First Transit Names Robert James Vice President Technology and Innovation

CINCINNATI – First Transit announces the appointment of Robert James as vice president of technology and innovation, the first for the organization. James will report directly to Brad Thomas, president of First Transit.

James will be responsible for combining technology, innovation, and leading the strategic vision for the organization's mobility solutions. A well-respected thought leader, James is often selected to provide insight on industry technology solutions and infrastructure.

"Robert has worked across the country developing and leading initiatives that intersect innovation and transportation," said Thomas. "His experience in areas such as connected vehicle technology, mobility as a service (MaaS), and shared autonomous vehicles allows us to maintain and build our leadership position in mobility innovation."

James has 30 years of technology and engineering experience in areas such as autonomous vehicle applications, transportation research, and developing solutions for multi-modal trip planning. James was most recently at HNTB as the chief engineer of emerging mobility.

"First Transit has a legacy of delivering innovation to their customers," said James. "My goal is to build on this foundation, developing strategies that will deliver enhanced mobility solutions to our customers."

James earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a master of science degree in electrical engineering from John Hopkins University. James has five children and resides with his wife in Odessa, Fla.




About First Transit:
First Transit, Inc. has 60 years of experience and is one of the largest private-sector providers of mobility solutions in North America moving more than 350 million passengers annually. First Transit, Inc. provides operation, management and consulting for more than 300 locations in 39 states, Canada, Puerto Rico, Panama and India for transit authorities, state departments of transportation, municipalities, hospitals, universities and private companies. First Transit employs more than 19,500 dedicated transit professionals. For additional information, please visit FirstTransit.com.