“ They were really thorough ,” Whiteker said . “ We went through a requirements review in the beginning , and then we moved towards getting the new data in the system . They guided us through all of that , they came on site and helped transition us into each piece of the system , one week at a time .” As part of the project , Avail created an enhanced training plan for TANK . The training plan is aimed at utilizing each component of myAvail to its fullest advantage – from the operator to operations , marketing , customer service , training , and the maintenance department . As part of the advanced training , Avail focused on creating standard operating procedures ( SOPs ) and implemented a multi-phase learning process , starting with a high-level introduction to the concept for different levels of usage for employees . “ Maintenance training was fantastic ,” said Bill Hock , TANK Director of Maintenance . “ They were on site , the installation team reviewed everything with my team throughout the entire process to make sure that everybody had a thorough understanding of how everything worked . It was a really good process .” Once the process is complete , the agency and Avail conduct a fullfleet rollout . In the case of a large agency like TANK , this rollout can take up to two months to complete .
“ One thing that we are big on at Avail is adoption of the system , ensuring that our customers get the return on their investment , that they ' re using the system effectively to improve their transit operations ,” Manaseri said . “ We place considerable focus on customer adoption , not only during the project deployment phase , but also during customer support .” On the backend , the ETMS provides TANK with a single database for data to flow seamlessly throughout the agency . Business intelligence dashboards report real-time metrics to improve efficiency , justify funding requests , and demonstrate compliance . “ One of our main goals was better data collection ,” Whiteker said . “ We didn ' t feel like we could trust the data that was coming out of our old system , it was just really spotty . Now , we have more data than we can probably even use . We ’ re really focused on using that data to plan better , tighten up schedules , see what the running times are , and make some overall improvements .” “ I honestly cannot overstate how useful the APC data has been ,” said TANK Senior Transit Planner , Olivia Tussey . “ Before we had access to the new data we were just using our farebox ridership . Obviously that doesn ' t give you the capability of drilling down into specifically which stops are being utilized . Now , really being able to see where people are making use of our service the most has been incredibly useful .” The next major technology implementation on TANK ’ s agenda is the introduction of Avail ’ s voice-over IP ( VoIP ) to replace the agency ’ s radio system . The agency switched out its traditional radio tower communication system in favor of a 100 percent cellular service . “ The big thing was connecting to the buses ,” said Mike Wolf TANK Operations Supervisor . “ There were some areas with the old system where we couldn ’ t get radio contact with the drivers . Now we have much better communication overall which is a big deal .” According to Wolf , TANK drivers are aware of the system ’ s critical value for tracking miles and hours , and for passenger information . It ultimately makes their jobs easier , he said , when customers are more informed about their trip prior to embarking . The system ’ s user interface has also been a hit with dispatchers . They now have a much clearer , real-time view of where each vehicle is and can monitor the status of the fleet more effectively . They know the locations of every bus and driver , incidents are tracked as they occur , and vehicle health monitoring predicts failures so maintenance can ensure buses hit the road as scheduled . “ The real-time communication of vehicle defects through the vehicle network has been extremely helpful ,” Hock said . “ It will report back through the CAD / AVL and we get notifications of those defects in real time . That , over time , will help decrease road calls , failures on the road , and allow us to spot issues and resolve them prior to it being a customer and or a service interruption .” As TANK continues to embrace technology to improve its services , the agency is optimistic about the future . The CAD / AVL system has already proven to be a valuable asset in improving efficiency , reducing communication challenges , and enhancing maintenance operations . “ TANK is an excellent example of a transit agency that ' s future focused and has continually made their service and their ridership a priority ,” Manaseri said . “ All the system benefits , from reduced road calls to the collection of real time data , it ’ s all working towards their goal to improve service , enhance communication , and elevate the overall rider experience .”
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