Avail Technologies Inc

Avail News

Avail Technologies is happy to announce the recent hiring of several key employees. As with any successful long term company, maintaining a controlled growth is the key to survival. Avail has strived and succeeded in maintaining this growth since the doors first opened in January of 1999. This steady growth has dictated the need for experience and knowledge in several departments. Please join Avail Technologies in welcoming these new employees.

Louis Gordon (Program Manager)

Louis formerly a chief architect for Siemens’ Home Health products joins Avail as a respected analyst and designer with over 20 years of experience in product development. He brings extensive business and technical experience providing a bridge between the user and development communities. Louis brings experience in working with customers and subject matter experts to identify business needs. He has worked with customers and subject matter experts to author many requirements. Louis brings leadership with a strong ability to provide innovative ideas and arbitration for challenging and cross-departmental projects.

Dave Crow (Program Manager)

Dave joins Avail with 13 years experience in Threat Simulation at Raytheon Company. He began his career as an Avionics Technician in the Air Force. At Raytheon Dave led a team of software and systems engineers in the development and support of threat simulation systems on F-16 and F-22 training systems. He brings strong leadership skills and an ability to work with customers to shape system requirements and engineering activities to best meet their needs. Dave’s record of successful completion of engineering and support services within the schedule and budget will please his customers.

Judy Stover (Lab Technician)

Judy joins the Avail staff with a background in Research and Development testing at General Dynamics. With a strong background in product development Judy will be working closely with other staff to ensure that new products are properly manufactured and assembled before final production. Judy brings a strong enthusiasm and work ethic to this new position.

Chris Clugston (Project Technician)

As a recent college graduate Chris joins the Avail Technologies staff with degrees in both Electronics Technology and Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology. Both of these degrees will serve Chris well as he applies his knowledge to field service. Chris will be working closely with customers in the field to ensure the proper operation of all in vehicle components.

Jordan Fleming (Project Technician)

Jordan joins the Avail staff with a background in installation and operations. Jordan will continue to build on this experience as he will be working closely with customers in the field to ensure the proper installation and training of all in-vehicle hardware components.

Customer News

Votran Adopts Integrated Transit Operations Management System

Jim, a regular user of Votran public transportation, checks his watch. He’s running tight on time for a doctor’s appointment. He wonders if his bus is on schedule. Jim walks to the nearby lighted display sign. His bus will arrive in two minutes — right on time.

Electronic signs at key stops allow Votran passengers to view real time departure information while waiting for buses. New technologies provide Votran with ability to display and announce public service messages through the signs and the web site. Riders now have real time information as part of a sweeping $4.1-million technology upgrade that puts Votran, Volusia County, Florida’s public transportation provider, on a technology par with some of the biggest transit systems in the country.

“The technologies adopted by Votran historically have been reserved for major market transit systems and have proven to provide tremendous operational efficiencies along with making transit more user friendly,” said Dorsey Houtz, president of Avail Technologies, Inc., the State College, Pa., company that installed the technology for Votran.

“What makes this project unique is that working as a team with Votran we are launching a new level of product that wasn’t available in the industry before,” Houtz continued. “The cutting-edge solution implemented by Avail and the creative adoption technique used by Votran prove that technology can be designed and adopted so smaller systems can leverage the same features, and provide the same operational improvements as the mega transit systems, without requiring the mega organizational support infrastructure.”

Votran General Manager Lois Bollenback believes the technology improvements at Votran have put the agency on the leading edge of technology for transit system of its size. Votran’s package of technology improvements, called the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), will provide a more efficient, convenient and customer-friendly transit service within Volusia County.

“The new technologies will increase efficiency, reduce operational costs and provide improved service to our customers,” said Bollenback.
Avail is putting the finishing touches on the ITS package that gives Votran the most comprehensive technology of its type in the region.
Votran’s new Integrated Transit Operations Management System within months of implementation provided operations and management personnel increased efficiencies for paratransit and fixed route fleets. This system ties all the technologies together into a single operational platform that includes scheduling, revenue collection, bidding, accounting, traveler information, trip planning, client registration, call taking, dispatching, reporting, data analysis and much more.

“The intelligent transportation system allows us to make better decisions by using advanced technology to collect, process and distribute information,” said Lois Bollenback.

The system implemented by Votran also is focused on the customer. With a visit to http://www.votran.org/ riders can obtain real time information about their trips. By accessing Votran’s web site passengers can call up a map of a specific route that allows them to view where the bus is at that moment. Simply clicking on a bus will allow customers to see if their bus is running on time, or they can click on a stop to see the next three departure times of the route from that stop. Customers also can coordinate and plan future trips.

“Providing the actual arrival times of buses at selected stops and automatic next stop announcements on buses provides information to passengers to improve trip-making decisions,” said Bollenback.

The Volusia County Council (county commission) approved Votran’s multi-year ITS plan in 2003. The ITS plan tracks vehicle location, coordinates transfers between routes, facilitates faster, more efficient paratransit reservations and service delivery, collects real-time service and operational information, and provides a wealth of information to help customers and Votran managers.
For more information, please contact: Lois Bollenback, Votran General Manager, at 386/756-7496.

About Votran
The Volusia County Council (county commission) created Volusia County’s public transportation system, called Votran, in 1975. Votran is a service of Volusia County Government. Votran provides transportation to all urban areas of the county with a fleet of 52 fixed route buses, four trackless trolleys, 27 van pools and 44 paratransit vehicles. Additional service is provided through contracts. McDonnell Transit, a professional transportation management firm based in Ft. Worth, Texas, contracts with Volusia County to provide the system’s management. Votran operates 26 fixed routes and provides paratransit service throughout Volusia County, which covers more than 1,100 square miles and serves a resident population of more than 500,000. Additionally, seasonal trolleys and a rapidly growing commuter assistance program play an important role in mobility management.

About Avail Technologies
Founded in 1999 Avail Technologies, Inc. , State College, Pa., is the only Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) provider that focuses on providing ITS solutions to small-to-medium sized transit systems with 250 vehicles or less. Avail’s product suite includes Computer Aided Dispatching, Automatic Vehicle Location, Mobile Data Computers, Automatic Passenger Counters, Automatic Next Stop Annunciation, Traveler Information Systems and more. For more information about Avail Technologies please visit http://www.availtec.com/ or feel free to call (814) 234-3394.

Industry News

PENNDOT Launches Transportation Needs Website

HARRISBURG – PennDOT today launched a new Web site — www.Rideonpa.org — to keep Pennsylvanians informed about progress in solving the state’s transportation funding crisis. Earlier this year, Governor Edward G. Rendell proposed a two-pronged approach to secure the $1.7 billion needed annually for safe, reliable roads, bridges and public transportation.

Rideonpa.org provides a comprehensive view of the condition of the state’s 40,000 miles of roads and bridges, and the severe funding shortfall that threatens the economic stability of local regions that would result from significant public transit cuts across Pennsylvania.

The Web site will provide ongoing updates and information on the progress toward solving the transportation funding crisis. Interactive features will soon be added to the site so users can see which roads and bridges are in need of repair in their area. Also in the coming weeks, information will be added to the site regarding an ongoing financial analysis of options to determine how best to get the utmost value for taxpayers and the driving public.

Users will find details on various funding proposals, including the Governor’s idea to lease the 537-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike and use revenue from a new oil corporation gross profits tax to create a dedicated funding source for the state’s 73 public transit agencies. Despite record investments in bridge and road repairs in the past four years, Pennsylvania has more bridges in critical need of immediate repair than any other state in the nation.

Leveraging the value of the Turnpike is expected to generate the $965 million per year necessary to fund highway and bridge repairs. The Governor has said he is committed to getting the best deal, with the least economic impact, on taxpayers and the driving public. In any deal involving the Turnpike, the state will retain ownership and control of the asset. A deal would also include safeguards to control tolls, ensure highway maintenance and protect workers.

Governor Rendell expects the oil corporation gross profits tax to generate the $760 million per year for public transit systems which have grown to providing more than 400 million rides annually.

The severity of the funding crisis is outlined in a report from the bipartisan Transportation Funding and Reform Commission, which identified a total of $1.7 billion in annual needs. Links to the report and other resources are available online at www.rideonpa.org.