LLaasstt ssttoopp Using Technology to Improve Altoona, PA HH RR PP On-Time Performance TT ee TT ii SSHHeeeeTT AMTRAN doesn’t invest in technol - record for our customers. time performance so it’s hard to stay ogy just for the sake of technology. On-time Performance exactly on time. But the bus should We utilize technology to become never be early because then you We are now using myStop to im - more efficient and effective and to might miss a customer. prove our on-time performance. improve customer service. As for running behind, we consider a Over the past year, we have been Buses for Amtran For example, our myStop technology bus late if it’s more than 4 minutes Amtran is moving to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) also make CNG-related upgrades to existing carefully examining each route and pushes real-time bus departures out behind schedule. That’s about aver - with an order for six new buses to be delivered in May maintenance facilities. adjusting its timetable. to customers by telephone, via text, age for the public transportation in - 2018. In Altoona, there will be a fueling station and upgrades on the web, and through our smart dustry. On October 19, the Amtran Board of Directors voted to to Amtran’s maintenance building to accommodate phone app for iPhones and Androids. So “on time” means never early and purchase six new, made-in-America, CNG buses for a CNG buses. (There will not be a public fueling option Since many of our routes only run not more than 4 minutes late. total cost of almost $3 million. The funding comes at Amtran at this time, but that could change in the fu - once an hour, it’s very important to Performance Goal from PennDOT and the Federal Transit Administration. ture.) The project in Altoona is scheduled to be com - our customers to know whether the pleted by summer of 2017. Locally, The EADS Group A year ago, AMTRAN’s on-time per - Support from Bill Shuster bus is on-time or running late. is working with Amtran and Trillium. formance was 75%. For the first six According to Congressman Bill Shuster, Chairman of Another convenient technology that Our drivers are utilizing the onboard months of this year, our on-time per - the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, The bus purchase is part of a statewide procurement we offer is trip planning through technology that alerts them when formance has been consistently 80% “This is a great opportunity for Amtran to move toward consortium. The six CNG buses will be delivered in Google Maps which is also available they are running early or late. or better. CNG-fueled buses. I was happy to support their fed - the spring of 2018 from American bus manufacturer through our smart phone app. Gillig’s all-new plant in northern . In our industry, traffic signals and We are proud of our progress to date eral grant application to help purchase new buses as Today we are very excited about how congestion significantly impact on- and will continue to improve. part of this statewide CNG project. Amtran will finally Fuel Savings we have improved our on-time be able to retire buses in their fleet that are more than PennDOT expects transit agencies to see significant 40 years old.” savings due to the project. Based on current CNG, Statewide Public-Private Partnership diesel, and gasoline prices as well as fuel usage, agen - In March, PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards an - cies could save more than $10 million annually nounced that the Trillium CNG team was selected for statewide. After 10 years, the department estimates that the department’s statewide Compressed Natural Gas the project will pay for itself with the estimated $100 Public-Private Partnership (P3) project. million in savings.

Through the $84.5 million project, Trillium will design,

2 0 6 6 1 A P , a n o o t l A

A P a n o o t l

A build, finance, operate, and maintain CNG fueling sta -

e u n e v A h t f i F 1 0 3 3

0 8 3 # t i m r e

P tions at 29 public transit agency sites (including Am - d i a P e g a t s o P S U 4 7 0 4 - 4 4 9 - 4 1 8

. d t S . t r s r P

g r o . n a r t m a . w w

w tran) through a 20-year P3 agreement. Stations will be

. . . e u s s I s i h T n I n a r t m A r o f constructed over the next five years and the firm will

s e s u B s a G l a r u t a N

Published to inform the community of the benefits of public transportation. Volume XX, Number 1 October 2016 TTHHee TTRRiiPP SSHHeeeeTT

Loyalty Reward Winners Here are the AMTRAN myFare smart card cus - Amtran's myFare smart card is quick, safe, and con - tomers who were recent Loyalty Reward Program Smart Phone App venient. Get yours today! Amtran’s myStop smart phone app is a free down - winners. Quick – Just tap your myFare on the card reader as load for IOS and Android devices. Search “myStop” Our July winner was Dana Vanormer. Our August you board, and you’re ready to go. at your app store and look for the logo above. winner was Patrick Hilger. Our September winner Safe – If you register your card at Amtran, we can Trip Planning & Real-Time Bus Departures was Carlos Jaso. Each winner received $25 loaded replace it if it’s lost. Plus if you register, you’ll be onto their myFare smart card. Using the app, you can plan your trip through automatically entered in our Loyalty Reward Pro - Google Maps. You can also find out when your bus You can win too! Every month, we randomly select gram. (See previous page.) To register your card, just stop by Amtran (next to Mansion Park) Mon - will be at your stop in real time. In addition, you can a registered myFare card customer to win. Early & Late Bus Service set an alert to remind you when the bus will arrive. day through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. If you don’t have a myFare card yet, read about it Did you know that Amtran runs bus service as early Convenient – No more worries about exact change. The app was developed by Amtran’s tech partner, on the next page, and ask your friendly Amtran as 6:00 a.m. and as late as 10:00 p.m. Monday And you can check your balance anytime by phone Avail Technologies in State College. driver how you can get your myFare card today! through Saturday? (944-1200). #11 Early Bird starts at the Transit Center at 6:00 Ask your friendly Amtran driver about myFare today. It’s free with a $5.00 minimum purchase! a.m. and connects to Logan Valley Mall to the Wye Switches to Juniata and the VA Hospital. Late Bus Service #12 Night Owl starts at the Transit Center at 6:00 p.m. and connects to Lloyd Street to Logan Town Centre to Pleasant Valley Shopping Center to Logan Valley Mall to Walmart and back to down - town with four hourly trips beginning at 6:00 p.m. and ending at 10:00 p.m. #14 Evening Flash connects Penn State Altoona and Fairview to Martin's Chestnut Avenue to Al - Often when you phone for help, you’ll get a computer answering the phone. Not at Amtran. If you call toona Hospital to downtown Altoona with five our HelpLine Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., you’ll get to talk to a real person who can hourly trips beginning at 5:00 p.m. and ending at answer your questions about riding the bus. Give it a try! 10:20 p.m. real people. real answers. in real time. Pick up a schedule on the bus, or visit our website at www..org .