How APTA connects transit funding with American workers and communities and why Avail supports that work

When Avail Technologies CEO, Rick Spangler, and CFO, Glen Parrillo, traveled to Washington, D.C., last week, they joined private-sector businesses at the American Public Transportation Association Legislative Advocacy Fly-In. APTA brought these companies together to show Congress how federal transit investment supports agencies, American employers, and communities.

Transit agencies regularly explain what federal funding means for riders and service. The Fly-In added the perspective of private sector companies that serve those agencies, helping lawmakers see where the funding goes and what it supports beyond the transit system itself.

APTA is making the economic case

APTA organized the Fly-In around a straightforward message: public transportation drives the American economy. The association provided national data and coordinated meetings on Capitol Hill so businesses could connect federal funding decisions with the jobs and investments they support.

According to APTA, 77 percent of federal public transit investment flows to American companies and workers in the private sector. Public transportation supports 3,000 suppliers in more than 1,700 communities across all 50 states. Every $1 billion invested in public transportation creates or sustains 41,400 jobs across the economy.

APTA is using those figures to help lawmakers understand that transit funding is an investment in American economic activity. The association estimates that every $1 invested in public transit generates $5 in long-term economic returns through the service agencies provide and the work performed throughout the supply chain.

“This funding doesn’t just keep buses running. It creates jobs and economic growth. Businesses like ours have devoted our mission to serving public transit.”

Rick Spangler, Chief Executive Officer, Avail Technologies

The transit supply chain is local

Behind every bus or train is a network of people who build vehicles, manufacture parts, construct facilities, and support the technology agencies use each day. Some participants represent companies who manufacture bus seats, another specializes in track safety products. Avail represented employee owners who develop, implement, and support transit technology.

Their work supports the same outcome: reliable public transportation. When an agency can replace aging vehicles, maintain facilities, or improve passenger information, riders receive safer and more dependable service. The investment also supports paychecks and business activity where those products are built and supported.

Why Avail is adding its voice

Public transportation is the only industry Avail serves. As a 100 percent employee-owned company, we have a direct interest in a healthy transit industry. Agency investment supports our employees and allows us to continue improving our technology and customer support. That is part of our reason for participating, and we believe it is important to say so plainly.

Our support also comes from what we see in the field. Agencies manage essential infrastructure and daily service while addressing aging assets and long-term modernization needs. Stable funding lets them plan responsibly and make improvements that benefit riders. Uncertainty slows those plans and increases the cost of deferred work.

APTA gives agencies and businesses a shared platform for explaining those consequences. Avail wants to support that work by showing up consistently and sharing the private-sector perspective when Congress considers transportation funding.

Stable funding keeps the network working

The immediate funding issue shows why coordinated advocacy matters. The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, extended surface transportation authorization through December 11, 2026. APTA reports that it cuts public transit investment by 20 percent, or $4.2 billion, and passenger rail investment by 81 percent, or $12.9 billion, from fiscal year 2026 enacted levels.

APTA is asking Congress to restore that funding and provide at least $21.1 billion for public transit and $15.9 billion for passenger rail in fiscal year 2027. Those dollars move agency projects forward and give suppliers the confidence to hire and invest in the capacity needed to deliver them.

APTA is also urging Congress to block a proposed federal grant management rule that could allow funding to be withheld, suspended, or terminated after a project begins. That uncertainty would affect agencies and companies that have already committed workers and materials. It could leave taxpayers paying for work that cannot be completed.

Rick and Glen left Washington encouraged by their conversations. The value came from joining a larger effort led by APTA and reinforcing the same message from another part of the transit community.

Avail plans to keep supporting that effort. We want to participate in APTA advocacy consistently and help explain how transit investment moves through American businesses before returning to communities as better service and stronger infrastructure.

Public transportation funding keeps people connected and agencies moving forward. It also supports thousands of American companies and the workers behind them. APTA is making that case in Washington, and Avail is proud to add our voice.