During his tenure, he oversaw the transformation of public transit in Central Ohio, including a downtown circulator, an airport shuttle, and a comprehensive redesign of the entire bus network.
Having served 18 years at the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), including the past five as president/CEO, W. Curtis Stitt announced he will retire Sept. 30.
Appointed to lead COTA on Feb. 1, 2012, Stitt oversaw the transformation of public transit in Central Ohio, including a downtown circulator, an airport shuttle, and a comprehensive redesign of the entire bus network.
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“As I look back on my tenure, I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work with so many great people, and I am extremely proud of what we achieved together,” Stitt said. “We’ve leveraged new technology, innovative thinking, and old-fashioned common sense to make public transit more convenient and efficient, and to meet the needs of more people.”
“Curtis’ strong leadership has brought COTA into a new era of public transit. Under Curtis’ direction, COTA is transforming itself with the current system redesign, implementation of the multimodal bus rapid transit line, and technology advances like Transit App,” said Jean Carter Ryan, chair of COTA’s board of trustees. “On behalf of the board, I want to thank Curtis for his service and dedication, not only to COTA, but to the Central Ohio community. We wish him all the best.”
Prior to his appointment as president and CEO, Stitt served one year as COTA’s sr. VP and COO. Before that, he served 12 years as COTA’s legal counsel, including six years as general counsel and VP, legal and government affairs.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.