State College, PA — March 2, 2018 — Avail, a State College area-based company, has been chosen by The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to implement a Fixed Route Intelligent Transportation System (FRITS) for 32 transit agencies throughout PA. This implementation will mean real-time passenger information, universal fare collection cards and improved transit planning for the agencies.

“Avail is thrilled to be working with PennDOT and our state transit agencies to deploy the nation’s first statewide Fixed Route Intelligent Transportation System solution, which will create a common technology platform across all agencies to facilitate new operational standards and a level of operational data analysis that has never been seen before,” Avail President and CEO Dorsey E. Houtz says. “The FRITS project will be watched very closely by other states and again, Avail is thrilled to be on the team that will make PA the nation’s shining star of technology adoption in fixed route transit.”

The FRITS project, estimated to take 5 years and around $35.7 million, will be the first of its kind, with PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Toby Fauver saying “The way that people use and interact with transportation services is changing, and that includes public transportation, better data and technology ultimately improves efficiency and meets customer needs.”