapped by Governor Paterson back in July, but the State Senate hasn't yet acted to confirm him. Even some of the MTA's loudest critics though, seem impressed.

"I think for once, the governor has reached outside of the sphere of the State of New York to find somebody that exemplifies what true professionalism is," said Senator Carl Kruger.

Walder is expected to be confirmed by the full State Senate in Albany on Thursday and will likely take over the job by early October.